All you ever wanted to know about the....
Punic Wars
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The Punic Wars were a
set of wars that occurred between Rome and Carthage between the years
264 - 146 BCE. They were known as the Punic Wars in that the word
Punic was the
Roman word for Phoenician and Carthage was a Phoenician city.
 Hannibal |
2nd War 218-202 BCE:
After Carthage had been defeated in the 1st
Punic War rebuilding and expansion in Spain became the main
focus of the Carthaginian Empire. The Romans feared
retaliation, which promted negotiation, which led to a treaty.
The purpose of the treaty was to prevent the exploitation of the
Ebro River boundaries. Soon Spain was completely
controlled by Carthage, except for a one city, Saguntum.
Saguntum proposed to form an alliance with Rome; the Romans
accepted the offer, and were pleased to now possess an eye
within the Carthaginian Empire. Soon afterwards, Saguntum,
swelling with confidence (thanks to their Roman allies), tried
to play political games with Carthage, using its Roman ally as
leverage. Carthage could no longer tolerate the arrogance of
Saguntum. A young Carthaginian general, Hannibal, tried
desperately to avoid confrontation with Rome, but Saguntum
became unbearable. Despite Roman threats, Hannibal
attacked and conquered Saguntum. |
Rome, displeased
with Hannibal's invasion of Saguntum, wanted to Carthage to turn
Hannibal over to Roman authorities for prosecution.
Carthage refused, and the Second Punic War began. The
Carthaginian Army, under Hannibal's command, had grown
immensely, and in September of 218 BCE, Hannibal led his troops
into Northern Rome. Despite exhaustion from their trek across
Europe, Hannibal’s men toppled all Roman opposition. The Romans
were backed into a corner, and the Senate appointed Quintus
Fabius Maximus as Supreme Dictator. Quintus used quick strikes
to weaken the Carthaginian Army and chose to wait out Hannibal
until he was weak enough for Rome to engage in direct combat.
The Roman public hated this strategy, and removed Quintus from
power. The newly elected consuls, who served as generals,
ignored Quintus's strategy and decided to immediately engage
Hannibal’s army. They led an army of 80,000 men, a force that
vastly outnumbered Hannibal’s, into battle. Hannibal’s army
complete destroyed the Roman forces, with his
pincer strategy.
After this defeat the Roman people realized that Quintus was
right to wait out Hannibal, and reverted to his strategy of
quick, wilderness attacks. With Rome losing ground, all of its
southern allies began to turn their allegiance over to
Carthage. The Romans were no longer confident that they could
attack Hannibal, but neither was Hannibal confident that he
could defeat the Romans. Hannibal realized that his
resources of men and supplies were dwindling and concluded that
he could not attack or siege any of Rome's remaining, larger
cities. Hannibal could only roam the Roman countryside
laying waste wherever he went.  As Hannibal remained idle on the Rome without resources, Rome instituted a new strategy, which called for an invasion of Spain. Rome knew that conquering Spain would eliminate all of Hannibal's reinforcements and supplies. Cornelius Scipio,(pictured right) a young general, was chosen to lead the offensive against Spain. Scipio was victorious, and Hannibal was now alone in Italy. Scipio then led his troops to Africa, and approached the walls of Carthage. He then forced a treaty upon the Carthaginians; part of which required for Hannibal to leave Rome. Hannibal could not go on, his army was weakened and his people had signed a treaty that ordered him to retreat. The ironic component of the second Punic War was that Hannibal had been victorious in every battle, and yet the Romans won the war. Hannibal was permitted to return to Carthage, and made a final attempt to subjugate the Roman forces... he was unsuccessful! |
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3rd War 149-146 BCE: Roman influence began to spread and the government started to subjugate the people who had helped them during the 2nd Punic War. During this time, Carthage began to rebuild, and the Romans became very suspicious of further hostilities. The Romans demanded that Carthage move further inland, but Carthage, being dependant on the sea for trade, refused. Rome declared war and began an immediate siege of the city. After which, they stormed the city and slaughtered the citizens. This attack is considered to be the largest mass execution of civilians before WWII. Those who survived were sold into slavery throughout the growing Roman state. The Romans demolished the city and the harbor. In a final act of destruction, the Romans spread salt over the fields in order to make the land uninhabitable for many years to come.
Q. Was Hannibal a cannibal?
A. No, he was not. Although Hannibal did tell his soldiers to eat their fallen comrades if the food supply was spent, there is no record of his own cannibalism.
Q. What is the "Pincer Strategy"?
A. Pincer Strategy: Hannibal used a technique called the "Pincer Strategy". The pic below displays exactly how this strategy was implemented. It involved dividing one's force into two groups and attacking one's foe from both sides. This strategy was key in Hannibal's victories.
