In his account of the Punic Wars, Polybius declares “it is my contention that by far the most important part of historical writing lies in the consideration of the consequences of events, their accompanying circumstances, and above all their causes.” Polybius recognized the intricate relationship between circumstances, causes, and their consequences, and in his account of the Punic Wars he seeks to explain the reasons for Rome’s victory over Carthage. For centuries, Rome and Carthage lived at peace with one another, their spheres of influence separate enough to avoid conflict. Rome’s wealth and interests lay in farming and acquiring more land throughout Italy, while Carthage’s economy was naval based, and so keeping trade routes open in the western Mediterranean was most important to them. As late as 279 B.C., Rome and Carthage were allied against Pyrrhus of Epirus, and had signed two other treaties in earlier years. However, as the two powers increased in power and controlled progressively larger geographies, their interests were bound to conflict at some point, and that conflict came in the contest for control of Sicily. The result was a twenty-three year war, the beginning of a series of wars which would last over a century. The end of the first war, and the actions of Rome towards Carthage in the latter’s defeat, laid the foundation for the second war, and it was only after the third and final Punic War that Rome, after coming close to defeat in the second, annihilated Carthage and burned it to the ground, effectively ending the age of Carthaginian power. However, the question must be asked, what were the causes of these wars, and more specifically, which power was more responsible for the conflict? No Punic accounts exist...
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...n alliance, they would have sent aid. Another explanation is requisite, that Rome was eager for war with Carthage and was using the Saguntum incident as pretext for going to war, making it seem like they were fighting a just war for the sake of appearances.
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The Second Punic war, beginning in 218 BC, was the second major war between the Roman Empire and the Carthage. Around the same time, the Roman Empire deployed troops to the Northeastern peninsula of Spain to keep reinforcements, from the Carthaginian South, from getting to Hannibal’s armies in Italy to assist them. In A Histor...
Tanner, J., Portraits, Power and Patronage in the Late Roman Republic, Journal of Roman Studies 90, pp.18-50
Antony Kamm ~ The Romans: An Introduction Second Edition, Published in 2008, pages 47, 93
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The first Punic war started like this...Tradition holds that Phoenician settlers from the Mediterranean port of Tyre founded the city-state of Carthage on the northern coast of Africa, around 814 B.C. By 265 B.C. Carthage was the wealthiest and most advanced city in the region, as well as its leading naval power. Though Carthage had clashed violently with several other powers in the region, its relations with Rome were historically friendly, and the cities had signed several treaties defining trading rights over the year . In 264 B.C., Rome decided to intervene in a dispute on the western coast of the island of Sicily involving an attack by soldiers from the city of Syracuse against the city of Messina. While Carthage supported Syracuse, Rome supported Messina, and the struggle soon exploded into a direct conflict between the two powers, with control of Sicily at stake. Over the course of nearly 20 years, Rome rebuilt its entire fleet in order to confront Carthage's powerful navy, scoring its first sea victory at Mylae in 260 B.C. and a major victory in the Battle of Ecnomus in 256 B.C. Though its invasion of North Africa that same year ended in defeat, Rome refused to give up, and in 241 B.C. the Roman fleet was able to win a decisive victory against the Carthaginians at sea, breaking their legendary naval superiority. At the end of the First Punic War, Sicily became Rome's first overseas province.
Since the beginning of time, man has waged war on his neighbors, his friends and his enemies. In many cases these wars were caused by power-hungry nations that were in the process of expanding their empire and ended up stepping on the toes of another superpower or ally of a superpower. In the case of the first Punic War between Rome and Carthage, Carthage was extending its empire and they stepped on Rome’s toes. During the course of this war the winner was unclear but at times victory seemed eminent for both sides until Rome finally won. The Romans had control in the first part of the war but this would not last. After the Romans first win they decided that they needed a victory over the city of Carthage but this would turn the tides in favor of the Carthaginians. For some 15 years after this defeat of Rome the tides went back and forth between the two but would eventually lead to the Romans victory. After the victory, Rome made some very harsh demands and Carthage filled those demands even though some of them were very extreme.
Shuckburgh, Evelyn Shirley. A history of Rome to the battle of Actium. London: Macmillan and Co., 1917.
Marcel Le Glay, Jean-Louis Voisin, Yann Le Bohec. A History of Rome. West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009.
The First, Second, and Third Punic Wars between Rome and Carthage were caused by several different conflicts, were fought with many different methods and for several different reasons. They resulted in both positive and detrimental effects for Rome. The First Punic War was caused by Rome’s interference in a dispute on Sicily which was controlled by Sicily. Rome eventually conquered Sicily and its neighbor, Corsica.The war allowed Rome to rise into an empire with world power that was able to be noticed. The Second Punic war was brought about by a blood oath that hannibal took against Rome after the First Punic War. When Hasdrubal, Hannibal’s brother died, Hannibal took the opportunity to invade Rome. He captured Rome but soon
The Punic wars between Rome and Carthage were as inevitable as the winter. An analogy for these wars could be an ancient cold war where the two superpowers of the Mediterranean namely Rome and Carthage fought for supremacy in an area that was not large enough for them both. Carthage had become Rome's natural enemy by 300 BC. As Rome expanded taking Italy Rome came into contact with the naval city of Carthage and it's empire. The Carthaginians were a people renowned for their seafaring ability and ruthlessness. Having established colonies across the Mediterranean many became famous merchants. To support their growing empire Carthage had to employ mercenary soldiers and conscription to keep their territories well defended. The officers of the armies were all Carthaginian nobles.
These wars are called The Punic Wars because the people who settled Carthage were Phoenicians and how Romans referred to them as ‘Poenecian’ later becoming ponic or punic One of the main reasons for these wars was that the two major powers in the Mediterranean, Rome and Carthage were fighting for control over the whole known world at the time. The first Punic War was in Sicily. A group of Italian Mercenaries were invited into a city and eventually became bored and decided to capture the city. These mercenaries became pirates and raiders and pleaded for Carthage to help them. Shortly after, they decided they did not want to obey the rules of Carthage and appealed to Rome to help them regain their city from the Carthaginians. Soon
The 1st Punic War was a conflict between the Roman Republic and the city of Carthage. It lasted 23 years, starting in 264 BC and ending in 241 BC. The conflict was fought in the western Mediterranean, primarily for influence over the island of Sicily and was fought both on land and at sea. The 1st Punic War has its origins in this struggle for Sicily. It started when the Mamertines, a group of former mercenaries, began to wage against Syracuse, an independent Greek city-state on the island. The Mamertines appealed to both the Romans and the Carthaginians for help. Carthage offered protection, but it was not enough for the Mamertines and so, the appealed to Rome. Rome sent troops to aid the Mamertines, who threw out their Carthaginian protectors. As a result, Carthage allied Syracuse, and the war began. Rome eventually emerged victorious from the conflict, and gained control over most of Sicily. This essay argues that the Power Transition Theory and the Bargaining Model of War accurately explain why Rome and Carthage went to war in 264 BC.
Buren, Albert W. Van. "The Ara Pacis Augustae." Journal of Roman Studies 3 (1913): 134-141.