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Punic Wars
The Punic Wars were a series of military engagements between the ascendant Roman Republic and the former Phoenician colony of Carthage, in what is now Tunisia. The Wars were notable for the Carthaginian General Hannibal's Crossing over the Alps with elephants in the Second Punic War and for Rome's complete razing of Carthage in the Third Punic War.
591 Questions
Who was Scipio Africanus and what did he hope to accomplish?
The Roman general who attacked Carthage in North Africa to end the Second Punic War.
What was the unique accomplishment of Hannibal army during the Second Punic War?
It was able to defeat the Roman armies on each occasion in Italy for a dozen years until withdrawn to defend Carthage.
Did the Punic War take place in Carthage?
There were three Punic Wars, and the third one took place in Carthage. The city suffered a three-year Roman siege before being destroyed.
What weapons did they use in the Second Punic War?
Much has been written about the sea battles that were fought in the 1st Punic War. Rome had to play "catch up" in terms of a viable navy. Of course there were also battles on land and battles when a number of Roman infantry men could board a Carthage ship and engage in hand to hand fighting on a ship's deck. Here is a list of weapons used by Rome in the First Punic War that began in 264 BC-BCE to 241 BC-BCE.
A. Spears, javelins, swords, daggers and shields.
B. The warships known as Quinqueremes
C. The corvus, this was the innovative spiked boarding ramp which allowed Roman soldiers to board the ships of Carthage and engage in hand to hand fighting.
D.On land, Romans used their calvary.
How did ancient Roman consul Caius Flaminius die during the Second Punic War?
Caius Flaminius was a Roman consul and general. He had tremendous success in ending rebellions in Gaul. He gave land from Gaul to Roman colonists. He met his death when Hannibal ambushed his legions at Lake Trasimene.
What three major consequences for the losers of the third Punic war?
The 'Final Solution' to the Carthaginian problem.
- Their city was levelled to the ground.
- The 50,000 Carthaginians who survived the last stand in the seige including the women and children were sold as slaves.
- Rome took over Carthage's remaining territories in Tunisia and western Libya and her three colonies (settlements) in northern Morocco.
- The nearby city of Utica, which had been a rival of Carthage and had became a Roman ally, was turned into the capital of the region and the main centre of Punic trade.
- When Utica's port silted, Carthage was rebuilt as a Roman city by Julius Caesar (44 BC). Five years later Augustus made it the capital of the province of Africa. Roman Carthage became one of the largest cities in the empire.
What happen to the loser of the punic war?
There were three Punic Wars between Carthage and Rome, and Carthage lost all three of them. In the first war, they lost their territory in Sicily. In the second war, the one in which they came closest to winning, they lost their territory in Spain, Gaul, and Africa. In the third war, Carthage was destroyed after most of the Carthaginians had starved to death in a three-year siege. The survivors were sold into slavery, and the city was destroyed.
He was killed by homicide in war against the Carthaginians.
What happened during the punic war?
The Punic war was a series of naval conflicts with Rome and the city of Carthage over the trade in the Mediterranean sea these conflicts ended with the defeat of Carthage, this war was not resolved well and it lead to the second Punic war.
What was the port problem in the Punic War?
Then Rome developed a fleet which overcame the Carthaginians, so the reverse happened. Carthage could not move food or soldiers by sea and so Hannibal marched overland to Italy.
Did Rome enslave 50000 Carthaginians at the end of the Third Punic War?
Yes - it was the 'final solution' to end the competition from such a resilient opponent.
How many elephants did Hannibal lose when crossing the Alps?
In 218 BC Hannibal left Tunisia with 38,000 infantry, 12,000 cavalry, and 37 war elephants. 26,000 men died on this insane trek and only a few elephants reached Italy.
Is Scipio the leader of Rome during the third Punic war?
No, Scipio is the general that led a new army to Carthage while Hannibal was in Italy forcing him to go home in the second Punic war.
How did Scipio win the battle of Zama?
Scipio created gaps between the Roman ranks that would act as corridors through which Hannibal's elephants could pass and got the light infantry to stand at their openings to hide them. He got the cavalry to blow trumpets to frighten the elephants. Some of them panicked and turned back on the Carthaginians. The other elephants were channelled through the gaps. The elephant attack was staved off. The roman infantry resumed normal formation and the battle between the two infantries started. Hannibal's cavalry got the Roman one to chase them to take them away from the battlefield and prevent them from attacking the Carthaginian infantry from the back. When the two cavalries engaged each other, the Carthaginian one was routed. A second fight between the two infantries started. When the Roman cavalry returned, it attacked the Carthaginians at the back. This encircled the Carthaginian infantry which was slaughtered.
In previous battles Hannibal had relied heavily on a cavalry much superior in numbers. This time the two cavalries were the same size. Scipio's military acumen was a match for Hannibal military genius.
What sentence best describes the outcome of the Punic Wars?
It was a struggle for dominance of the Western Mediterranean between Rome and Carthage.
Were there any barriers that soldiers had to overcome in the Zama battle?
The Roman army had to deal with war elephants used by the Carthaginians.
How may men did Hannibal have in the battle of Cannae?
The figures are uncertain. A reasonable estimate is 35,000 infantry and 10,000 cavalry.
The Roman figure opposing him may have been 50,000 infantry and 6,000 cavalry, though some sources go as high as 90,000.
