Ancient Civilizations of the World | Timeline, People & Culture - Lesson
Some of the most important were the Sumerians of Mesopotamia; the Xia Dynasty in China; the Olmecs, Mayans, Aztecs, and Incas in Mesoamerica; the Etruscans, ...
Punic Wars
The Kingdom of Kush rose in the third millennium BCE, rising from prosperous trade that relied heavily on gold and ivory. They adopted the religions and beliefs of many surrounding cultures, such as the Egyptians, and Kush has more pyramids than anywhere else in Africa. Carthage created an empire that began in western Africa and would stretch across the southern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. During the <anchor>Punic Wars</anchor>, they would even be seen as a military threat to Rome.
Punic Wars | Definition, Map & Timeline - Lesson | Study.com
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# Punic Wars \| Definition, Map & Timeline

- Lesson
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Transcript




Jack Woerner, Max Pfingsten


- Author

Jack Woerner
BA in Political Science with Emphasis on Social Studies Education at Brevard College, 6 years experience (2 years online) teaching Economics, Personal Finance, APUS Government and more. Certified Gifted/Talented Teacher.

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- Instructor

Max Pfingsten
Max has an MA in Classics, Religion, Philosophy, Behavioral Genetics, a Master of Education, and a BA in Classics, Religion, Philosophy, Evolutionary Psychology.

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What were the Punic Wars? How many Punic wars were there? Learn about the Punic Wars definition. Discover an important part of history and see how the Romans were able to establish their dominance in the Mediterranean.


Updated: 11/21/2023


## Table of Contents

- [What Were the Punic Wars?](#section---WhatWereThePunicWars)
- [Etymology and Meaning](#section---EtymologyAndMeaning)
- [How Many Punic Wars Were There?](#section---HowManyPunicWarsWereThere)
- [Roman Expansion](#section---RomanExpansion)
- [The First Punic War](#section---TheFirstPunicWar)
- [The Second Punic War](#section---TheSecondPunicWar)
- [The Third Punic War](#section---TheThirdPunicWar)
- [Effects and Significance](#section---EffectsAndSignificance)
- [Lesson Summary](#section---LessonSummary)

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Frequently Asked Questions

#### Who caused the Punic Wars?

Some historians argue that Romans caused the Punic Wars more so than Carthaginians because of their aggressive foreign policies and colonization. Regardless, both are to blame for the cause as their expansion and influence grew so far that it was inevitable they became rivals.

#### Who won the Punic Wars and why?

Romans were the ultimate victors in the Punic Wars. The biggest factors that led to their success were: they were very wealthy and were able to constantly raise new armies or resupply existing armies, adapted quickly in strategy when needed, gained allies more so than Carthage, and played off the corruption in politics in Carthage.

#### What are the Punic Wars and why are they important?

Punic Wars are three major wars fought between the ancient cities of Rome and Carthage. They are important because of the influence Rome will spread throughout the Mediterranean world after its victory over the Carthaginians.

#### What does Punic mean?

Punic means Phonecian. The Phonecians (hailing from the modern-day Levant area) colonize all over the Mediterranean and established Carthage. Greeks called Phoenicia, Phoenix which Romans will later translate to Punic.

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## Table of Contents

- [What Were the Punic Wars?](#section---WhatWereThePunicWars)
- [Etymology and Meaning](#section---EtymologyAndMeaning)
- [How Many Punic Wars Were There?](#section---HowManyPunicWarsWereThere)
- [Roman Expansion](#section---RomanExpansion)
- [The First Punic War](#section---TheFirstPunicWar)
- [The Second Punic War](#section---TheSecondPunicWar)
- [The Third Punic War](#section---TheThirdPunicWar)
- [Effects and Significance](#section---EffectsAndSignificance)
- [Lesson Summary](#section---LessonSummary)

Show

**What Were the Punic Wars?**

**The Punic Wars** were one of the largest scale series of conflicts during the [Hellenistic](https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-hellenistic-period-definition-history-quiz.html) time period. The **Punic Wars Timeline** is organized in three stages, referred to as the First, Second, and Third Punic Wars spanning the time of 264 - 146 B.C.E. The [wars](https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-war-definition-causes.html) impacted the whole Mediterranean region with several nations involved but primarily the wars were fought between the ancient civilization of Carthage in North Africa and the **Roman Republic**.

