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Carthage And Rome: A Comparative Analysis

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In this essay I will endeavor to examine Carthage and compare and contrast how its power rivaled Rome, I will look at the many similarities and differences in their way of life, and also how they came into conflict with each other.

Carthage came into being in the ninth century B.C and traces its roots to the Phoenicians, who were a hardy race of sea farers based around the area of what is now known as Lebanon. They established many trading routes and partnerships throughout the Mediterranean Sea and even along the Atlantic coast. Carthage rapidly grew from a small port to a thriving trade hub and the epicenter of Phoenician commerce, this growth was accelerated by the arrival of many wealthy citizens of Tyre, the Phoenician capital, when …show more content…

However once Rome recognized the true threat they faced from Carthage they also began to expand their naval capabilities. They recognized that Carthage held an advantage on the sea due to their long history of seamanship so Roman ingenuity designed the the Corvus. This was 30 foot long gangway which could be lowered from the ship's bow on to the decks of enemy ships and secured with a huge metal spike allowing them to unleash a squadron of Roman fighters on-board the enemy ship. The Romans also copied the designs of ships they captured and Archemedes, who was the greatest inventor of the age, came up with many improvements and original designs that turned many ships into "machines of war". These innovations allowed Rome to finally become a strong and great naval power coupled with the ships confiscated from …show more content…

The First Punic War was the first of three wars between the two powers as they wrestled for dominance in the region. The first war began due to a dispute between Syracuse and Messina on the strategically important island of Sicily, Rome came to the aid of Messina which outraged Carthage who quickly sided with Syracuse and so began over a century of intermittent fighting between the great powers.

In conclusion, it is so interesting to see so many similarities and so many differences between the two mighty empires and it is fascinating to examine how many parallels can be drawn between ancient civilizations and ones in modern times; for example, the Cold War between the Soviet Union and The West, which had the world on the brink of nuclear war. Today Russia and America flex their might and fight proxy wars to express their dominance as superpowers. The empires of Rome and Carthage fell, so too did the Soviet Union, but it seems that the modern superpowers do not learn from the mistakes of the

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