How did the ancient city of Carthage almost become Rome’s equal? Also, how was this state of the city at this time come about in the ancient world? Carthage being a port city and Rome also being so close to the Mediterranean, gave both cities great business and imperial opportunities. In fact, both cities flourished because of their geographical locations to a certain extent. These opportunities and the desire to obtain them would eventually lead the two cities into war and conflict.
It can be said that the two cities almost equaled regarding power and resources because Carthage had greater wealth, but Rome had a better organization. Carthage had a more powerful navy, but Rome had a more efficient army. Carthage had more brilliant leaders,
Hostilities eventually broke out between these two powers, but Rome had one problem. They were not good seafarers and did not have a navy that could match that of the Carthaginians. However based on some Greek triremes that the Romans some how had they built replicas with bridges on them so that Romans could more easily board other ships. The Romans quickly built a navy that could rival that of Carthage within a few years based on this model. This once again showcases Roman innovation, because not only could they quickly borrow technology from their neighbors, but they could also improve upon it. This allowed them to win the First Punic War. The rivalry between these two powers would not end until the destruction of Carthage during the Third Punic
As part of the U.S. covert effort, Charlie befriends the maverick CIA officer Gust and his understaffed Afghanistan group to find a better strategy, especially including a means to counter the Soviets' formidable Mi-24 helicopter gunship. This group was composed in part of members of the CIA's Special Activities Division, including a young paramilitary officer named Michael Vickers (Christopher Denham). As a result, Charlie's deft political bargaining for the necessary funding and Avrakotos' group's careful planning using those resources, such as supplying the guerrillas with FIM-92 Stinger missile launchers, turns the Soviet occupation into a deadly quagmire with their heavy fighting vehicles
The destruction of Carthage provided a trading port for Rome that boosted its economy. Moreover, the conquest of Sicily resulted in the exploitation of its minerals and natural resources for profit. Consequently, unequal distribution of wealth was widespread throughout society. The elites reaped the benefits while the lower elements struggled to compete.
Like Carthage Rome was a developing, powerful city-state keen on controlling the Mediterranean and collecting the wealth associated with that. As the two nations expanded and came into contact more and more tensions began to rise and suspicions turned into hostility in what would be a precursor to the cold war between the Soviet Union and the United States of the 20th century, Rome and Carthage would come to compete with one another for supremacy of the known world.
Believe it or not, Carthage and Rome started off as friends. The main reason they started fighting each other was because of a small island territory off the coast of Italy called Sicily. Despite Carthage's constant disputes with its neighboring regions, Carthage and Rome were historically friendly towards one another. Over the years, the two cities formed and signed treaties solidifying trading rights. Ultimately the First Punic war was launched in 264 B.C., when Rome got in the middle of a dispute on the Carthaginian controlled island of Sicily (Punic Wars)
While many Roman and Carthaginian leaders sometimes tried to simulate different strategies from their opponents leaders. There were many differences between the two powerful governments of Rome and Carthage. One such area that had differences is the way they there governments functioned.
This very fact resulted in another outcome: that Rome was now a major dominating empire in Europe. Before long, the Romans took over all of Italy, Africa, Spain and Greece. “The defeat of Carthage transformed the Roman Republic from a growing regional power into the super-powered Empire of the Mediterranean” (“Results of the Second Punic War”, 2017). The Second Punic War was what started this series of conquests.
“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.
Political organization and administrative presence are the second requirements for having a successful empire. It is evident that the Roman government had the ability to collect revenue, taxation, while having a justice system to impose laws, build and maintain roads and other infrastructure. The Roman Empire was the most prosperous empire across Europe during its time. There were three elements that gave Rome the details to be seen as a great empire administrator. Rome had the ability to be aristocratic, democratic, and monarchical, all of which are important for the success of an empire (Polybius, 1). Polybius writes, “This was indeed only natural. For if one fixed one's eyes on the power of consult, the constitutionseemed completely monarchical
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).
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.
Rome & Carthage were ‘empires’ separated mainly by the mediterranean. Rome controlling the Italian Peninsula while Carthage controlling the west of the Mediterranean. (Morey, 1901). Depending on different periods; the two empires were similar or different in different ways. At the turn of the 3rd century BCE, Carthage had a huge trading network compared to Rome, and it had colonies in Africa, Sicily, etc, while Rome just controlled the Italian peninsula.
The government of Carthage had various similarities and differences to that of Rome. I will mostly look into the differences between the Roman and Carthage government. The Roman government after conquering in war would integrate its subjects to the state. The subjects would therefore get rights and become citizens of Rome.
With the introduction of the hoplite phalanx to the Roman army, came a multitude of wars and long drawn out campaigns that the Romans were involved in throughout the republic period. One such campaign or campaigns that set the Roman republic as the uncontested superpower in the Mediterranean was the Punic Wars. Rome fought three wars against Carthage between 264 and 146 BCE. These wars constituted major events in the history of Rome and the Mediterranean basin (Marcel Le Glay 2009) p. 73. Though these wars were fought for reasons such as competing economics, revenge (most notably the Carthaginian general Hannibal), and a fear that could be related in today’s terms of opposing forces such as (the United States and Soviet Union feared each other during the Cold War) the fact is in the end Rome defeated the Carthaginians, not only were the Carthaginians defeated, but the city of Carthage was demolished and the people massacred or sold into slavery so as not to threaten the Romans ever again. In the fall of the city, in obedience to the Senate’s orders the inhabitants were reduced to slavery or forced to emigrate, the town was burnt and soil was
The Indian camp is considered as one of Hemingway's best short stories. For the most part, it focuses on the relationship between father and son, and life experiences like: childbirth, loss of innocence and suicide. Nick Adams, the son of the doctor, accompanies his father to the Indian camp where a woman that was pregnant has complications giving birth. Dr. Adams ends up performing a caesarian section, ultimately saving her and the baby’s life, but then the woman's husband commits suicide. This is Nick’s first traumatic incident, and the first sight of personal suffering. This is shown with his various questions he asked his father, like "do ladies always have such a hard time having babies?" (3) and "do many men kill themselves, Daddy?" (3), the repercussions of life seem as clear as day to Nick for the first time in his life.