Both civilizations were at peace for a while with their relationship held together by loosely following treaties and agreements. As the two powers expanded their influence in the Mediterranean, it was inevitable that they would clash over control of colonization and trade. **The First Punic War** was almost entirely isolated to or around Sicily off the coast of Italy. The **Second Punic War** involved a much larger area with events and battles taking place in North Africa, the greater Mediterranean Sea, Spain, Italian Pennisula, and more. **The Third Punic War** was a much shorter war compared to the first two and ultimately ended the Roman vs. Carthaginian rivalry, establishing the victorious Roman Republic as the major power in the Mediterranean.

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- 0:51 **Rome & Carthage**
- 2:55 **1st Punic War**
- 3:54 **2nd Punic War: Causes…**
- 7:14 **2nd Punic War: Scipio…**
- 8:46 **3rd Punic War**
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**Etymology and Meaning**

Carthage was founded and colonized by Phoenecian explorers. The city grew and was a very established port city in North Arica that enjoyed successful commerce in the Mediterranean. By the time relationships were being made with the Greeks and Romans, many of the Carthaginians could trace their roots to Phoenician ancestry. The Greeks used the term "Phoenix" while the Romans, speaking Latin, derived Punic from the [Greek Phoenix](https://study.com/academy/lesson/phoenix-mythology-symbolism-origin.html).

Some historians call the conflict "Carthaginian War" but Roman Historians who recorded most of the events coined the conflict as the Punic Wars.

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**How Many Punic Wars Were There?**

**The Punic Wars' timeline** stretched for over one hundred years from 264 BCE - 146 BCE. There was no constant fighting and war throughout the timeline. The wars themselves were in three different stages being the First Punic War, Second Punic War, and Third Punic War. But there were times of peace, even trade, in the interbellum times between the different stages of the war.

- **First Punic War** \- The war lasted from approximately 264 - 241 BCE and consisted mostly of naval combat around the coast of Sicily.
- **Second Punic War** \- Lasted from 218 BCE - 202 BCE and was the largest stage of the series of wars between the two civilizations. Naval battles were fought throughout the **Mediterranean** but major land battles played a key role in Spain, Italy, Sicily, and North Africa. This stage of the war introduced the heroes and legends of Hannibal and [Scipio Africanus](https://study.com/learn/lesson/scipio-africanus-biography-war-publius-cornelius.html).
- **Third Punic War** \- Smallest of the three stages, the Third War only lasted for three years from 149-146 BCE.
- The interbellum time experienced many years of peace: Approximately 20 years between the First and Second Wars and around 50 years between the Second and the Third Wars.

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**Roman Expansion**

The Roman Republic's sphere of influence was growing rapidly before the conflict with Carthage. Rome had spent a lot of time and resources conquering and solidifying their hold in Italy and was looking to expand outside of this area. Rome had several colonies established in the Iberian Peninsula, Greece, and North Africa but did not have a stronghold on those areas. They had some influence in the mostly Greek-majority Sicily but were interested in annexing the entire area.

Carthaginians were also interested in this area and sought to bring it into their realm. Some of the kingdoms in Sicily sided with the Carthaginian government while others pleaded with Rome to get involved in order to block the Carthaginian expansion. This became the focal point of the war and sparked the two major powers to become heated rivals.

Romans were considered more as foreign invaders in the Mediterranean world while Carthaginians, through their connection of numerous [Phoenician](https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-phoenicians-history-religion-civilization.html) colonized cities, were viewed as more uniters of common peoples.

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**The First Punic War**

**The First Punic War** kicked off around the island of Sicily with sieges and defenses of the cities of Syracuse and Agrigento. Carthage at this point dominated the seas with their stronger naval power while Rome's military strength came from their land army. Rome had to quickly build up a strong navy to counter the Carthaginian naval strength.

### Causes

Several settlements in Sicily embraced Carthage as an ally after previous relationships and assistance in foreign matters including war. Not all people on Sicily sought this relationship with Carthage and some wanted to side more with Rome, even so much as to be included as a colony of the Republic. With cities and towns choosing sides, both Carthage and Rome were looking to expand to the key Mediterranean island and the war was inevitable since geographically, Sicily is almost mid-point between Italy and North Africa location of Carthage.

Eventually, both Carthage and Rome declared war on one another to defend their new allied cities and claims on the island.

### Conflicts

Since Sicily was not on the mainland of Carthage or Rome, most of the fighting took place through naval battles with a few battles on land. The first few events were sieges and blockades of key cities on Sicily like Syracuse and Agrigento circa 264-263 BCE.

Small skirmishes occurred for the first few years with both sides deploying the use of mercenaries. Celts, Greeks, North Africans, Gauls, and others all joined the fray on either side.

In the beginning years of the war, the Romans were trying to avoid Carthaginian Naval power until they felt comfortable enough to engage. Rome found this chance at the Battle of Mylae in 260 BCE achieving a much-needed naval victory. Rome boosted their fleet with more ships copied from stolen Carthaginian ships and starts turning the tide of war at sea.

Around 256 BCE Romans begin to land legions of troops onto Carthage-controlled North Africa to bring the war to their homefront but most of the army is defeated by

Greek mercenaries and Carthaginian armies.

In the summer of 250 BCE, the Carthaginian army suffered a devasting defeat to the Romans at the important Sicilian city of Palermo.

From 249-244 BCE, Carthage regains the advantage on sea winning several battles and Hamilcar Barca, the father of the famed Hannibal, led successful raids into Southern Italy and eventually landed his army on Sicily to bolster their hold on the Island.

Rome had a booming economy back on their mainland and it proved too much for Carthage. Rome was able to rebuild their fleets and armies quicker and eventually achieved ultimate victory after several significant naval battles between the years of 242-241 BCE putting an end to the First Punic War when Carthage sues for peace. Hamilcar Barca surrendered his army and ordered all Carthaginian troops out of Sicily.

Start of the Punic War between Rome and Carthage. Almost all conflict took place in or around Sicily.

![1st Punic War](/cimages/multimages/16/1st_punic_war7288048337334331876.png)

### Results

The largest result was Rome then had uncontested control of Sicily and other areas in the Mediterranean thus adding it to its expanding territory. Carthage also had to pay silver to the Romans for war compensation.

There were still contested areas throughout the Mediterranean after the war, especially the Iberian Pennisula that sparked the Second Punic War.

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**The Second Punic War**

After about 20 years of peace, tensions were once again be tested as Carthage and Rome looked to expand. The Second Punic War was on a larger scale with more battles than the First Punic War. Beginning in 218 BCE and finishing in 201 BCE, the war was fought on three main fronts: Italy, Iberia (modern Spain and Portugal), and North Africa with a few conflicts spread to Greece, Sardinia, Sicily, and other Mediterranean islands.

### Causes

With the loss of Sicily, Carthage looked for new ways to bolster its economy. They had solid claims and wealthy colonies in Iberia but wished to grow even more. They expanded as far as the Ebro River. From there, Rome and Carthage agreed that Carthage would not colonize north of the river. As Carthage began colonizing and building up Iberia, Rome made an agreement with the city of Saguntum which was located south, in the Carthaginian side of the Ebro treaty. Carthage besieged and destroyed the city so Rome declared war in 218 BCE.

### Conflicts

From the outbreak of the war, there were only minor naval skirmishes fought between Rome and Carthage. Gaulic tribes in Northern Italy and Iberia sided with the Carthaginians and began attacking the Roman frontier towns. As these minor conflicts were eventually handled by the Romans, their ultimate plan was to send a large invasion force into Africa. However, [Hannibal Barca](https://study.com/academy/lesson/hannibal-barca-history-biography-facts.html), son of former Carthaginian commander Hamilcar, raised a large army in Iberia and, while evading Roman scouts, marched up through Iberia into modern-day France and over the Italian Alps to invade the northern territory of Rome.

Though Hannibal lost many troops, including some prized war elephants, in the dangerous Alpine crossing, his army surprised the Roman army in the north and the Roman Senate had to cancel the African campaign. From 218 BCE - 216 BCE Hannibal and his army, isolated in Italy, dominated the Roman armies achieving many victories. No Roman army could achieve a pitched battle against Hannibal and Rome was desperate for a victory. Hannibal dominated Northern Italy and achieved key victories in Southern Italy as well. This caused mass panic in Rome since Hannibal was threatening the capital city.

Hannibal continued to destroy the Roman countryside and recruited Italian tribes to his cause. Finally, Rome sent a large army to aggressively pursue Hannibal. This led to the Battle of Canea and was the most devastating defeat in Roman Military history, losing more than 65,000 troops. Hannibal remained in Southern Italy for over a decade capturing cities then having them defect or besieged by the Roman army. It was difficult for supplies and reinforcements to reach Hannibal so his army had to survive off the land and cities in hostile territory. The Romans were also leading some successful battles in Iberia threatening the Carthaginian colonies there, forcing Carthage to reallocate resources to that front. Rome was also able to achieve naval victories and secured ports throughout the Mediterranean islands and in Greece.

From 213-208 BCE, Hannibal continued his successful campaigns in Italy and held major cities like Capua and Campania.

In 207 BCE, Hannibal's brother, Hasdrubal Barca, attempted to join him by crossing his army in the Alps to threaten the Romans on two fronts. Hannibal did not know this however and the Romans in the south were able to trick him into thinking their southern army was much larger than it actually was in order to delay Hannibal in engaging. In reality, a lot of the southern legions marched north quickly to join the Roman legions there and the combined force crushed the Hasdrubal army, killing Hasdrubal in the battle. Without reinforcements and supplies, Hannibal and his army had to begin giving up ground and retreating in Italy.

From 206-205 BCE, Romans gained several allied cities that defected from Carthage in Iberia which supported their successful campaign in the region and forced Carthage to give up the territory.

Rome finally put an end to the war by invading North Africa and the Carthaginian homeland in 204-201 BCE. The famed Roman war hero General Scipio Africanus led the Roman army expertly in the invasion. General Scipio's armies achieved a series of victories in North Africa, cutting off supplies to Hannibal's army thus forcing Carthage to recall Hannibal back home.

The decisive battle occurred in 202 BCE at the Battle of Zama. Hannibal attempted to utilize elephants to scatter Roman infantry but the Roman army was full of veterans that had experience against war elephants and they held their ground. The Romans destroyed the Carthaginians with their superior cavalry at the battle. Not many Carthaginians survived, but Hannibal and a few others were able to escape.

Carthage territory vs Roman Territory during the beginning of the 2nd Punic War.

![2nd Punic War](/cimages/multimages/16/2nd_punic_war3491037714498251296.png)

### Results

The Romans forced a peace treaty to eliminate all Carthage's overseas holdings and limited their territory to just North Africa. Not only did they lose land, but they also had to pay a great amount of silver and give hostages to Rome. Carthage also could not raise a large army, could not raise a large navy, could no longer deploy war elephants, and needed Rome's approval before going to war if needed. This treaty forced Carthage into a subservient political state of Rome.

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**The Third Punic War**

There were many decades of peace before the Third and final war of the series. **The Third Punic War** is the smallest stage of the series of wars between Carthage and Rome only lasting from 149 BE - 146 BCE with the entirety of combat happening in the Carthage-controlled territory of modern-day Tunisia. Carthage was attempting to rebuild after devasting losses in the prior Second Punic War while Rome was establishing their superiority in the Mediterranean region.

### Causes

One of the treaty agreements following the 2nd Punic War was that Carthage could not declare war outside of their defending territory. Numidia, a powerful rival North African Kingdom and also allied to Rome, exploited this and constantly harrassed Carthage-controlled areas. Finally, Carthage had enough and counter-attacked Numidia which brought on a punitive reaction from the Roman Senate. Thus the Roman Army was ordered to invade and besiege Carthage.

### Conflicts

The Roman Army landed in North Africa in 149 BCE and set up their siege of Carthage after many failed attempts to breach the city walls. The Romans were constantly harrassed by Carthaginians raiding their camps, burning their ships and supplies, and other tactics used to delay or even make the Roman Army quit. Not many pitched battles were fought during this time period.

