Punic Wars
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Punic Wars. Who fought?. Rome vs. Carthage A series of three wars that span from 264 BC- 164 BC First Punic War Second Punic War Third Punic War. Carthage. Phoenician settlers from the Mediterranean island of Tyre settle Carthage “Punic” is the Latin word for Phoenician
Punic Wars
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Presentation Transcript
Who fought? • Rome vs. Carthage • A series of three wars that span from 264 BC- 164 BC • First Punic War • Second Punic War • Third Punic War
Carthage • Phoenician settlers from the Mediterranean island of Tyre settle Carthage • “Punic” is the Latin word for Phoenician • Carthage was the wealthiest and most advanced city in the region at this time • Carthage was the leading naval power in the Mediterranean Sea at this time • It is located in North Africa
Reasons for the Wars • Mythical- Aeneas leaving Dido, who was from Carthage, made it so Rome and Carthage were destined to fight • Actual- • Fight over control of the island of Sicily for its food production • Fight over control of the Mediterranean Sea for its trade
First Punic War • Two smaller cities Syracuse and Messina started to fight • Rome supported Messina and Carthage Syracuse, which led to the two larger nations fighting • Rome built up its navy for 20 years so they could attack Carthage winning some crucial land and sea victories • Rome tries to invade North Africa but fails • HamilcarBarca leads Carthage as general
Results • Rome wins the war • Rome gains control of the islands of Sicily and Corsica • Carthage’s legendary naval superiority ends
Hannibal Barca • He had a hatred for Rome that was taught to him by his father • He vows as a boy by an oath to the gods to destroy Rome • He is the most famous of the generals of Carthage • Until the fall of Rome no one will come closer to conquering Rome than Hannibal
Second Punic War • This is the most famous of the Punic Wars • Hannibal attacks Rome with 90,000 troops, 12,000 cavalry, and elephants • He crosses the Alps which many thought was impossible to do • He attacks Rome and has major victories until the citizens of Rome come together to defend the city • Rome counters with an attack on North Africa forcing Hannibal to defend Carthage
Third Punic War • Cato, a senator, convinces the Roman people to attack Carthage • Carthage holds out for two years until the city is finally conquered • Scipio the Elder leads the attack and is later named Scipio Africanus because of this war
Punishment • Rome decides to punish Carthage for the wars • They burn the city completely to the ground • They sell the 50,000 survivors of the battle into slavery • They put salt in the land so crops could never grow again • Rome becomes the most powerful country and gains control of the Mediterranean Sea