How the Punic Wars Changed Rome and Carthage

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How the Punic Wars Changed Rome and Carthage
The Punic Wars were a series of wars that destroyed an empire. The three wars were fought between Rome and Carthage. The First Punic War started in 264 B.C. with a dispute over land in Sicily. These wars had a major effect showing that Rome was a dominant force. These wars also gave Rome land stretching from Italy down the eastern coast of Spain and through northern Africa until Carthage, Tunisia. This gave Rome much more power and resources.
The First Punic War started over a land dispute in Sicily. The dispute wasn’t even between Carthage and Rome. The problem was between Syracuse and Messina. While Carthage backed Syracuse, and Rome backed Messina which was most likely the cause of Rome bordering Messina and Carthage bordering Syracuse. The alliances led to a conflict between Rome and Carthage. Both empires had a major military power behind them. The differences between them were that Rome had a main land force and kept a weak navy while Carthage had a strong navy yet their land force was mercenaries who only fought for pay. “The Roman navy was traditionally considered less important, although ships were vital for the transportation of supplies and troops they have not developed an offensive naval capability.” (“Ancient Military History”).
There were many battles in all three Punic Wars. The first battle happened in the First Punic War. The Battle of Messana was the battle that really started the wars. Messana is located in Messina and it bordered the northeast tip of Sicily. The Romans won that day giving them a hold in Sicily. The Siege of Lilybaeum was a battle in Sicily in which Rome attacked Lilybaeum. The siege failed though. “The last period saw the long and unsuccessful si...

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...he main thing Rome wanted in the first war was lands in Sicily, but they realized that Carthage was a force that they needed to defeat in order to stay one of the most powerful empires at the time. The two empires had no large problems before the dispute between Messina and Syracuse. After the wars Rome led a large campaign through Gaul and many lands expanding east. They were finally destroyed in the 1400’s. They started to collapse upon themselves. The great superpower Rome finally fell.

Works Cited

“Ancient Military History.” Ancient Military Resource. April 2014

Brooks, Phillips. Hannibal:Rome’s Worst Nightmare. Canada:Franklin Watts, 2009.
Crabben, Jan van der. “Punic Wars.” Ancient History Encyclopedia. April 2014

Glover, T.R. The Ancient World. 1935.
“Punic Wars.” World Book. 2011 ed.

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