Summary of Punic Wars

             The Punic Wars were a battle for territory and power. Rome wanted to take over Carthage and Carthaginian territories and gain power. So they attacked their enemies with great size and force.  The Romans were said to have a much larger army than the Carthaginians. The Carthaginians were said to have a much more determined army though. The battles were fought throughout the Mediterranean and Italy. The Romans could not be defeated and soon Carthage and its people were lost. The Romans prevailed, conquering much land in Italy and keeping the Roman Empire strong.

Sources Post

http://www.history.com/topics/punic-wars

http://www.dl.ket.org/latin2/historia/republic/punic1.htm

The Finer Times. Peter Fitzgerald. 2012. 12-12-12. <http://www.thefinertimes.com/Ancient-Wars/summary-of-the-punic-wars.html>

“Punic Wars.” 2012. The History Channel website. Dec 13 2012, 12:24 http://www.history.com/topics/punic-wars.

"The Punic Wars." 2012 Historia.com. Dec 8, 2012, 3:47. http://www.dl.ket.org/latin2/historia/republic/punic1.htm

"Punic Wars" 2012 Slideshare.com. Dec 8, 2010. http://www.slideshare.net/jtretter/punic-wars-6076588

'Effects of the Punic Wars" 2012 eCOMMONS.com Dec 2, 2012
http://ecommons.luc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1098&context=luc_theses

Effects of Punic Wars

         

            The Punic Wars were very influential wars to the Roman people. The victory of the Punic Wars lead to the great expansion of the Roman Empire. Romans moved and expanded through the Mediterranean and much of Europe. This helped to strengthen the empire which helped it to be a prosperous one. As the Roman empire expanded, they spread their culture throughout the land as well. The Punic Wars effected how slave were used in Europe and a spread of The Roman's ways. The Roman Empire was strong and could take and almost any enemy. The empire's sheer size helped it to conquer other lands. This was not the only factor that influenced their battles. The clever tactics of the Romans also helped them be victorious. Overall, the Roman Empire was strong and successful, and influenced some of the important ideas we use today.

The Third Punic War

The Romans advanced to Carthage and took over all of the Carthaginian lands (Colored Blue).

            The Third Punic War was another offensive attack by the Romans. This war took place from 149 BC to 146 BC and was the war that finished the Carthaginian Empire for good. The Romans crossed the sea to North Africa and moved towards the city of Carthage. For the first 2 years of the war the Romans were unorganized and Carthage was easilly defended. The Romans began to organize their soldiers in order gain the upper hand. Soon Roman troops began to win the war and take over Carthage. They broke through the city walls and fought inside Carthage. Carthaginian soldiers continued to fall and the Romans stood strong. Once the Romans gained control they completely destroyed the city and sold the survivors as slaves. The Carthaginians signed another peace treaty that gave Rome complete control of their land.

The Second Punic War

           The second Punic War took place from 218 to 201 BC. After the Romans defeated the Carthaginians in the first Punic War, the Carthage people looked to repay the Romans. Hannibal was one of the most well known Carthage leaders, and his efforts helped his people win many important battles. Hannibal took an army into Northern Italy and attacked the Romans, conquering land  throughout these areas. Hannibal continued to move north but soon his army was depleted. Carthage never gave Hannibal soldiers, so his army began to fall apart. The Romans realized this and cut off supplies to Hannibal, and then attacked his homeland of Carthage. At the Battle of Zama, Romans finally defeated Hannibal on October 19, 202 BC. The Carthaginians lost a lot of power due to their failure to win this important war. The Romans took control of much of the Western Mediterranean, which backed Carthaginians into a corner.

The First Punic War

A map of the battlegrounds of the first war.

         The Punic Wars were said to be the biggest wars to have happened before the birth of Christ. These wars were fought between The Roman Republic and the Carthaginian Empire to try and expand their lands and take control of the land and seas in the Mediterranean.The first Punic War started in 264 BC and lasted until 241 BC. This war was caused by the Romans moving over seas and into Sicily to try and gain territory there. The Carthaginian Empire decided to fight back and protect their land. They used their Navy to attempt to stop the Romans, but the Romans had a Navy of their own. The Romans used a new invention that enabled them to set a pivitol bridge up and board Carthaginian ships. This new device helped the Romans win the First Punic War. This forced the Carthage leadership to sign a peace treaty and surrender their land to their enemies. The Romans took control of lands in Sicily and the Mediterranean after this war.