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    Rome Vs Carthage

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    Michael Ohl
    This document provides an overview of the ancient civilizations of Carthage and Rome before and during the Punic Wars. It notes that while Carthage and Rome initially rose in parallel and were similar in some ways, with large Mediterranean territories and ambitions of expansion, they eventually came into conflict due to this last trait. The First Punic War began when the Mamertines asked first Carthage then Rome for help in Sicily, leading to 23 years of land and naval battles between the two powers. Rome prevailed through its invention of the corvus boarding plank and establishment of a strong navy. The wars ultimately resulted in Carthage's defeat and control by Rome, leaving Rome as the dominant power in the Mediterranean.

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    Rome Vs Carthage

    Uploaded by

    Michael Ohl
    177 views4 pages
    This document provides an overview of the ancient civilizations of Carthage and Rome before and during the Punic Wars. It notes that while Carthage and Rome initially rose in parallel and were similar in some ways, with large Mediterranean territories and ambitions of expansion, they eventually came into conflict due to this last trait. The First Punic War began when the Mamertines asked first Carthage then Rome for help in Sicily, leading to 23 years of land and naval battles between the two powers. Rome prevailed through its invention of the corvus boarding plank and establishment of a strong navy. The wars ultimately resulted in Carthage's defeat and control by Rome, leaving Rome as the dominant power in the Mediterranean.

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    Rome vs Carthage

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    This document provides an overview of the ancient civilizations of Carthage and Rome before and during the Punic Wars. It notes that while Carthage and Rome initially rose in parallel and were similar in some ways, with large Mediterranean territories and ambitions of expansion, they eventually came into conflict due to this last trait. The First Punic War began when the Mamertines asked first Carthage then Rome for help in Sicily, leading to 23 years of land and naval battles between the two powers. Rome prevailed through its invention of the corvus boarding plank and establishment of a strong navy. The wars ultimately resulted in Carthage's defeat and control by Rome, leaving Rome as the dominant power in the Mediterranean.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as doc, pdf, or txt
    177 views4 pages

    Rome Vs Carthage

    Uploaded by

    Michael Ohl
    This document provides an overview of the ancient civilizations of Carthage and Rome before and during the Punic Wars. It notes that while Carthage and Rome initially rose in parallel and were similar in some ways, with large Mediterranean territories and ambitions of expansion, they eventually came into conflict due to this last trait. The First Punic War began when the Mamertines asked first Carthage then Rome for help in Sicily, leading to 23 years of land and naval battles between the two powers. Rome prevailed through its invention of the corvus boarding plank and establishment of a strong navy. The wars ultimately resulted in Carthage's defeat and control by Rome, leaving Rome as the dominant power in the Mediterranean.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as doc, pdf, or txt
    of 4

    Running head: CARTHAGE AND ROME: TWO ANCIENT TITANS

    Carthage and Rome: Two Ancient Titans


    Michael Ohl
    University of the People

    CARTHAGE AND ROME: TWO ANCIENT TITANS

    Introduction
    Often in ancient times we see powers rise in parallel to each other where with a birds-eye view
    as we have in history everyone just knows that conflict is inevitable. The societies living in that time
    though have no idea what their future will hold and go on as they would. Rome and Carthage were like
    this for the most part, Carthage even looking down on the Romans as they [...] were still living in
    pitiful mud huts on their seven hills by the Tiber when Phoenician civilization had been flourishing for
    centuries, as Lee Levin put it (2002). In the times before the Punic Wars the two people were slightly
    similar. Both had large bits of territory on the Mediterranean, both were wealthy, they had both
    conquered other lands and they both had ambition and drive to expand. It was this last trait that brought
    them into conflict.
    Pre-Punic War
    Rome rose to power over the other Latin cities taking over nearly all of Italy quickly. They
    formed a republic and incorporated their conquered territories into the republic in four different ways
    either as a part of Rome, a province, a dependent ally, or a Latin State that had limited rights as Roman
    but not full rights. Rome used this system to breed loyalty into their captured territories and also was
    heavily focused on citizen solders, or that nearly every male citizen should be a soldier (Morey, 1901).
    The Phoenicians on the other hand were a trade focused empire. They also had a republic and
    did not treat their territories as Rome did, but took a more heavy handed approach using them for their
    wealth. Carthage also formed it's armies with one Phoenician leading a group of mercenaries (Extra
    Credits, 2013). Carthage was a Phoenician state of Tyre for a long time but around 550 BC Mago came
    to power in Carthage and ran it as it's own power unto itself. This was not to say he had complete
    control as Carthage was a republic with an Elders Council and a People's Assembly. After a time the
    aristocrats of Carthage began to seize power form the Kings or Tyrants that had lead the country. They
    created two tyrants of equal power that were also beholden to the council of elders (Carthage, n.d.). All

    CARTHAGE AND ROME: TWO ANCIENT TITANS

    of this was leading up to the first Punic War with Rome.


    First Punic War
    Now the first conflict comes up, Carthage only has roughly one-fifth of the population of Rome
    but they used their vast wealth to employ mercenaries which will become important in the first Punic
    War. The disadvantage to Rome here is while they have superior numbers they have little in the way of
    a navy, theirs being much inferior to Carthage's fleet of ships. Because of a conflict on Sicily caused by
    a group called the Mamertines who were helping a city in Sicily as mercenaries decided to take it over.
    The people of Sicily did not like this and began to fight to take this city back, but the Mamertines asked
    Carthage for their help, who did help them to secure the city and now imposed their rule on the city.
    Again the Mamertines did not like this and now they implored Rome for help to drive Carthage from
    their city (Extra Credits, 2013).
    Now for the next 23 years Rome and Carthage were locked into battle. Rome wanted Sicily and
    Carthage did not wish to give it up. They fought on land and Rome was decisively winning but toward
    the end of this war Hamilcar came to be the general for Carthage in Sicily and held the Romans to a
    standstill. Now the war was pressed out to the sea where Rome was outmatched until the invention of
    the corvu, a long plank with a heavy spike allowed them to turn naval battles into floating land battles
    with what may be the first marines (Levin, 2002). With this and the creation of their new fleet Rome
    was a newly minted naval power and ready to hold the Mediterranean.
    Conclusion
    The wars between Carthage and Rome would conclude after the second Punic War when
    Carthage was utterly defeated and placed under control of Rome. The differences between the super
    powers of the ancient world were small at first, but Rome's citizen soldiers were able to prevail over the
    mercenaries of Carthage and put Rome in full control over the Mediterranean. While both countires
    were similar to start, they wound up very different in the end.

    CARTHAGE AND ROME: TWO ANCIENT TITANS

    References
    Levin, L. (2002). Rome vs. Carthage: The Day the World Trembled. Retrieved May 14, 2015, from
    http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/690774/posts
    Morey, W. (1901). Outlines of Roman History, Chapter 14. Retrieved May 14, 2015, from
    http://www.forumromanum.org/history/morey14.html
    Extra Credits. (2013, October). Extra History - Rome: The Punic Wars - Chapter 1: The First Punic
    War [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbBHk_zLTmY
    Carthage. (n.d.). Retrieved May 14, 2015, from http://www.roman-empire.net/republic/carthage.html

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