The Punic Wars

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The Punic Wars

• Rome against Carthage

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The first Punic War

• Rome's first territorial conquest outside of
  Italy was Carthage in Africa.
• Rome wanted Carthage for two reasons

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Reasons for the first Punic War

• 1) Carthage controlled Sicily, a valuable
  source of grain.

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Reasons for the first Punic War

• 2) The navy of Carthage was a threat it
  controlled commercial trade in the Mediterranean,
  and hindered trade at sea for Rome.

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The First Punic War

• Rome invaded Sicily.

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The First Punic War

• Rome built a navy (at first Carthage was stronger
  at sea).
• The Roman Ships had a gangplank to hook on to
  enemy boats so legionaries could board and fight
  on deck.
• Rome utterly destroyed the Carthaginian Navy.

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The First Punic War

• The Carthaginians signed a treaty making Sicily
  the first Roman province.
• Next Rome took the islands of Corsica and
  Sardinia.

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The Second Punic War

• Again Carthage became a threat.
• They expanded their empire into Spain and were
  advancing north, closer to Italy.

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The Second Punic War

• Rome demanded that the greatest of all
  Carthaginian generals, Hannibal, surrender a city
  in Northern Spain - Saguntum (a Roman ally).
• He Refused, and launched an invasion on Italy
  instead.

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The Second Punic War

• From Spain he marched 40,000 infantry, 8000
  cavalry, 60 battle elephants over the Alps
  (mountain barrier to Italy).
• Within two months he conquered all of Northern
  Italy.

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The Second Punic War

• Once in Italy he was almost unstoppable.
• He defeated the Romans at the Trebia River,
  Lake Trasimene.

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The Second Punic War

• In Southern Italy he defeated the Romans at the
  battle of Cannae.

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The Second Punic War

• He used a crescent shaped formation of troops and
  cavalry.
• It was a brilliant strategy of false retreat
  followed by attack conquer.

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The Second Punic War

• Before attacking Rome he needed reinforcements.
• He sent his brother, Hasdrubal.
• The Romans intercepted his messengers.
• After learning the location of his armies they
  crushed them delivered Hastrubal's head to
  Hannibal.

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The Second Punic War

• Hannibal was at Rome's doorstep without siege
  equipment, or reinforcements from Spain.
• In Spain the Carthaginians were losing a counter
  invasion led by the Roman General Scipio.
• Scipio conquered all of Spain and Hannibal
  retreated to protect Carthage.
• In spite of winning every battle he lost the war.

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The Second Punic War

• He was defeated at the battle of Zama by Scipio.
• Carthage surrendered and Rome became an empire.
• Hannibal committed suicide when assassins
  followed him into exile.

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The Second Punic War

• Four reasons Hannibal lost the war
• 1) No siege equipment for Rome's walls
• 2) Rome's allies were too loyal to join him
• 3) Carthage didn't get reinforcements through
• 4) The Romans never gave up

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The Third Punic War

• Carthage revived its commercial empire and
  violated a treaty by building up its military.
• Rome, still angry about the second war,
  destroyed, plundered, burned, and plowed the city
  under, sowing the ground with salt so nothing
  could grow.
• They slaughtered the inhabitants and those not
  killed were sold into slavery.