Samnite & Punic Wars
Rome’s Greatest Wars
Last Time…
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Brennus & the Senones (Gauls)
390 BC
Rome sacked
Records lost
Samnite Wars 343-290 BC
• Fought for control
of southern Italy
• Romans first build
roads to the south
Battle of Caudine Forks – 321 BC
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Samnites crush Roman phalanx
Romans forced under the yoke
Romans adopt maniple
Romans win the war & control southern
Italy
Greek Phalanx
Roman Maniple
Problems with Expanding
• Carthage
o Phoenician colony
o “Punici” in Latin
The Punic Wars
(264 B.C. to 146 B.C.)
st
1 Punic War
• 264 B.C. to 241 B.C.
• In and around Sicily
• Economic dominance
The Mamertines
• Mercenaries hired by Agathocles of Syracuse
• Capture Messana in 288, become raiders & pirates
• Syracuse is upset, fights them and is winning
• Mamertines ask for help from Carthage, then Rome
The Debate
• Roman Viewpoints
– Side with trolls who unjustly took a city?
– Allow Carthage to expand its power and take
over Sicily?
• Decision: side with trolls
– Starts out Rome/Mamertines vs.
Carthage/Syracuse
Landing in Sicily
• Romans relieve Messana & subdue Syracuse
• Meanwhile, Carthage raises an army
• Carthaginian Plan:
hold onto key forts
Battle of Agrigentum – 261 BC
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Romans besiege the fort
Carthaginians send relief
Romans get sick
Romans win, but Carthaginian army
escapes
• Result: Romans take over most of Sicily
What’s a navy?
• Carthage – great sea power; Rome – not so much.
• Quick adaptation – copying designs? Syracuse?
• Solution: fight on land on water.
– Corvus - raven
• Battle of Mylae – 260 BC
– Rome (90 ships) def. Carthage (130 ships)
– First Roman naval victory
• Stalemate on island for
a few years
Let’s Invade Africa!
• Battle of Cape Ecnomus – 256
– 330 Roman ships vs. 350
Carthaginian
• Marcus Atilius Regulus
– Defeats Carthage but asks too much
• Carthage hires Xanthippus
Story of Regulus
• 255 B.C. – Regulus vs.
Xanthippus at Bagrades Valley
• Xanthippus owns them
– Captures Regulus & 500
• Romans win at Panormus
– 251 BC
• Regulus sent to Rome in 250
– Peace or hostages
– Yeah, k, w/e
• Regulus displays constantia
(steadfastness, courage,
awesomeness)
• Dies like a boss
Things get tough
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Romans rescue army but storm kills 90,000
Carthaginians burn Agrigentum
Romans fail at Lilybaeum and Africa; storm 2.0
Manage to win northern Sicily; focus on south
The War at Sea!
• Battle of Drepana – 249
– Claudius Pulcher & Sacred
Chickens
• Stalemate on Land
– Hamilcar Barca
• Battle of Aegates Islands – 241
– Rome musters one more fleet
– G. Lutatius Catulus defeats
Hamilcar
– Carthage can’t afford another
fleet or a crew
• First Punic War ends
– Hamilcar blames lieutenant, lives
Hamilcar Barca
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Goes to Spain
Defeats Spanish with mercenaries
Sons: Hannibal, Hasdrubal, Mago
Hannibal’s oath at nine years old
Barca – thunderbolt/lightning
– Barcelona, Spain
Hamilcar Barca. General for Carthage
during the 1st Punic war, and father of
Hannibal
Ebro River Treaty
226 B.C.
• Carthage and Rome agreed
that Carthaginian military
operations are prohibited
north of Ebro River
• Romans can’t go south of
the same river
Review 1
What was Rome’s 1st war outside of Italy?
What was Regulus’ amazing example of
Constantia?
What Roman admiral lost the battle of
Drepana & Why?
Who was Carthage’s most outstanding
general?
What oath did Hamilcar make his children
swear?
