Summary of the Three Punic
Wars
THE PUNIC WARS TOOK PLACE
BETWEEN ROME AND
CARTHAGE AND COVERED
THE DATES 265 BC TO 146 BC
This presentation is a
VERY brief summary
of the three Punic
Wars. For more
details, you can use
google or the links
provided in this unit.
THE FIRST
PUNIC WAR
265-219 BC
265 BC. Leaders in Messina, a city in Sicily, at war with another city,
Syracuse appealed to both Rome and Carthage for assistance. The
Carthaginians arrived first, seized the city, and were then thrown out by
the Romans.
264 BC. The Carthaginians allied with Syracuse (ruler Hiero II) against
Rome to regain Messina by siege and were defeated by the Roman army
of Appius Claudius Caudex whose subsequent siege of Syracuse was also
unsuccessful.
263 BC. Roman victories in eastern Sicily forced Hiero to switch sides and
support the Roman invasion of Carthaginian territories in western Sicily.
262 BC. Roman army successfully besieged the Carthaginian fortress city
at Agrigentum held by Hannibal Gisco and defeated a relieving army led
by Hanno.
260 BC. Carthaginian navy defeated a Roman naval squadron at Lipara
Islands.
260 BC. Roman fleet using new "secret weapon" the Corvus (a boarding
bridge) destroyed a Carthaginian fleet at Mylae enabling the Romans to
invade Corsica and Sardinia.
256 BC. A huge Roman fleet carrying an army to invade Africa defeated a
nearly-as-large Carthaginian fleet at the battle of Cape Ecnomus off Sicily
by using the Corvus again. The 20,000 strong Roman army under Marcus
Atillius Regulus landed near Tunis. The Romans won major battle at Adys.
When the Carthaginians asked for peace, the Romans made such excessive
demands the Carthaginians called in Greek mercenary support led by
Xanthippus.
255 BC. Xanthippus reorganized and trained the Carthaginian army
enabling them to defeat and capture Regulus at the Battle of Tunes. While
evacuating the surviving troops a large Roman fleet was destroyed in a
storm, losing almost 100,000 of the best soldiers and sailors.
254 BC. With the threat in Africa gone Carthage again managed to
reenforce its garrisons in Sicily and recapture Agrigentum.
The corvus was a big deal, because it allowed the
Romans to fight at sea the way they were
accustomed to fight on land. This allowed them to
compete with Carthage at sea.
251 BC. Roman consul Lucius Caecilius Mettellus defeated an equal strength
Carthaginian army commanded by Hasdrubal at Cape Panormus. The
Carthaginians asked for peace, but the Romans again refused.
249 BC. The Carthaginian fleet of admiral Adherbal destroyed a large Roman fleet
commanded by P. Claudius Pulcher at the Battle of Drepanum. The same year
Hamilcar Barca defeated Roman land forces in Sicily. Then the Romans suffered
their fourth naval disaster in storms. By then they had lost over 700 vessels.
247-243 BC. Hamilcar Barca defeated all Roman offensives in Sicily but was unable
to carry the war into Roman territory.
242 BC. The Romans completed rebuilding their navy and launched successful
ground and naval assaults against Carthaginian fortresses at Lilybaeum and
Drepanum in Sicily.
241 BC. The Roman navy commanded by L. Lutatius Catulus decisively defeated
the Carthaginian relief fleet sent to Sicily under command of Hanno. Carthage
surrendered, gave up all territories in Sicily, and paid a huge indemnity. This
officially ended the First Punic War.
238. Despite the peace, Rome invaded Sardinia on the pretext of quelling a revolt
of Carthaginian mercenary troops.
Hamilcar Barca was the first general of the Barca clan
to give the Romans trouble. His son, Hannibal, and his
son-in-law Hasdrubal would later prove worthy
adversaries for a slew of Roman generals.
230-219 BC. The Romans were busy winning two small wars in Illyria
(Albania) and in fending off an invasion of Italy by Gauls (Celts). The
Illyrians were no match whatsoever. The Gauls were successful
initially, but were eventually driven back to the Po River Valley. They
were eager for revenge when a leader like Hannibal came to organize
them.
This is where things stood at the
end of the First Punic War.
THE SECOND PUNIC WAR
221-202 BC
The second punic war began in Spain.
