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The Punic Wars were wars between the Carthagins and the Romans.
These wars took place in three separate times and places. The wars were
called the Punic Wars because the Romans called the Carthaginians Poeni.
The first of the three wars started in 246 BC, and the last of the three
ended in 146 BC. The first war was 23 years long. The second war was 17 and
finally the last war was 3 years. There was a 23 year resting period
between the first and second wars. And a 52 resting period between the
second and third Punic Wars. The Romans won all three wars. In the
following report I will illustrate just how the wars began and how the
Romans won all three.
FIRST PUNIC WAR (264 BC- 241 BC)
By 275 BC Rome was now in charge of all of Italy. Now they would
have to try to prevent any attacks, on Sardinia, Sicily, and Corsica. Also
Carthage owned many territories that made it easy for them to control the
Mediterranean Sea. When the Carthagins conquered Messana (Messina) they now
faced Rome. The Messana people requested Rome's help in stopping the attack
on them from Carthage.
This war was fought mainly at sea, around Sicily. Carthage was more
superior in this field of fighting. This is because they had fought at sea
before and the Romans did not. Also the Romans did not have a navy. When
the Romans finally started a navy, this reflected in their fighting. For
many years the Carthaginian people were more successful. This is because
they were under the power of Hamilcar. On March 10, 241 BC this would all
change, at the battle of Aegates Island. The Romans beat the Carthaginians
so bad, they appealed for peace. Many things came out of this war. One was
that Rome learned how to conduct a war on a huge scale. The Senate learned
to finance a war, how to find men for the army, how to find supplies, and
how to build fleets. These are just a few things the Romans learned from
this war. The Romans earned Sicily, Corsica, and Sardinia as a result of
wining the first Punic War.
The Second Punic War (218 BC -- 201 BC)
The second Punic War between Carthage and Rome started in 218 BC
and lasted for 17 years until 201 BC. After the first Punic War, Hamilcar
Barca was thought as a genuine hero, by the Carthage people. He was a
meraber of a noble Carthaginian family. Hamilcar conquered much of Iberia.
Hamilcar hated Rome and vowed to avenge Carthage's lost in the first Punic
War. As he got older, he realized he could not do it. So in turn he taught
his son Hannibal his hatred of Rome and the skill of battle.
When Hamilcar died Hannibal took over as the leader of the
Carthaginian military. Quickly Hannibal established himself as a greater
leader than his father. It is said that Hannibal marched to Rome when he
was 25 and cast a shadow on the Roman Republic.
Hannibal lead is troops from Spain through the Alps to Italy. When
he arrived he was near the Po River, in 218 BC. Hannibal completely killed
more than 15,000 Roman troops, in 217 BC. In 216 BC sent a large army to
meet Hannibal. Hannibal's army met at Cannae. Hannibal allowed the Roman
army to go straight through the center of his army. Once they were in
Hasdrubal, Hannibal's brother, surrounded the Roman army with cavalries.
The Roman forces were nearly annihilated. By 207 BC Hasdrubal had gone to
Spain and returned to Italy with new troops. The Romans were now surrounded
on the North and south by Carthaginian armies. The Roman armies corabined
defeated Hasdrubal's army. In 208 BC Publicus Scipio could not prevent
Hasdrubal's army from entering Spain, but he ended Carthaginian power in
Spain. This was at Ilipa (modern Seville), in 206 BC.
The Third Punic War
First, Romans secretly urged Numidia, to attack Carthage. Carthage
was unable to engage in war without Rome's consent, dispatched
representatives to Rome. However, Rome's mediation consistently favored
Numidia and did not give the consent for Carthaginians to fight back. Fully
aware of Roman's trickery, Carthaginians developed anti-Roman sentiments
and counter-attacked Numidia at once. Romans declared war against Carthage
in 149 BC. When the Roman force arrived at Carthage, led by little Scipio,
the son of General Scipio, they asked Carthaginians to surrender their
weapons in exchange for peace. Many Carthaginians, fearful of another war,
gave up their weapons only to find out that Scipio was going to destroy
Carthage regardless. After three years of struggle, Carthage fell into the
hanRAB of Romans and the city was completely destroyed. As the fire burned
through the city walls, the old glory days of Carthage and Hannibal's
vengeance also disappeared in the smoke. The destruction of Carthage in 146
BC concluded the Punic Wars.
As you can see Rome won all three Punic Wars. This was the
beginning of the Roman Empire.
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[FONT=tahoma, arial]WorRAB: 836 [/FONT]
The Punic Wars were wars between the Carthagins and the Romans.