Second Punic War
218-202 B.C.
221 B.C.
• Carthaginian
commander in Spain
assassinated by a local
• Hannibal assumes
command at 25 years
old
• Consolidates Spain and
marries a local
Siege of Saguntum – 219 B.C.
• Saguntum – city south
of Ebro River
• “Friend” of Rome
• pro-Roman v. proCarthaginian factions
• Hannibal intervenes
• R. Senate demands
Hannibal
Hannibal’s revenge
Entering Italy
• Fought through
Southern Gaul
• Crossed Alps
– With elephants
– Among hostile
tribes & Roman
allies
– 26k men and 24
elephants survive
Battle of Ticinus River - 218 B.C.
• Hannibal’s swift cavalry on
the outside, armored inside
• Battle is over before Romans
can throw javelins
• Roman consul Publius
Cornelius Scipio is wounded,
saved by his son
– Future Scipio Africanus
• Romans escape at night;
betrayal by the Gauls
• Romans fortify near Trebia
River and wait for backup
Battle of the Trebia – Dec. 218 B.C.
• Clastidium bribed for supplies
• Roman backup arrives
• Romans save some Gauls
– Hannibal learns about Roman
consul
• Mago’s Ambush
– Romans cold, sick, hungry, &
surrounded
– Massacre!
Battle of Lake Trasimene
217 B.C.
• Gaius Flaminius, new consul
– Race to protect Rome
• Hannibal cuts off camp from
Rome
• Lures into an ambush
• Flaminius killed, army
destroyed
• Lake is red with blood
• Those who survived enslaved
Quintus Fabius Maximus Dictator Cunctator
• Elected dictator
• Cunctator = Delayer
– “Fabian” tactics
employed in American
Revolution
– Avoid full-on battle
– Hit foraging parties
– Scorched Earth
• Very unpopular at Rome
Battle of Cannae – 216 B.C.
• Hannibal’s Double
Envelopment strategy
• 70,000 of 80,000 Romans
killed
– One of the consuls included
– Many Italians defect
– Greatest defeat in Roman
history
Aftermath of Cannae
• “Within just three campaign
seasons (20 months), Rome
had lost one-fifth (150,000)
of the entire population of
citizens over seventeen
years of age.”
• Philip V, King of Macedon,
signs on (he’ll be sorry!)
• Greek cities of Sicily joined
Hannibal
The War Goes On
• Hannibal remains in Italy
• Romans send Publius Scipio (two of them) to
Spain
• Scipio family harasses Carthaginian supplies,
defeats Hannibal’s brothers
The Turning Point
• Hasdrubal crosses Alps
– Fleeing from Spain
• Battle of Metaurus R.
– 207 B.C.
• Hasdrubal Killed
Publius Cornelius Scipio
Africanus
• Sent to Spain with
his father who died
• Only 26 but put in
charge
• Conquered Spain
– Def. Hasdrubal &
Mago
• Unanimously elected
consul in 205 BC
Lead up to Zama
• Scipio Invades Africa
• Alliance with
Numidians
– Masinissa
• Hannibal’s recall
• Scipio & Hannibal
meet
Battle of Zama 202 B.C.
Romans
Carthaginians
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Settlement after Zama
• Carthage stripped of all
territory
• Indemnity (payment that
Carthage has to make to
Rome) takes 50 years to
pay off
• Carthage cannot wage
war without Roman
consent
Hannibal after Zama
• Economic reforms
– Effective but unpopular
• Flees to Syria and helps
them vs. Rome
• Hunted by Rome,
turned over by Syria
• Suicide in 182
Cato the Elder (234-149)
• Conservative & rustic
• Fought in 2nd Punic
War
• Visits Carthage as
part of a diplomatic
mission
• Sees their prosperity
• ‘Carthago delenda
est’
The Third Punic War 149-146
• Massinissa & Numidians attack Carthage
• Carthage fights back…big no-no!
• Scipio Aemilianus
Roman Republic c. 146