221 BC. The Romans began to support an anti-Carthaginian group in
Saguntum, a Greek city well within the recognized Carthaginian area
in Spain. This was clearly a provocation.
219 BC. Hannibal Barca (son of the assassinated Hamilcar) took
Saguntum by storm and Rome declared war.
218 BC. Leaving about 20,000 troops with his brother, Hasdrubal, to fight in Spain,
Hannibal left Spain ahead of the Roman army he knew would be arriving, marched
over the Pyrenees, eluded a Roman force in southern Gaul (France), crossed the Rhon
and then the Alps. At the same time the Roman army commanded by Consul Publius
Cornelius Scipio and his brother Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio was moving from Italy to
Spain. P.C. Scipio allowed Hannibal to outwit him in Gaul and then foolishly sent his
army on to Spain while returning with a few troops to the Po River. Another Roman
army led by the Praetor Lucius Manlius was assembling to defend the Po against
possible Gaulish uprisings. The main Roman army commanded by the other Consul,
Titus Sempronius, was preparing in Sicily to invade Africa. Learning of Hannibal's
movements the Romans brought this army from Sicily by sea to the Po to join in the
defense against Hannibal. Hannibal astounded the Romans by debouching from the
Alps so quickly by October. In November he trounced the Roman army led by P.C.
Scipio and L. Manlius at the Ticinus River. Hannibal rapidly executed his plan to
recruit and train Gauls. In December T. Sempronius arrived. Hannibal tricked
Sempronius into attacking across the Trebia River, executed an ambush, and nearly
destroyed the Roman army.
The Battle of the Trebia River,
where Hannibal trounced the
Roman general Tiberius
Sempronius was one of the
biggest battles, and defeats
for Rome, of all the Punic
Wars.
217 BC. Hannibal recruited more Gauls and rested his army early in the
year. The Romans elected new consuls - Gaius Flaminius and Gnaeus
Servilius - to command two armies assembled in northern Italy. In March
Hannibal crossed the Apennines and moved his army behind the divided
Romans. In April Hannibal ambushed Flaminius, who was rushing south,
at Lake Trasimene. The Roman Senate then appointed Quintus Fabius
Dictator. Fabius instituted the delaying (attrition) strategy that came to
bear his name (Fabian). Meanwhile P. C. Scipio joined his brother in
Spain where they slowly drove Hannibal's brothers, Hasdrubal and Mago,
back and retook Saguntum.
216 BC Hannibal won the greatest battle of his career and provided
succeeding generations of military students and commanders with the
epitome of a perfect tactical battle at Cannae. The indomitable Romans
declared full mobilization, elected M. Junius Pera dictator, and sent
another army south under command of the very experienced Marcus
Claudius Marcellus.
Marcus Claudius Marcellus was
the first Roman general in the
Punic Wars to have much success
over the Carthaginians,
particularly Hannibal.
the war, but with their vast manpower resources the Romans were able to dispatch
armies against him in Greece. Meanwhile the Roman armies in Spain continued
their gradual success. Hannibal was able to elude much larger Roman armies
marching about southern Italy, but could do little more.
213-211 BC. While Hannibal continued to defeat one Roman general after another in
southern Italy, M. Claudius Marcellus took a large force to Sicily to besiege
Syracuse. It was in this famous siege that Archimedes distinguished himself be
inventing numerous defensive engineering apparatus before being killed by the
victorious Romans.
211 BC. Hasdrubal finally defeated and killed the Scipio brothers in Spain. The
consuls Publius Sulpicius Galba and Gnaeus Fulvius Centumalus invested
Hannibal's ally, Capua, with very large armies. Hannibal attempted to relieve the
city, but was driven off by superior forces. He then attempted a march directly on
Rome itself, but its massive fortifications and 50,000 man garrison made any real
attempt at a siege impossible. Capua eventually surrendered.
210 BC. Roman efforts to destroy Hannibal's logistic bases in southern Italy rather
than face him in open battle also failed as he destroyed several more armies, killing
G. F. Centumalus himself at the Second Battle of Herdonia. Hannibal then defeated
M. C. Marcellus again at Numistro.
210-209 BC. The Roman Senate sent Publius C. Scipio, son of the
killed commander to take over the Roman armies in Spain. He
quickly executed a brilliant surprise advance against the
Carthaginian capital at New Carthage.
