How Did Rome Win The Punic Wars

Both the competence of the Roman senate and Carthaginian government’s failure to support Hannibal in Italy were crucial factors for Rome’s victory in the second punic war. By 216 BC, Rome had lost successive battles at Trebia, Ticinus, Lake Trasimene and had suffered a devastating loss at Cannae. Such events

Hannibal was very successful in the numerous battles but he knew he would not take Rome. Hannibal turned to politics to gain the support of Rome's allies, but he did not receive enough. While Hannibal was moving through Italy Rome was preoccupied on another front. They had enter their Macedonian wars and were spread thin. For several years the two empire engaged in open battles, raids, and skirmishes. By 202 B.C., Hannibal's resources were depleted and he had no choice but to return and hold a defensive position against Rome. Rome regained a large amount of land through the peace treaty and Carthage lost the advantages they once

Hannibal was born in 247BCE, he was the son of a Carthaginian general named Hamilcar Barcareerred, who rallied his North African nation-state from defeat in the First Punic War (264–241 BC) to conquer much of Iberia. Hannibal grew up in military service, and following the 221 BC assassination of his brother-in-law Hasdrubal, who had replaced Hamilcar, Hannibal took charge of the Carthaginian army. He soon proved a brilliant field commander who applied his intellect and martial skills to the singular end of winning battles. Hannibal, a sworn enemy of all things Roman, declared war against them and this was the start of the Second Punic War (218–201 BC). Victory in Italy was Hannibal’s sole objective. To achieve it, he marched the bulk of his army in Iberia across southern Gaul and over the Alps into the Roman heartland. Hannibal’s strategy was to attack Rome. Although his tactics for battle were superior he had strategic failures which would eventually lead to his campaign in failure.

After Hannibal arrived in Africa, he engaged Scipio’s army in the last battle of the war. Hannibal attempted to repeat his Cannae tactics, but the Roman cavalry was too skilled. The Carthaginian army was defeated at the town of Zama on October 19, 202. The resulting peace treaty between Carthage and Rome demanded among other things Hannibal’s resignation as a general. Hannibal became a consul in the government and restored Carthage to a modest democracy. However, in 195 the Roman senate discovered a plan made by Hannibal to invade Italy again. He just did not want to give up. When he found out that his plans had been found out Hannibal fled from Carthage to Syria. Syria was at war with Rome and because of this he was given a small naval command, but was defeated. Then he fled to Bithynia in 184 and became an admiral. However, Rome intervened, and Hannibal poisoned himself in 183 to avoid

After the Carthaginian Empire chose war the Roman Empire sent part of their army and one of their consul down to  Sicily to get ready for a invasion of Carthage and North Africa, then they sent part of their army and the other consul to invade Iberia and capture Roman holdings there, ans they left a small force of recruits to make sure that the Gauls in Italy don't take this as a advantage to beat Rome. Since, Hannibal was a clever guy and he sees that defending North Africa  was going to be a loss and he also sees fighting for his territory in Iberia is only going to be a slow defeat.  So because of these situations  Hannibal chose to do the unthinkable something that the Romans didn't plan for; to invade Italy by crossing the Alps. The ones left in Northern Italy were either raw recruits or some of their former forces, and all of their real soldiers were either heading South to prepare for a African Invasion or making a trek across France for a invasion of Iberia.

Hannibal's Alps crossing was a remarkable military achievement at this time because the weather seemed to extreme and thus impassable. In addition to the severe climate, Hannibal's army faced surprise attacks from local tribes who would roll heavy stones across their path, delaying Hannibal’s march through Italy. On the 15th day of the crossing, and more than five months away from Cartagena, Hannibal finally exited the Alps with just 20,000 infantry, 6,000 cavalry and only one of the elephants. Even with his forces diminished by the harsh Alpine crossing, Hannibal met the powerful army with the Roman general Publius Scipio on the plains west of the Ticino River.

