Hannibal And The Punic Wars

Despite all effort on land, it was the fighting at sea that decided the outcome of the First Punic War. Drepana being the only naval battle of the war won by the Carthaginians did support this fact (Rickard, J) The battle at Drepana took place in 249 BCE between Rome and Carthage. Rome attacked Carthage outside of one of their last standing cities Drepana off the west Sicilian coastline. The battle was strategically mapped out by a Roman Commander, Consul Pulcher, who wanted to blockade the Carthaginian harbor in an effort to destroy their naval fleet. Carthage ultimately won this battle by placing their ships in a more strategic position than the Romans (Rickard, J).

First Punic War (264-241 B.C.) By 275 B.C.E Rome had conquered what is now Italy. Next Rome would use its resources to thwart any potential threats from the islands of Corsica, Sardinia, and Sicily. The first war started because of a fight between Roman and Carthaginian f over the city of Messina, Sicily. When the soldiers of Hiero II of Syracuse attacked the city they asked Rome and Carthage for help.

Hannibal, son of Hamilcar, was a Carthaginian military commander and tactician who is popularly credited as one of the most talented military commander in history. In his early life he was made to swear oath of hatred against Rome, which lead him into starting the Second Punic war. During this time he transformed Carthage from being a lowly place into a military superpower. Although he lost the war, his tactics were far beyond any other person at the time, which had won him many battles even when the odds were stacked against him. Hannibal was born in 247 BCE in Carthage, located in North Africa.

As all great leaders do he continued to be an example for his men. To demonstrate anything less than strength would have been a disaster. Today, Hannibal?s military genius and tactics are utilized as a frame of reference for the armed forces. The penned accomplishments of Hannibal?s military genius, leaderships, strategist, and his ability to be an organizer have cemented his station in history as the greatest military leader of the ancient world (Luttwak,

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.

The economy began to prosper, and the fleet was rebuilt. The Romans remembered the previous wars very well, many of which hated Carthage, they wanted Carthage dead. Rome used their ally, Masinissa, to bring forward an excuse to go to war with Carthage. In 149 Carthage attacked Masinissa and Rome came to aid for their ally and declaring war on Carthage. Rome had an advantage with their military force being stronger than ever.

The first Punic War started with an offer by the locals in Messana for the Romans to benefit them in defeating the Carthaginians. Rome saw this as a good fighting chance to let off of the stretch of the Carthaginian Empire and to stop the possible attack on Italy. The Carthaginians were told that they must break off their invasion or war would be fulfilled. Carthage didn't listen so they left no choice but for Rome to declared war. Out of the multiple wars, the first battle was fought completely in Sicily in 263 BCE.

Luck favored the Romans time and time again. In light of this, Hannibal was still able to prove his worth as a general. Hannibal was feared beyond reason, unrelenting even without assistance, renowned as a politician, and a genius in the art of inventing ways to defeat his opponents. Without a doubt, Hannibal is one of the greatest general of all time and will be remembered by historians thousands of years from now.

The Carthaginians were in Sicily first, but the Romans realized how strategic Sicily was. The Romans saw Carthage as a great threat to their empire. Tensions grew between Carthage and Rome over Sicily; this caused a series of wars that changed the ancient world. These wars became known as the Punic Wars. The word Punic comes from the Roman word for the Phoenicians.

During this growing power, Rome began fighting other civilizations to expand its territory. Amongst these populations was Rome’s long time friend Carthage. Rome soon became greedy and made war on Carthage in the Second Punic War (Defusco). The Punic Wars lead Rome to gain territories along the Mediterranean basin. At the end of the Third Punic War, Rome defeated Carthage and became the major Mediterranean military power (Windows on Italy- History).