From 148-147 BCE, while the bulk of Roman forces besieged Carthage, other Roman or their allied armies and navies attempted to capture Carthage-allied cities in the areas surrounding modern-day Tunisia.

In 146 BCE, the Roman Army launched a daring but highly successful direct assault through the Carthaginian harbor and breached the walls. For a week the Romans worked their way through the city in bloody close-quarters combat. Mass chaos ensued with almost every Carthaginian dying in the onslaught. Some historians account that only 50,000 Carthaginians remained (some fled before the siege) and they were sold into slavery.

### Results

Rome wanted to make sure Carthage never again was rebuilt and they totally destroyed the city. All former Carthaginian territories were annexed by Rome. Rome now was able to expand its territory into Northern Africa and beyond.

Rome more than double its territory after the Punic War, taking all of Carthage

![Post-Punic War Rome](/cimages/multimages/16/post-punic_war531839546160022858.png)

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**Effects and Significance**

With Carthage out of the picture and no other big rival in the Meditteranean, Rome was able to grow rapidly gaining many territories especially former Carthage-controlled areas. Rome established many new cities and colonies along the North African coast that would be extremely important to the food supply of the Roman Empire.

### North Africa

Rome gained many territories and allies all along the North African coast. Many port cities were created and [Roman influence](https://study.com/academy/lesson/ancient-roman-culture-its-influence-on-modern-life.html) spread. These African cities would be vital to the grain and foodstuff supply to the Romans for the next few centuries.

Eventually, Carthage was rebuilt as a Roman city.

### Spain

With no Carthiginians contesting control in **Iberia (modern-day Spain)** Rome was able to deal with some of the troublesome tribes there and solidified sizeable, highly productive towns in the region adding to the growing wealth of Rome.

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**Lesson Summary**

For many years the Carthaginians and the **Roman Republic** got along peacefully until the expansion in the **Mediterranean** and entangling alliances brought their relationship to a more hostile rivalry. **The Punic Wars' timeline** occurred in three stages and were fought over a timespan of over 100 years ultimately ending with a Roman victory and a "last-man-standing" theme in the region. The Romans called the series of wars "Punic Wars" because it derived from the Greek "Phoenix" which was connected to the original term "Phoenician" which most Carthiginians claimed ancestry from.

**The First Punic War** started because of Sicilian cities siding with Rome and Carthage. The war was fought mostly in Sicily and ended with a Roman victory and control over Sicily.

**The Second Punic War** began when Carthage besieged a Roman allied city in **Iberia** or modern-day Spain. The war saw many early victories for the Carthaginians with their armies being led by Hannibal Barca and his brothers. Rome was close to surrendering and losing the war while Hannibal easily raided the Italian Pennisula and constantly threatened Rome. Rome was able to consistently resupply its military while Hannibal was not. Then Rome invaded Carthage territory in North Africa forcing Hannibal to return but only to be defeated. Carthage lost all its overseas territories and was restricted to many other war operations that damaged its power and economy.

**The Third Punic War** began when Carthage broke a 2nd Punic War treaty agreement and was entirely fought in Carthage-controlled modern-day Tunisia. Most of the combat occurred around the siege of Carthage city. Romans broke through the tough Carthaginian defenses and completely wiped out the city and prevented the Carthaginians from ever rebuilding. Rome then annexed all former Carthage-held territory.

**The Punic Wars aftermath** gave witness to an explosion of Roman expansion and influence in the Mediterranean world. The success of Rome also created a sole power in the region with no other equal rival to check Roman dominance. Rome was able to more than double its territory and holdings after the war, setting up the foundation of the **Roman Empire.**

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## Video Transcript

## Roman Dominance of Italy

By the mid-third century BCE, the Romans reigned supreme in Italy. They'd squashed the Sabines, vanquished the Volsci, trounced the Etruscans, slaughtered the Samnites, unmanned the Umbrians, messed up the Messapians and even grappled with Greeks. They only stopped fighting because they'd run out of land to conquer. Italy was now entirely under the control of the Roman Republic.

Yet, a threat to Roman supremacy was growing right at their doorstep. Just off the toe of Italy sits the island of Sicily. And, that island was being conquered by another ambitious city-state with its own imperial designs. Just across the Mediterranean, on the shores of Africa, stood **Carthage**.

