The First Punic War occurred between 264 BC and 241 BC and was the first of three major wars fought between the Carthaginians and the Roman Republic. Carthage recalled Hannibal from Italy to save their city but Scipio was a great admirer of Hannibal and had studied his tactics carefully. Roman farmers had burned their fields and crops to prevent Hannibals soldiers from subsisting off the land. The Punic Wars were caused by the competing interests of Carthage and Rome. Punic wars helped Rome consolidate its power, increase its wealth, and boost its reputation, all of which served to demonstrate its superiority over other areas.What was the outcome of the first Punic War?Rome gained control of all of the Carthaginian lands on Sicily after Carthage agreed to terms in the first Punic War, which was settled in 241 BC. After tightening the Roman positions around Carthage, Aemilianus launched a forceful attack on its harbor side in the spring of 146 B.C., pushing into the city and destroying house after house while pushing enemy troops towards their citadel. Infantry were usually positioned in the centre of the battle line, with light infantry skirmishers to their front and cavalry on each flank. 2 Yet, in . Hannibal arrived with 20,000 infantry, 6,000 cavalry and an unknown number of elephants the survivors of the 37 with which he left Iberia[74][165] in what is now Piedmont, northern Italy in early November; the Romans were still in their winter quarters. The strategic islands of Corsica and Sicily were the focus of the First Punic War. How did the Punic Wars affect Carthage? Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Rome gained a dominant position in the Mediterranean after defeating Carthage in these wars, and only Greece remained as a power in addition to Rome until Diocletian split the Roman Empire into the Western Roman Empire and the Eastern Roman Empire in 286 C.E. [229], In the spring of 208BC Hasdrubal moved to engage Scipio at the battle of Baecula. Hamilcar was surnamed Barca (meaning `lightning') because of his speed in attacking anywhere and the suddenness of the action. |revered|"Obedience is revered. World History Encyclopedia. the mountain range in the center of the peninsula. [273] It took six days to clear the city of resistance; only on the last day did Scipio take prisoners. Carthage was also forced to give up its fleet and pay a large indemnity in silver to Rome. For the full article, see, The interval between the First and Second Punic Wars (241218, https://www.britannica.com/summary/Punic-Wars, The western Mediterranean during the Punic Wars. Rome won the first Punic War when Carthage agreed to terms in 241 BC, in doing so, Rome became the dominant navy in the Mediterranean Sea, Carthage had to pay for war damages, and Rome took control of all of the Carthaginian lands on the island of Sicily. For over a century, the Romans and the Carthaginians had fought for control of the Mediterranean. 10,000 talents was approximately 269,000kg (265 long tons) of silver. 1 In fact, the Carthaginian's activities in the Second Punic War made such a lasting impression on history that the conflict was branded 'Hannibal's War'. Hannibals daring elephantine invasion of Rome reached its height at the Battle of Cannae in 216 B.C., where he used his superior cavalry to surround a Roman army twice the size of his own and inflict massive casualties. The Punic Wars provided Rome with the training, the navy, and the wealth to expand from a small city to an empire which would rule the known world. They besieged and captured the Carthaginian base at Agrigentum in 262 but made little impression upon the Carthaginian fortresses in the west of the island and upon the towns of the interior. The Punic Wars are also considered to include the four-year-long revolt against Carthage which started in 241 BC. The Carthaginians had already agreed to help and felt betrayed by the Mamertines' appeal to Rome. What importance does Carthage serve in the Punic Hannibal knew nothing of his brother's whereabouts until Hasdrubal's severed head was thrown into his camp. Later on the 1203 Words; 5 Pages . Nevertheless, three years . However, by 146 BC, the Romans had achieved a total victory over Carthage and had wiped the city from the face of the earth. The origin of these conflicts is to be found in the position which Rome acquired, about 275 bce, as leader and protector of all Italy. [229][235] The last Carthaginian-held city in Iberia, Gades, defected to the Romans. How did the Etruscans influence the Roman economy? The unresolved strategic rivalry between Rome and Carthage caused the Second Punic War to break out in 218 BC, sparking a major but ultimately unsuccessful revolt within the Carthaginian Empire. Which natural feature is the closest to the city of Rome? Trade competition led to conflict between social classes. Why were Carthage and Rome continually at war between 264 and 146 BCE? How did Cincinnatus exercise his civic duty? Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. The campaign ended in disaster for the Carthaginians and their army surrendered. Mark, Joshua J.. "Punic Wars." Carthage withstood the Roman siege for two years before a change of Roman command put the young general Scipio Aemilianus (later known as Scipio the Younger) in charge of the North Africa campaign in 147 B.C. [26][27] According to the classicist Richard Miles Rome had an expansionary attitude after southern Italy came under its control, while Carthage had a proprietary approach to Sicily. The First Punic War was fought to establish control over the strategic islands of Corsica and Sicily. Scipio Africanus the ElderMark Cartwright (CC BY-NC-SA). [117] Carthage assembled a fleet which attempted to relieve them, but it was destroyed at the battle of the Aegates Islands in 241BC,[122][123] forcing the cut-off Carthaginian troops on Sicily to negotiate for peace. read more, Beginning in the eighth century B.C., Ancient Rome grew from a small town on central Italys Tiber River into an empire that at its peak encompassed most of continental Europe, Britain, much of western Asia, northern Africa and the Mediterranean islands. In 205BC a last attempt was made by Mago to recapture New Carthage when the Roman occupiers were shaken by another mutiny and an Iberian uprising, but he was repulsed. As a result of these three wars, Carthage was destroyed, its people were sold into slavery, and Rome gained control of the western Mediterranean. This victory had significant repercussions on Roman politics and society. There was also extensive fighting in Iberia (modern Spain and Portugal), Sicily, Sardinia and North Africa. How might you respond to it ? This gave Rome full control of Sicily and Corsica. [166], The Carthaginians captured the chief city of the hostile Taurini (in the area of modern Turin) and seized its food stocks. Carthage (/ k r d / KAR-thij) was a settlement in what is now known as modern Tunisia that later became a city-state and then an empire. The farmers were known as the backbone of Rome at the time. In 151BC Carthage raised an army, the treaty notwithstanding, and counterattacked the Numidians. [111] Carthage turned to the maritime offensive, inflicting another heavy naval defeat at the battle of Phintias and all but swept the Romans from the sea. These wars were fought on three frontiers. [251], Under the pressure of the war, the Romans developed an increasingly effective system of logistics to equip and feed the unprecedented numbers of soldiers they field. The three Punic Wars between . At some point also Rome entered into relations with Saguntum (Sagunto), a town on the east coast, south of the Ebro. [163] The Roman commanders captured Saguntum in 212BC and in 211BC hired 20,000 Celtiberian mercenaries to reinforce their army. Why did senators oppose the idea of Julius Caesar becoming the leader after Crassus died? The three Punic Wars between Carthage and Rome took place over nearly a century, beginning in 264 B.C. First, the amount of casualties in numerous wars, such as the Punic Wars in which 300,000 were estimated to have died, negatively impacted the number of Roman farmers. Upon Hasdrubals death in 221 B.C., Hannibal took command of Carthaginian forces in Spain. She cared for them for years. [68][69][70], Much of the First Punic War was fought on, or in the waters near, Sicily. By the time the First Punic War broke out, Rome had become the dominant power throughout the Italian peninsula, while Carthagea powerful city-state in North Africahad established itself as the leading maritime power in the world. Whenever Carthage petitioned Rome for redress, or permission to take military action, Rome backed its ally, Masinissa, and refused. The boys decided to build a city where the wolf had fed them. The first war broke out after a group of mercenaries seized control of Messana [137] Polybius considered this "contrary to all justice" and modern historians have variously described the Romans' behaviour as "unprovoked aggression and treaty-breaking",[135] "shamelessly opportunistic"[138] and an "unscrupulous act". Some members of the city council denounced his actions and Hasdrubal had them put to death and took control of the city. World History Foundation is a non-profit organization registered in Canada. [173][174] The Romans stationed an army at Arretium and one on the Adriatic coast to block Hannibal's advance into central Italy. The First Punic War broke out on the Mediterranean island of Sicily in 264BC as a result of Rome's expansionary attitude combined with Carthage's proprietary approach to the island. The Carthaginian formation collapsed; Hannibal was one of the few to escape the field. But while in those years Carthage did nothinga number of Roman citizens voluntarily presented to the state a fleet of 200 men-of-war, carrying 60,000 troops. How did the plains around Rome