Punic Wars

   The Punic Wars consisted of three wars fought between Rome and Carthage, between 264 and 146 B.C. These wars were fought because Rome wanted to expand its land into Carthaginian territory and because of the hatred that grew between them. In fact, when Carthaginian general, Hannibal, was a young boy, his father made him swear that he would always hate Rome and seek to destroy it. That is why, when he stepped into play around the time of the Second Punic War, the tension between Rome and Carthage grew even stronger and is why the wars became more intense. The first Punic War was fought on the island of Sicily in 264-241 B.C., for control of Sicily and the western Mediterranean. The navies of the two forces battled, and it led to a victory for the Romans. The Second Punic War was fought between 218-201 B.C. This is when general Hannibal stepped in, and his plan for conquering Rome almost worked, but the Romans ended up victorious once again. Hannibal took a risky move by leading his men through Spain and the Alps, attacking Rome from the north. His greatest victory was at Cannae, in 216 B.C., but it was not good enough to win the second war. The Romans got a general named Scipio, who was brave, like Hannibal. He made a plan to attack Carthage, which worked because the Carthaginians were forced to surrender and protect their city. Therefore, the Romans defeated Hannibal at Zama in 202 B.C. The third and final Punic War was fought between 149-146 B.C. The goal of the Romans was to demolish the city of Carthage, which they did. Carthage burned for 17 days, and the walls and buildings were destroyed. All of Carthage's territories were then annexed, giving Rome the final victory once and for all. Rome won the Punic Wars and dominated over the western Mediterranean.