## Rome and Carthage: Similarities and Differences

Carthage is, in many ways, a mirror of Rome. Carthage was founded as a Phoenician Colony around 800 BCE; Rome was founded fewer than 50 years later. As a result of this slight delay, the Carthaginians had a small head start on the Romans, and the fact that theirs was a naval empire while Rome was a land empire gave them a still greater advantage. But, Carthage's greatest advantage was that it was a Phoenician colony trying to unify other Phoenician colonies, with whom they shared a common language and culture. By contrast, the Romans were invaders forced to fight against dozens of independent peoples who all spoke different languages.

Carthage's many advantages meant that Carthage was the capital of a prosperous coastal empire that dominated the western Mediterranean. They controlled the northern coast of Africa, the southern coast of Spain and most of the islands of the western Mediterranean, including half of Sicily.

By contrast, Rome was the capital of a mere peninsula, albeit a densely populated one. Yet, relative size was not the only difference between the Carthaginians and the Romans. Carthage was a city of traders. They were ruled by a council of merchant princes. They were highly civilized, literate and scientifically advanced, though they also may have engaged in human sacrifice. What's important to know now is that the Carthaginians had built their empire through trade and wealth as much as through force.

By contrast, Rome was a nation of soldiers and farmers. Their republic was run, in many respects, like an oversized military camp. Roman culture was relatively primitive compared to the advanced Carthaginians. They did not have Carthage's wealth or intercontinental trade routes at their disposal. But, what the Romans lacked in money and refinement, they made up for in manpower, strict organization and ferocity. Combining these attributes, the Romans had built their empire through conquest and bloodshed.

## The First Punic War

In the first Punic War, the Roman and Carthaginian Empires fought on the island of Sicily.
![First Punic War](/cimages/multimages/16/the-punic-wars-first-punic-war.png)

In 264 BCE, the ambitious Roman Republic and the wealthy Carthaginian Empire collided on the island of Sicily in the first **Punic War**. This war was very similar to Athens' battle with Sparta in the Peloponnesian War in that it pitted a powerful army against a large and maneuverable navy. It was a drawn-out, bloody affair, with the Carthaginians trying to keep the battle at sea, and the Romans trying to force the battle to land.

After 24 years of continuous warfare that exhausted both cities, Carthage was driven from Sicily and forced to pay Rome a huge war indemnity, or fine. Bankrupted by the war and the indemnity and unable to pay its mercenaries, the Carthaginian Empire was thrown into a mercenary war. Rome took advantage of the chaos to add the islands of Corsica and Sardinia to its growing Mediterranean empire.

## The Second Punic War: Causes

After a while, the Carthaginians got their house in order and sought to expand their empire again. Frustrated at sea by growing Roman dominance, the Carthaginians instead started colonizing the Iberian Peninsula. The native Iberians weren't nearly so viciously organized as the Romans, and the Carthaginians spread easily.

The Romans were once again nervous about the growing power of Carthage, or at least that's what the Roman historians say. Personally, I think that Rome was just looking for a new target for their annual warfare since they'd just finished conquering Illyria across the Adriatic in 219 BCE.

Whatever the reason, in 218 BCE, Rome declared war, and the Second Punic War began. The Roman navy had improved significantly since the beginning of the last Punic War, and they were confident they could hold off any Carthaginian invasion. Yet, while the Romans had been beefing up their navy, the Carthaginians had been building up a huge army in Spain.

Rome was so fixated on rebuffing the Carthaginian navy that it never occurred to them that someone might be crazy enough to march that big Spanish army over the Alps and invade Italy by land. Yet, that is just what the Carthaginian general did.

## The Second Punic War: Hannibal

That general's name was **Hannibal**, and his military genius made him one of the most fearful figures in Roman history. When Hannibal's army, which included dozens of war elephants, descended from the Alps, he must have felt much like those first Latins had felt looking down on the Italian peninsula a thousand years earlier. Here was a lush land just begging to be conquered. Indeed, had Hannibal not lost his siege engines during his passage through the Alps, he very well might have conquered all of Italy.

