THE PUNIC WARS
FIRST PUNIC WAR
• By 264 Rome controls Italy and wants to
expand into the Mediterranean.
• Carthage at this time controls trade
throughout the region and lands in Spain,
North Africa and Sicily.
• Rome defeats Carthage in a naval war.
• Carthage is forced to give up Sicily and their
Navy and pay Rome money for war damages.
Rome VS. Carthage prior to the First
Punic War
HANNIBAL BARCA AND THE SECOND
PUNIC WAR
• Son of Hamilcar Barca who fought during the
first Punic War.
• Hannibal’s father makes him swear an oath to
the god Baal that he will destroy Rome.
• Hannibal attacks Seguntum, a Roman city in
Spain, and sparks the second Punic War.
• Hannibal invades Rome (can’t use navy) and
crosses the Alps in winter with his army and
war elephants.
HANNIBAL
HANNIBAL CONT.
• Hannibal defeats Rome in two major battles that will
lead to the Battle of Cannae.
• Battle of Cannae is the largest battle in the ancient
world at this time in history.
• 50 Thousand Carthaginian’s VS. 80 Thousand Romans.
• Hannibal adopts “Crescent Formation” for the battle
and traps the Romans!!
• Massive Roman defeat where 50-70 Thousand Roman
soldiers are slaughtered in a single day.
• WORST DEFEAT IN ROMAN HISTORY!!!
• Reports of Roman soldier’s suicides.
BATTLE OF CANNAE FORMATION
HANNIBAL SETS HIS TRAP
Aftermath of Cannae
• Hannibal decides not to march on Rome.
• Instead tries to rally Italian cities to his side.
• For fourteen years Hannibal marches his army
throughout Italy attacking cities.
• These cities stay loyal to Rome.
• Hannibal can win a battle but not the war.
• Hannibal is crushed at the Battle of Zama and is
sent into exile where he later commits suicide.
THIRD PUNIC WAR
• Launches in 146 BC
• Before the war a Roman senator named Cato
the Elder witnesses first hand how wealthy
Carthage still is.
• He fears this and is convinced Rome will never
be secure until Carthage is completely
destroyed.
• He ends every speech in the senate with “ And
Carthage must be destroyed!!”
THIRD PUNIC WAR
• Rome wins the Third Punic War and lives up to
Cato’s advise and completely destroys Carthage.
• Slaughter’s thousand of citizens and sell many
more into slavery.
• They even salt the earth preventing anything
from growing again in Carthage.
• Rome now controls the Mediterranean sea and
many new lands following these three wars.
ROME AFTER THE PUNIC WARS