These wars took place in three separate times and places. The wars were
called the Punic Wars because the Romans called the Carthaginians Poeni.
The first of the three wars started in 246 BC, and the last of the three
ended in 146 BC. The first war was 23 years long. The second war was 17 and
finally the last war was 3 years. There was a 23 year resting period
between the first and second wars. And a 52 resting period between the
second and third Punic Wars. The Romans won all three wars. In the
following report I will illustrate just how the wars began and how the
Romans won all three.
FIRST PUNIC WAR (264 BC- 241 BC)
By 275 BC Rome was now in charge of all of Italy. Now they would
have to try to prevent any attacks, on Sardinia, Sicily, and Corsica. Also
Carthage owned many territories that made it easy for them to control the
Mediterranean Sea. When the Carthagins conquered Messana (Messina) they now
faced Rome. The Messana people requested Rome's help in stopping the attack
on them from Carthage.
This war was fought mainly at sea, around Sicily. Carthage was more
superior in this field of fighting. This is because they had fought at sea
before and the Romans did not. Also the Romans did not have a navy. When
the Romans finally started a navy, this reflected in their fighting. For
many years the Carthaginian people were more successful. This is because
they were under the power of Hamilcar. On March 10, 241 BC this would all
change, at the battle of Aegates Island. The Romans beat the Carthaginians
so bad, they appealed for peace. Many things came out of this war. One was
that Rome learned how to conduct a war on a huge scale. The Senate learned
to finance a war, how to find men for the army, how to find supplies, and
how to build fleets. These are just a few things the Romans learned from
this war. The Romans earned Sicily, Corsica, and Sardinia as a result of
wining the first Punic War.
The Second Punic War (218 BC -- 201 BC)
The second Punic War between Carthage and Rome started in 218 BC
and lasted for 17 years until 201 BC. After the first Punic War, Hamilcar
Barca was thought as a genuine hero, by the Carthage people. He was a
meraber of a noble Carthaginian family. Hamilcar conquered much of Iberia.
Hamilcar hated Rome and vowed to avenge Carthage's lost in the first Punic
War. As he got older, he realized he could not do it. So in turn he taught
his son Hannibal his hatred of Rome and the skill of battle.
When Hamilcar died Hannibal took over as the leader of the
Carthaginian military. Quickly Hannibal established himself as a greater
leader than his father. It is said that Hannibal marched to Rome when he
was 25 and cast a shadow on the Roman Republic.
Hannibal lead is troops from Spain through the Alps to Italy. When
he arrived he was near the Po River, in 218 BC. Hannibal completely killed
more than 15,000 Roman troops, in 217 BC. In 216 BC sent a large army to
meet Hannibal. Hannibal's army met at Cannae. Hannibal allowed the Roman
army to go straight through the center of his army. Once they were in
Hasdrubal, Hannibal's brother, surrounded the Roman army with cavalries.
The Roman forces were nearly annihilated. By 207 BC Hasdrubal had gone to
Spain and returned to Italy with new troops. The Romans were now surrounded
on the North and south by Carthaginian armies. The Roman armies corabined
defeated Hasdrubal's army. In 208 BC Publicus Scipio could not prevent
Hasdrubal's army from entering Spain, but he ended Carthaginian power in
Spain. This was at Ilipa (modern Seville), in 206 BC.
The Third Punic War
First, Romans secretly urged Numidia, to attack Carthage. Carthage
was unable to engage in war without Rome's consent, dispatched
representatives to Rome. However, Rome's mediation consistently favored
Numidia and did not give the consent for Carthaginians to fight back. Fully
aware of Roman's trickery, Carthaginians developed anti-Roman sentiments
and counter-attacked Numidia at once. Romans declared war against Carthage
in 149 BC. When the Roman force arrived at Carthage, led by little Scipio,
the son of General Scipio, they asked Carthaginians to surrender their
weapons in exchange for peace. Many Carthaginians, fearful of another war,
gave up their weapons only to find out that Scipio was going to destroy
Carthage regardless. After three years of struggle, Carthage fell into the
hanRAB of Romans and the city was completely destroyed. As the fire burned
through the city walls, the old glory days of Carthage and Hannibal's
vengeance also disappeared in the smoke. The destruction of Carthage in 146
BC concluded the Punic Wars.
As you can see Rome won all three Punic Wars. This was the
beginning of the Roman Empire.
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[FONT=tahoma, arial]WorRAB: 836 [/FONT]