Hannibal, after organizing his troops, then began his march on Rome. His expedition force numbered somewhere around 70,000 infantry, 9,000 cavalry, and included approximately thirty-six war elephants. They set out on a treacherous journey through the Pyrenees Mountains, Gaul, the Alps, and the Apennine Mountains. Eventually he entered Italy by way of the mouth of the Arno River and marched his army into the region of Etruria. Along the way, Hannibal battled with tribes along the way, causing significant damages to his numbers. During his march, Hannibal engaged in three significant battles with the Romans, those of Trebia, Lake Trasimene, and Cannae.

To the middle of Italy that divides west from east.It also has large fertile plains for farming.Romans where successful were successful cause of their sense of duty,courage and discipline,they were good diplomats,they excelled in military strategies and the people of rome were hard workers they had discipline and courage.The romans excelled in military tactics and technologies.They had many different weapons for example,”the ballista,javeline,catapult,and the chainmail.Rome conquest of Italian peninsula makes Roman discover carthage a city state on the northern coast of Africa.Settled by north africans and Phoenician traders,carthage had an empire across north Africa and the western Mediterranean.Rome continued expanding westward.the war between this two powers became unavoidable.Between 264 B.C and 146 B.C,Romans fought three wars versus carthage.they were called the punic wars.The first war Rome seek victorious.The second war Carthaginians seek revenge over Romans.The Carthage army led by Hannibal,the carthaginian army had one interesting troop in its army,elephants.The army of

The greatest challenge to Rome’s authority in the Republic Era came from the rival power of Carthage (a Phoenician colonial population located in Modern Day Tunisia). Three Punic Wars were fought over a period of one hundred and twenty years between Rome and its Carthaginian rival for domination of the Western Mediterranean.

This paper will explain how Carthage came to rival Rome during the Punic Wars. It will discuss their strengths and weaknesses in detail, leading to reasons as to why the Romans felt they needed to assemble their own navy.

The Punic Wars were a turning point in the history of Rome in political, economic, and military terms. In fact, before the conflict with Carthage, Rome had never gone to war with non-Italian populations, although naturally they did not ignore their existence. In fact, the Romans had maintained peaceful relations and agreements with Carthage itself long before the Punic Wars. These relations and agreements had their reason in fundamentally different interests: the Romans were almost peasants and had their interests in the mainland (and in fact they did not have a naval fleet), while

The overall arc of the Second Punic War was Carthage, led by Hannibal, invading the Italian peninsula from the North. Hannibal runs roughshod across Italy becoming a literal boogeyman to the Roman people, winning battles and destroying pretty much everything (Gabriel, 2016).

Rome and Carthage were both similar, yet different, cities that had their commercial influence in the western mediterranean sea. So it is only natural that these two civilizations eventually clashed with one another in the Punic Wars over the supremacy of the mediterranean sea. Both civilizations had similar governments and power, yet the Romans prevailed over the Carthage and in the process became a naval power. Carthage starts out as a Phoenician colony from Tyre. Unlike the Romans, who became powerful by conquering their neighbors, the Carthaginians became a naval power through commerce.

The Second Punic War (218-201) broke out in the land of Italy where the majority of this war was fought. It saw over 120,000 casualties for the Romans and most of Hannibal’s army was also destroyed. The immediate cause for this war was the unprecedented attack by Hannibal and the Carthaginian army on the city of Saguntum which was considered to be neutral territory between Carthage and Rome; said to be under Roman protection. This was seen as an act of aggression and Rome declared war on Carthage. Hannibal’s famous crossing of the Alps was the starting point of this war when Hannibal surprised the Roman army by avoiding a naval war and instead found an alternate route to Italy where the first battles of Tredia and Tresimene were fought in both the Romans suffered high casualties and were crushed by Hannibal’s army.

This began the Punic wars. There were three Punic wars. Rome and Carthage were the two strongest contenders of the central Mediterranean Sea of that time. In each of these wars Carthage lost. These wars lasted off and on from 246 BC to 149 BC, with Carthage eventually being destroyed.