Unit Five - Summary of the Punic Wars
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The three Punic Wars were a series of three wars fought between Rome and Carthage from 264 BC to 146 BC. The First Punic War was fought primarily over influence in Sicily and resulted in Carthage losing control of the island. The Second Punic War began when Hannibal invaded Italy by crossing the Alps. His victories, such as at Cannae, came close to defeating Rome. However, Roman generals like Scipio were eventually able to drive the Carthaginians from Italy and Spain. The final Battle of Zama ended the war. The Third Punic War completely destroyed the city of Carthage after it was besieged and captured by Scipio Aemilianus in 146 BC
Unit Five - Summary of the Punic Wars
- 1. Summary of the Three Punic Wars
- 2. THE PUNIC WARS TOOK PLACE BETWEEN ROME AND CARTHAGE AND COVERED THE DATES 265 BC TO 146 BC
- 3. 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.
- 5. 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.
- 7. 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.
- 8. 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.
- 9. 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.
- 10. 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.
- 12. THE SECOND PUNIC WAR 221-202 BC
- 14. 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.
- 17. 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.
- 19. Marcus Claudius Marcellus was the first Roman general in the Punic Wars to have much success over the Carthaginians, particularly Hannibal.
- 20. 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.
- 22. 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.
- 23. 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.
- 24. 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 await 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 allies and then proceeded to Sicily to train an invasion army using the exiled survivors of Cannae as cadre.
- 25. Scipio, for the first time, took the war to Africa, the home of Carthage. No Romans had gone their previously.
- 26. 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.
- 28. 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.
- 29. THE THIRD PUNIC WAR: 149-146 BCE
- 30. 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.
- 31. A VIEW OF CARTHAGE TODAY AND ITS ANCIENT RUINS: