Carthage And Rome: The Three Punic Wars

Most of America considers itself a “Great” nation. Whether this means powerful, intelligent, flourishing, thriving, et cetera, is unclear. In order to explore where America obtained the inspiration for its greatness, I am going to walk through the influence of the great Greek and Roman cultures and Empires (so to speak). These ancient civilizations were among the first that had governments of democracy and sophistication, of elections and thriving economies on a mass scale. America needed a strong, binding and uniting foundation of government and that is what it got from drawing upon these ancient civilizations. The entire way that the American government works and thrives today is

The Roman empire was one of the most powerful or the most powerful empire in ancient times. A portion of this can be credited to its location in an area with good geography and climate. However, once the empire was vast enough its geography varied quite a bit. It went from the moderate climate of northern Italy too much warmer climates in northern Africa. In Italy, the central part of the empire, stood the city of Rome. Back when Rome was just a small village along the banks of the Tiber river, its geography gave it many advantages. One of the biggest of those is its location along a river. Because these were hundreds of years in B.C.E. people relied on rivers and ponds for drinking and bathing. However, rivers were much better than lakes

Was Julius Caesar a hero or a villain? Was he greedy for land and money or was he just trying to help the Roman Empire? I believe Julius Caesar was a hero and a reformer because of all the astonishing things he did to help the citizens of the Roman Empire.

Rome after the Punic wars was quite different that Rome before the engagements with Carthage. Polybius once said, “There are only two sources from which any benefit can be derived; our own misfortunes and those that have happened to other men.” Nowhere is this more true that when speaking of Rome after Carthage. Before The Punic Wars Rome was relatively small when compared to the nearby rival of Carthage. Rome started expanding with its eyes first set on Sicily unfortunately it was loyal to Carthage. This first clash seemed an inevitable failure for Rome, however they triumphed. This set the stage for future expansion, Rome’s thirst for trade goods was quite healthy after all they had to maintain their population

The Roman Empire lasted about 500 years from about 47 BC to AD 476. It started in Italy and eventually extended throughout Europe, western Asia, and northern Africa. Julius Caesar became dictator for life and was assassinated by the senate, however this began the transfer from a republic to an empire. The Roman Empire grew over time, getting bigger. Although it thrived, it fell around 476 C.E because of major issues. Poor military, mistrust in the government, and the overwhelming size lead to the fall of the Roman Empire.

There are many similarities that can be noticed between the American Nation and the Roman Empire such as the same founding of government and both dominated in military, and economic similarities. Rome is famous for their harsh discipline amongst their own ranks and their mercifulness brutality amongst their enemies. Rome warfare was characterized by great ferocity and the roman pursuit of victory was determined. Rome gave many good ideas; the senate was ruled by the people of Rome. The Roman Republic Government was a large complex constitution, which was secure by many checks and balances, so that no man could have complete control. The United States follow the path of the Roman Republic. Although there are many similarities and differences,

Out of the two civilizations Athens and Rome one clearly had a better citizenship system. Rome had a better system of citizenship when you compared the definition of citizenship to that civilization, their rights, and responsibilities. Rome 's definition was much more generous when they gave their citizenship. Document A showed that free native-born adult males, free native-born adult females, free native-born male children, female children, and sons of freed slaves could get citizenship in Rome. In Athens they only allowed free, native-born adult males to get citizenship. Rome allowed many different types of people to get citizenship. Letting more people in Rome allowed their population to grow, this made them expand their civilization. This

When comparing the Roman and Aztec Empire, it is clear to see similarities and differences within each civilization. Between government, religion, warfare, remarkable similarities defined two of the greatest civilizations. The differences such as social structure and economy are more prevalent between each empire.

A change in the Carthaginian senate in 203 greatly influenced Hannibal’s campaign in Italy. Hannibal’s popularity had declined and his faction no longer held the power in Carthage that it previously held by 203 B.C. A treaty enacted by the Romans and Carthaginians for peace could only come into force once Hannibal and his brother Mago left Italy. Clearly, Hannibal realized the Carthaginians had named him the scapegoat for the War. Livy states that no sooner had Hannibal realized this when he immediately blamed Hanno for this disgrace. Within a year, Hannibal returned to Africa, only to lose one of the decisive battles of the war.

The Punic Wars tell a story between two powerful kingdoms with completely different cultures. One that had distugising practices. The other with virtue. The First Punic War was the beginning of a great power struggle between Rome and Carthage. In the beginning it was a fight to protect a city. As more and more battles were won, it led to the birth of the Roman fleet.

Polybius and Livy were two different historians with unique styles and different personalities. Polybius and Livy agreed on three causes of the Second Punic war which was “Wrath of Barcids” revenge for the loss of Sardinia and Corsica, and the success that Carthaginians had in Spain. Livy was viewing the seizure Saguntum as a primary cause. Polybius on the other hand did not feel the same way, Polybius felt that is was the beginning of the war rather than an underlying cause. After looking at the facts I could find on each of the causes I believe that all four causes are suitable.

Hannibal Barca, most widely known as the Carthaginian general during the Punic wars, was born in 247 B.C. His childhood was spent raised with his military family in Carthage, and therefore, he was raised knowing Carthage’s hatred of the Romans. Hannibal’s father, the Carthaginian general Hamilcar Barca, was defeated by the Romans during the First Punic War in 247 B.C. In an effort to restore Carthage’s position, Hamilcar swore both him and his son into an eternal allegiance against Rome in Spain. Hamilcar was an extremely influential figure in the First and Second Punic Wars. Upon Hamilcar’s death in 229 B.C., Hannibal was made commander of the Carthaginian forces in Spain. At the age of 26, Hannibal was given the power to secure Carthaginian

Ancient Rome left tremendous legacies such as technological advancements, religious beliefs and governmental structures that shaped the world today. The Romans conquered many territories and took on their cultures as well, in particular the Ancient Greek culture. Ancient Greek civilizations played a major role in the history and development of the Ancient Rome civilization. The Ancient Greeks influenced the social structure, religion and military strength of Ancient Rome. The Ancient Greeks’ renowned use of democracy influenced Ancient Rome’s government structure. The strong belief in Gods and oracles in Ancient Greek shaped the religion of Ancient Romans. The Spartan-like training and leadership style of Ancient Greek war heroes formed the

“The seeds of the second war were sown at the end of the first war.” Polybius points out three main causes in book III (9-10). The first cause examines Hamilcar’s attitude, he had held out seven years and only had to capitulate because a failure by the Carthaginian government to send his supplies and reinforcements. Secondly, he had defeated the Romans and believed if he could face them on equal terms the situation would be reversed. Finally, he desired revenge on the Romans for going back on their word in his treaty with Catulus. Polybius goes on to state that Hamilcar played a massive role in starting the Second Punic

The ancient Romans and Greeks both began their legacy as a city-state; both of them are Mediterranean cities. Ancient Rome and ancient Greece both played a huge role in historic dynasty yet they are both different. Ancient Greece came to light after researches were made. The empire of Athens only lasted 5 years, where Rome 's empire lasted 500 years. Sculptures, paintings and architecture differ in each civilization.