contribute to its growth? What geographic feature protected Rome from an invasion from the north? An army was usually formed by combining a Roman legion with a similarly sized and equipped legion provided by their Latin allies; allied legions usually had a larger attached complement of cavalry than Roman ones. They ordered him to give up his military and return to Rome. The Punic wars were a series of conflicts encompassing 43 years of war over more than a century, from 265 BCE to 146 BCE. And after the war ended, many veterans from farming families preferred settling in cities, especially Rome, rather than return to the countryside. A second Roman fleet, which subsequently reached Africa after defeating the full Carthaginian fleet off Cape Hermaeum (Shark Peninsula), withdrew all the remaining troops. When they did exactly that, and the Romans pressed what they saw as an advantage and followed them, Hannibal closed from behind and the sides, enveloping the Roman forces and crushing them. [10] The details of the war in modern sources are largely based on interpretations of Polybius's account. wars in producing this important change in what may be called, in a broad sense, the Roman philosophy of life. Its most famous eruption took place in the year 79 A.D., when it buried the city of Pompeii under a thick carpet of volcanic ash. Shortly after this, the Roman general, Publius Cornelius Scipio (l. 236-183 BCE, later known as Scipio Africanus) was defeating the Carthaginian forces in Spain under Hannibal's brother, Hasdrubal Barca (l. c. 244-207 BCE). Which statement provides evidence that Rome was a male-dominated society? The successful Roman invasion of the Carthaginian homeland in Africa in 204BC led to Hannibal's recall. Answer: In the first Punic War, Carthaginian expansion into Sicily was reversed and they were forced out of Sicily. [55] Many battles were decided when one side's infantry force was attacked in the flank or rear and they were partially or wholly enveloped. [204] Hannibal repeatedly defeated Roman armies, in 209BC both consuls were killed in a cavalry skirmish. [265] The war dragged on into 147BC. Two years later, Hannibal marched his army across the Ebro River into Saguntum, an Iberian city under Roman protection, effectively declaring war on Rome. Why did Cicero speak out against Julius Caesar? Gauls now joined Hannibal's army in large numbers. World History Encyclopedia is a non-profit organization. He was defeated in the battle of Zama in 202 BC and Carthage sued for peace. At the start of the first Punic war, the Romans couldn't compete with the technologically advanced Carthaginian Navy. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Rome was better disposed to protracted warfare all three times they went up against Carthage. Over the next decades, Rome took over control of both Corsica and Sardinia as well, but Carthage was able to establish a new base of influence in Spain beginning in 237 B.C., under the leadership of the powerful general Hamilcar Barca and, later, his son-in-law Hasdrubal. Wars of the fall of the Western Roman Empire, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Punic_Wars&oldid=1135825581, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia pages semi-protected against vandalism, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 27 January 2023, at 02:31. Many senior Carthaginians wanted to reject it, but Hannibal spoke strongly in its favour and it was accepted in spring 201BC. ), or Marcus Antonius, was an ally of Julius Caesar and the main rival of his successor Octavian (later Augustus). How did patricians satisfy people at the end of the Roman Republic? Also in 146 B.C., Roman troops moved east to defeat King Philip V of Macedonia in the Macedonian Wars, and by years end Rome reigned supreme over an empire stretching from the Atlantic coast of Spain to the border between Greece and Asia Minor (now Turkey). Scipio was not able to prevent Hasdrubal from leading his depleted army through the western passes of the Pyrenees into Gaul. Nevertheless, their victory must have been bittersweet. [229][230] Scipio seized a vast booty of gold, silver and siege artillery, but released the captured population. The United States gave the executive branch the power to veto laws. Dahia Ibo Shabaka, Larry S. Krieger, Linda Black, Phillip C. Naylor, Roger B. Beck, Deborah Gray White, Edward L. Ayers, Jess F. de la Teja, Robert D. Schulzinger. The Punic Wars are also considered to include the four-year-long revolt against Carthage which started in 241BC. General Sulla was declared leader after a long civil war. Many historians believe that if Hannibal had pressed on and taken Rome, the second Punic war would have swung heavily in favor of the Carthaginians. Omissions? Thank you for your help! The majority were deployed in southern Italy in field armies of approximately 20,000 men each. 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