Rome Vs Carthage

Rome and Carthage shared many aspects when the two first clash. Carthage had two chief magistrates referred to as Suffetes, which compared to the political power of the Roman consuls, a council of elders named the “hundred,” which was similar to the Roman senate, and there was a Carthaginian assembly, the consistency resembled the Roman comitia (Morey, 1901). This is where the similarities end for Carthaginian, ruled by a few wealthy families, the Carthaginians did not integrate their subjects into the state, and they did not have the great loyalty of its citizens that Rome enjoyed. By placing its army under the command of a single permanent leader, Carthage created an overwhelming advantage to Rome, which had its armies controlled by the ever-changing civil magistrates and consuls (Morey, 1901).

Carthage had a lot of similarities to Rome, from their government to their economy and even their military might. What probably brought them so close to becoming equals was likely Carthage's economy, allowing it to compete with Rome in terms of quantity over quality in my opinion. Carthage had established an impressive economy, buying and selling things from the west and east, these things were purple, frankincense, linen, gold, silver, tin and iron. Buying and selling all these things not only gave Carthage access to wealth but a very diverse amount of resources as well. This is what I believed allowed it to compete with Rome on equal ground. While it did have a stronger Navy, it wasn't as much as the strength but the quality of their fleets

The Greece and the Roman empires are considered to be amongst the most powerful empires in history as their impact is still felt some 2000 years after they were conquered. The Greece Empire is said to have lasted for approximately 350 years while the Roman Empire is said to have lasted for between 500 and 1500 years based on how one interprets the rule of the Romans (Ahbel-Rappe 530). Over time, there has been a debate on which of the two empires was strong than the other based on the impacts to the ancient world. From the debates, it has been noted that some individuals hold on to the fact that the Romans managed to develop a world that the Greeks only dreamed about while others have maintained that the Greeks had built a better world than the Romans (Roisman 410). Based on my knowledge of the two empires, I think the Romans were better than the Greeks thus making the Greeks to dream of building a world similar to that of Romans. As such, this paper will give points for and against my claim.

In contrast Rome did not have the geological barriers that Greece had. Therefore, under the Roman system, cities answered to a central government that was chosen by the citizens. The fact that Romans had to elect senators gave citizens the need for a unified and participant society. The Roman war strategies were also more unified than the Greek strategies, thus, ensuring their success.

“Like Rome, it had two chief magistrates called suffetes, it had a council of elders called the one hundred that was similar to Rome’s senate. It also had a similarly setup assembly like the Romans. However they did differ in a few ways. Carthage had a great navy and placed their military in the hands of a permanent leader, had greater leaders and had a 3 mass wealth from commercial resources. Rome had a stronger land force that was very efficient and was overall more organized.

The two cities were fairly matched, Carthage possessed the power and strength of ruling the sea with her long established navy and fleet of 300 -350 warships. The navy was largely made up of her Phoenician citizenry and was the finest of that era. The army wasn’t as large as Rome’s, however, still well equipped and highly skilled, many of Carthage’s foreign mercenaries fought in her army as well. One unique aspect was that specially trained warfare Indian Elephants were used in their attacks, it took a while for Scipio of Rome to strategise how to get around these gigantic weapons, in which he eventually did in his final victory over Carthage in the Battle of Zama (202 BCE). ("Carthage - Wikipedia, the free

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.

To begin with, the two states have been identified as republics, although, their roots and influences of government were vastly different. Carthage became independent from the long ruling of the Phoenicians who were the commercial hub for sea trading along the African Sea. The Phoenicians had a powerful navy to guard their business, and so naturally the Carthaginians inherited their sailing and trading skills, it’s also no surprise that they too created a superior experienced naval fleet. (Van Loon, 2003, para. 1). Rome’s influence stemmed from the Greeks who began trading with them after they kicked the Etruscan's out. The Greeks shared their knowledge of trading and religion, which later

Carthage was similar and almost equal to the Roman republic, especially as can be noticed in their government model. Carthage had two magistrates that were called “suffetes”, and which can be compared to the Roman consuls, Carthage had a council of elders that was called the “hundred”, that can be compared to the Roman senate, also,

Due to an extensive trading system, Carthage was considered a more wealthy empire with increased commercial resources. Rome was a highly organized and disciplined nation when it came to her people, her army, the countries she conquered, as well as her political system.

The history between Rome and Carthage is one filled with passion and rivalry. Two distinct nations with different hearts and minds out to conquer a region with lots of territories but yet find themselves at war with each other. Intelligence, skill and cunning are all factors that are forge in the heat of battle of which the mighty empire of Rome shows just how much heart it takes to procure a legacy.

In the late Roman Republic, the external expansion of early Rome was a surprise to many. The era of the great expansion of Roman power and civilization is the era of the Roman Republic, in which its Senate ruled Rome and its assembly, which were establishments, formed at the beginning of the monarchy. The Republic had a history of many conflicts, aiding the Republic in becoming so powerful, thus making Rome become unstoppable. But as we all know from the conflicts that aroused in the past with many other large city-states and Empire’s, with incredible power comes many dilemmas. The development of early Rome was fundamental to the rise and fall of the political and economic developments of the late Roman Republic.

Very little is known about the early history of Carthage. This is no different with that of Rome too.

In the 3rd century BC, Rome was spreading its influence throughout Italy but it was certainly not the only power in the Mediterranean. At the same time, Carthage was growings its sphere of influence and the expansion of both would soon result in a conflict between the two. Carthage was located where modern day Tunis sits in Tunisia today, a coastal city on Africa’s coast, almost due south of where Rome is located. Originally settled by Phoenicians from Tyre, it grew to be strong city state of its own right.

The beginnings of Carthage are quite interesting as they find an analogy with ones of Rome: Elissa of Tyre - called by a cognomen "Dido" (meaning "the wanderer") - left her country and landed in what will be Carthage, together with several companions. Aeneas, son of Anchises, will flee Troy with a band of comrades when the city was overrun by the Greeks and, according to mythology, stops finally in Latium where Rome will emerge a few centuries later.