Hannibal smashed every army the Romans put in front of him, but without siege equipment, he was unable to take Rome itself. Instead, Hannibal laid waste across the countryside and tried to entice other Italian cities to rebel. For some reason, not one Italian city took up arms against Rome. Perhaps it was loyalty, or perhaps these cities feared Rome more than they feared this invader. Whatever the reason, Hannibal's plan to turn Rome's subjects against it failed. Nevertheless, through his military genius, Hannibal ravaged Italy for 16 years.

You may be wondering - how did Hannibal catch the mighty Romans with their pants down? Shouldn't they have been better prepared? After all, they were the ones who started the war. There are two reasons Rome fared so poorly. I've already mentioned the first problem. No one had expected Hannibal to take his army over the mountains. Rome had been expecting another naval war like the first Punic War, so Roman troops were scattered across numerous islands.

The second problem was that Rome had overextended itself. While Hannibal was ravaging his way across Italy, Philip V of Macedon had taken advantage of the chaos to expand his own kingdom. Philip's invasion of Greece and Illyria prevented the veteran armies Rome had deployed to the east from returning home to reinforce Italy. Unable to bring its full strength to bear against Hannibal, the Romans had to resort to delaying techniques.

## The Second Punic War: Scipio Africanus

Once Philip had been dealt with, some of Rome's best armies were once again available for battle. Rather than running home to oust the invader, the Roman general Scipio brought the fight to Carthage. Scipio invaded Africa, earning him the name **Scipio Africanus** and, more importantly, cutting off Hannibal's supply lines. Hannibal hurried home with his army and was soundly defeated at the Battle of Zama in 202 BCE. The following year, Carthage surrendered.

## The Second Punic War: Results

Territory Rome gained following the second Punic War
![Results of Second Punic War](/cimages/multimages/16/the-punic-wars-result-of-second-punic-war.png)

The mighty Carthaginian Empire was reduced to little more than the city of Carthage itself, and Rome further burdened Carthage with an even larger war indemnity than for the first Punic War. Meanwhile, Carthage's holdings in Spain were added to the Roman Empire. Rome had also gained territory during their simultaneous war with Philip V of Macedon and gained a foothold in Africa by establishing Numidia as a client state.

Things were looking pretty good for Rome and pretty terrible for Carthage. In a single lifetime, little more than 60 years, Rome and Carthage had reversed positions. Rome was now the dominant force in the western Mediterranean; it had added Carthage's European territory to the empire and extended its reach eastward. By contrast, Carthage was now the underdog, allowed to live only because the Romans could get more money out of Carthage through Carthage paying the indemnity than they could by pillaging the city.

## The Third Punic War

Fifty years later, Carthage had finally managed to pay off that huge indemnity, meaning that Rome no longer had any interest in keeping them alive. In an act of pure tyranny, Rome demanded that the Carthaginians abandon their city and resettle 10 miles inland. For a trading nation, this was a death sentence. Carthage naturally refused, and Rome descended upon its old nemesis with all its might, besieging the city for two years before it fell at last in 146 BCE.

## Lesson Summary

To review: from 264 to 146 BCE, the Romans fought a series of three wars with the rival state of Carthage. These wars are collectively called the Punic Wars. The first Punic War was over ownership of Sicily. It stretched for 24 years before the Romans were finally victorious. Rome gained the island of Sicily, and Carthage paid a huge fine.

The second Punic War was fought over a perceived threat to Roman power. Carthage had begun colonizing Spain, and Rome responded by declaring war. The Carthaginian general, Hannibal, marched his army from Spain to Italy and laid waste to the Italian countryside for 16 years. Rome only won by bringing the war to Africa under the leadership of Scipio Africanus. Rome gained dominance over the western Mediterranean, and Carthage lost almost all of its territory and received another, even larger fine. The third Punic War brought an end to Carthage. After a three-year siege, Rome burned Carthage to the ground.

## Learning Outcome

After this lesson, you'll be able to:

- Compare and contrast Rome and Carthage before the Punic Wars began
- Describe how the first Punic War ended
- Explain the causes of the second Punic War
- Summarize Hannibal's leadership during the second Punic War
- Recount Scipio's contribution to the second Punic War and how that war ultimately ended
- Provide an overview of the third Punic War

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