209-208 BC. Even though Quintus Fabius captured Hannibal's
base at Tarentum by treason of its garrison, Hannibal managed to
hold off vastly superior Roman armies, defeating M.C. Marcellus
yet again, at Asculum.
208 BC. P. C. Scipio managed a drawn battle with Hasdrubal at
Beccula, but allowed the latter to march away with a fresh army
toward Italy. Hasdrubal moved into Gaul to recruit a relief force
as ordered by Hannibal.
Publius Cornelius Scipio
was the Roman general,
initially sent to Spain, to
help control the
Carthaginians. It would
be his son, Scipio
Africanus, who finally
put a stop to the
Carthaginians once and
for all.
207 BC. The Consul Caius Claudius Nero with a superior force managed to check
Hannibal's march north in Italy at Grumentum. Then, as Hannibal encamped to awai
word from Hasdrubal, Nero intercepted the messengers. Leaving part of the army to
deceive Hannibal, Nero marched rapidly and secretly north to join the other Roman
Consul, M. Livius Salinator near the Metaurus River. Realizing he was outnumbered
by the combined Roman armies, Hasdrubal attempted to withdraw across the river bu
was killed in battle as his army was destroyed. This was the decisive battle of the war.
206 BC. Scipio continued to defeat the remaining Carthaginian forces in Spain led by
Hannibal's remaining brother, Mago, and Hasdrubal Gisco. Hannibal continued his
war of maneuver across southern Italy but was gradually confined to the southernmos
section in Bruttium.
205 BC. Having gained control of Spain, Scipio journeyed to Africa to enlist local allie
and then proceeded to Sicily to train an invasion army using the exiled survivors of
Cannae as cadre.
Scipio, for the first time, took the
war to Africa, the home of
Carthage. No Romans had gone
their previously.
Genoa in hopes of replacing Hasdrubal's threat to Rome. Scipio landed in Africa
with a fine, veteran army of 30,000 men to besiege Utica. Another of Hannibal's
brothers, Hanno, was killed in this action. Hasdrubal Gisco and the Numidian king
Syphax forced Scipio to give up the siege.
203 BC. Scipio destroyed the armies of Hasdrubal Gisco and Syphax in a surprise
attack on their separate camps. But the allies soon brought up fresh armies, which
Scipio again defeated at Bagbrades. At this the Carthaginian Senate recalled
Hannibal and Mago from Italy to defend the city. Mago died from wounds en route,
but Hannibal managed to elude the Roman navy and bring a few thousand Italian
veterans with him.
202 BC. Hannibal attempted to position himself between Scipio's Romans and their
Numidian allies, but failed to prevent the junction of the two forces. Hannibal was
forced into battle, although unready, at Zama, where he attempted to repeat the
basic tactical maneuver of Cannae. Scipio was no Varro and his army was much
better trained than the Roman levies of 14 years previous. While Hannibal's force of
new recruits was no match for his original veteran army. The result was complete
victory for the Romans, after which Carthage finally surrendered and Hannibal fled
to Asia Minor. Scipio was given the honorific name, Africanus.
The Battle of Zama, depicted in the
painting in the previous slide, was the
cap of the Second Punic War. Things
were not over, but the Third Punic War
was mostly anticlimactic and consisted
of the Romans showing a very ugly side.
In the slides that follow, you will see
what happened in the third Punic War.
THE THIRD PUNIC
WAR:
149-146 BCE
149 BC. Rome declared war on the pretext of various incitements by its
African (Numidian) allies. Surprisingly, the initial naval and ground
operations went in favor of Carthage.
147 BC. The invading Roman army in Africa received a new commander Publius Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus, the son of one great Roman general
(L. Aemilius Paulus who destroyed the Macedonians at Pynda) and
adopted grandson of another (Scipio Africanus).
146 BC. Scipio Aemilianus sacked Carthage but wanted to spare the city
further destruction. The Roman Senate decreed otherwise, completely
destroying the city and selling some 50,000 citizens as slaves. The city
became a quarry of available stone for generations, but no copies of
written literature survived.
A VIEW OF CARTHAGE TODAY AND
ITS ANCIENT RUINS: