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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
What are Hannibal's secret weapons?
He used a solar mirror comprised of aluminium or copper sheets angled to reflect sunlight into a concentrated solar ray. It was much like a magnifying glass
The device described above was invented by Archimedes to defend his city of Syracuse from the Roman siege. The Romans managed to seize Syracuse. It had nothing to do with Hannibal.
Hannibal did not have any secret weapons. Hannibal took elephants to Italy However, this was was not the first time elephants were used against the Romans. King Pyrrhus of Epirus (in Greece) had used them in his Pyrrhic War (280-275 BC) in which he tried to invade southern Italy Moreover, Hannibal's elephants died while crossing the Alps in the snowy winter.
Hannibal relied on his great military genius and on a cavalry which was far superior in numbers.
Did the Romans suffer a serious defeat against Hannibal in Cannae?
For a short amount of time, the Romans were in disarray. Their army had been destroyed, the few survivors severely demoralized and the only remaining consul, Caius Varentius Varo, was completely discredited. Cannae was a utter catastrophe for the Romans. Yet another defeat for Rome and her people, at the hands of Hannibal and the Carthaginians.
According to some historians Rome declared a national day of mourning, as there was not a single person in Rome who was not either related or acquainted with a person who had died in the battle. Although, according to Livy, women were forbidden to appear outside - it being decided it was safer for them in their homes as Hannibal's next attack, now he had defeated most of Rome's armies, had to be Rome itself. Family mourning was to be checked and a silence to be imposed. So, in a way, we can classify what Livy says as a day of mourning. But it can also be seen as Rome preparing for an attack. Which can be backed up with Livy; he states that Fabius suggested guards to be posted at gates to prevent anyone from leaving the city.
Though historians argue that the Romans became so desperate that they resorted to human sacrifice, twice burying people alive at the Forum of Rome and abandoning an oversized baby in the Adriatic Sea. Though this can be disputed at the way the sacrifice the Carthaginians partook in before battle was looked at in disgust by the Romans as shown by Livy.
Lucius Caecilius Metellus, a military tribune, is known to have so much despaired in the Roman cause in the aftermath of the battle as to suggest that everything was lost, and called the other tribunes to sail overseas and hire themselves up into the service to some foreign prince, Scipio Africanus on hearing this gathered with his own followers and stormed into a meeting, where at sword-point he forced all present to swear that they would continue in faithful service to Rome for all time. Furthermore, the Roman survivors of Cannae were later reconstituted as two legions and assigned to Sicily for the remainder of the war as punishment for their humiliating desertion of the battlefield.
In addition to the physical loss of her army, Rome suffered a symbolic defeat of prestige. A gold ring was a token of membership in the upper classes of Roman society ; Hannibal had his men collect more than 200 of these rings from the corpses on the battlefield, and sent them to Carthage as proof of his victory.
Hannibal, having gained another victory, had defeated the equivalent of eight consular armies (sixteen legions plus an equal number of allies) within in just three campaign season , 20 months. Rome had lost one-fifth (150,000) of the entire population of citizens over seventeen years old. The moral effect of this victory was so great that most of Southern Italy joined Hannibal's cause. After the battle of Cannae the Hellenistic southern provinces of Arpi, Salapia, Herdonia, Uzentum including the cities of Capua and Tarentum all revoked their allegiance to Rome and pledged their loyalties to Hannibal. Polybius states 'How much more serious was the defeat of Cannae, than those which preceded it can be seen by the behaviour of Rome's allies; before that fateful day, their loyalty remained unshaken, now it began to waver for the simple reason that they despaired of Roman Power'
That same year, the Greek cities in Sicily were induced to the revolt , while the Macedonian King , Philip V, had pledged his support to Hannibal - therefore initiating the First Macedonian War against Rome. Hannibal also had an alliance with the newly appointed King Hieronymus of Syracuse.
Immediately after Cannae, Hannibal sent a delegation led by Carthalo to negotiate a peace treaty with the Senate on moderate terms. Yet despite the numerous failures Rome had Instead they doubled their efforts, declaring full mobilization of the male Roman population and raised new legions; enlisting landless peasants and going as far as to enlist slaves too. So firm were these measure that the term 'peace' was prohibited, mourning was limited to thirty days and public tears were prohibited - even to women.
The Romans, after experiencing the defeat at Cannae and losing at Trebia and Trasimene, had finally learned from their mistakes. For the remainder of the war in Italy, they would not assemble such large forces under one command against Hannibal. Instead using several independent armies; though still outnumbering the Carthaginian forces in numbers of armies and soldiers.
The Battle of Cannae played a major role in shaping the military structure and tactical organization of the Roman Republic army. At Cannae the Roman infantry assumed a formation similar to the Greek phalanx. This delivered them straight into Hannibal's trap, similar to Trebia and Trasimene. Since their inability to manoeuvre independently from the mass of the army made it impossible from them to encounter the encircling tactics often used by Hannibal and his forces.
However in the years following Cannae, striking reforms were introduced to address the problems faced at Cannae, Trasimene and Trebia.
In summary the Romans were devastated by the defeat at Cannae, after all many lives were lost and it was the biggest defeat Rome would ever face. But Rome refused to negotiate but resolved to prevail in the war. Rome realised its mistakes, and continued the war of Attrition. Because in the end Rome simply outlasted the Carthaginians - after every battle they lost a great deal of men yet they raised and even bigger army the next time round.
What were the negative effects of the Punic wars?
The soldiers of Rome were small landowners, who were away from their farms for extended periods. The large landowners not only were able to buy up farms cheaply but also, under the 1 year possession law, take common land which supported the ploughing oxen of the small farmers, and were able to hang on to it for 12 months while the small farmers were away and unable to challenge the action within the 12 month period.
The numbers of small farmers plummeted, the Germanic invasion required the recruitment of non-propetied men into the army, these had no farms to return to aftter war service, relying on their commanders to get them benefits, the generals thus had a strong clientele to back their push for power, and the civil wars ensued for a century.
Why did Scipio and his family lose influence on Rome?
scipio was faced with political attacks from cato the censor
Why was there 2 consuls at the battle of cannae?
The Romans had two consuls so that power would not be in the hands of one man.
The Romans had two consuls so that power would not be in the hands of one man.
The Romans had two consuls so that power would not be in the hands of one man.
The Romans had two consuls so that power would not be in the hands of one man.
The Romans had two consuls so that power would not be in the hands of one man.
The Romans had two consuls so that power would not be in the hands of one man.
The Romans had two consuls so that power would not be in the hands of one man.
The Romans had two consuls so that power would not be in the hands of one man.
The Romans had two consuls so that power would not be in the hands of one man.
Why did the Romans invade and occupy Macedonia and Greece during the second punic war?
The Romans invaded and eventually annexed Macedonia and Greece to punish the king of Macedonia for aiding the Carthaginians in the war.
The Romans invaded and eventually annexed Macedonia and Greece to punish the king of Macedonia for aiding the Carthaginians in the war.
The Romans invaded and eventually annexed Macedonia and Greece to punish the king of Macedonia for aiding the Carthaginians in the war.
The Romans invaded and eventually annexed Macedonia and Greece to punish the king of Macedonia for aiding the Carthaginians in the war.
The Romans invaded and eventually annexed Macedonia and Greece to punish the king of Macedonia for aiding the Carthaginians in the war.
The Romans invaded and eventually annexed Macedonia and Greece to punish the king of Macedonia for aiding the Carthaginians in the war.
The Romans invaded and eventually annexed Macedonia and Greece to punish the king of Macedonia for aiding the Carthaginians in the war.
The Romans invaded and eventually annexed Macedonia and Greece to punish the king of Macedonia for aiding the Carthaginians in the war.
The Romans invaded and eventually annexed Macedonia and Greece to punish the king of Macedonia for aiding the Carthaginians in the war.
What was the effect of the first punic war?
The effects of the First Punic War were:
· Rome gained control of Sicily by taking over Carthage's possessions in western Sicily and through an alliance with the Greek city of Syracuse, the most powerful city in Sicily (in eastern and southern Sicily there were Greek cities).
· Under the terms of the peace treaty cartage also had to give up small islands around Sicily and undertake not to attack Syracuse and her allies.
· Carthage had to pay a war indemnity of 30 tons of silver immediately and 66 tons of silver in 10 annual instalments.
· Carthage tried to get her disbanded mercenary soldiers to accept a reduced payment because the war had emptied her coffers. This sparked a revolt which has been called the Mercenary War which Carthage managed to suppress with great difficulty and at a high cost.
· Rome took advantage of Carthage having to deal with the Mercenary War to seize Sardinia and Corsica from Carthage. Carthage lost the hub of her trade in the western Mediterranean.
· Carthage expanded the territories under her control in western Libya and conquered southern Spain to make up for her losses and to gain control of the gold and silver mines is southern Spain to finance both their occupation there and the payment of the indemnity payments to Rome.
· Carthage lost her naval superiority in the western Mediterranean as the Roman fleet became the main naval force there.
Who was the carhagian general who brought the second punic war to the gates of rome?
In the second war, Hannibal, a Carthaginian general, successfully invaded Italy by leading an army - complete with elephants - across the Alps.
His brother also was in the invasion.
What advantages did Carthage have in the punic wars?
Carthage had a powerful navy, Rome was a land power and did not.
Carthage had for centuries been a maritime power which suited its objects of trading in Spain, Africa and the western Mediterranean (it was not really interested in the problems which came with taking and holding territories when trading provided profits without hte liability of possession of others' land). In fact Rome and Carthage had been allied, which gave Rome a free ride on naval power.
The problem arose when Rome, having gained dominance of the Italian Peninsula, looked to extend its influence in Sicily, Gaul and Spain, bringing the interests of the allies into conflict.
With no navy, Rome lacked the ability to transport soldiers and supplies and to secure sea approaches. So initially Rome was at an extreme disadvantage until they introduced a crash programme to build a navy and train crews to man it. They further evened the score by introducing special weapons (the harpax and corvus) to allow them to close with enemy ships and use their superior infantry in shipboard battles, negating the Carthaginian superiority in naval manoeuvre and ramming tactics.
The power and wealth which imperial expansion created led to corruption. This expansion had not been planned and the government was ill equipped to dealt with the changes it brought about. The governors of the provinces (conquered territories) acted as if their provinces were personal fiefs. Tax collection in the provinces was tendered to private individuals who "farmed" the taxes through extortion to line their pockets.
Wealth was only one of the problems. Another problem were reforms of the army which led military commanders being able to raise armies which were loyal to them. Some of these men could use military violence or the threat of it to obtain what they wanted. Others used their armies to fight civil wars.
Another problem was poverty, which reached such levels that it became a political hot potato. One of the reasons for the civil wars was the conflict between populares and optimates. The former was a political faction which championed the cause of the poor and wanted reforms to help them. The latter was a faction which favoured the aristocracy and was opposed to the reforms.
What is the historic importance of the two or more Punic wars?
After winning the Wars, Rome was strong enough to turn east into Greek territories.
Was The First Punic War a war between Rome and Greece?
The first Punic war, like all the Punic wars, were between Rome and Carthage.
Was Hannibal defeated at Zama?
Unlike the previous battles of the second Punic War, where the Carthaginian cavalry greatly outnumbered the Roman cavalry (it made up 2/3 of Carthaginian army while the Roman cavalry accounted for only 1/3) at Zama the Roman cavalry was larger (6,000 versus 4,000). Scipio Africanus (the Roman commander) had the support of the Numidian cavalry (from Algeria, next door to Carthage) which defected from the Carthaginians to the Romans.
Scipio Africanus arranged gaps between the lines of its heavy infantry which acted as lanes through which the Carthaginian war elephants could pass without harming the Roman soldiers and had them hidden with the light infantry. Hannibal set his elephants and light infantry against the Romans. Scipio ordered his cavalry to blow horns to frighten the elephants. Some of them turned back towards the Carthaginian left wing and threw it into disarray. Scipio got his cavalry to attack this wing. The other elephants were directed towards the gaps and were taken to the rear of the Roman infantry, which then closed its ranks.
The Carthaginian cavalry lured the Roman cavalry into chasing them to take them away from the battlefield so that they would not attack the Carthaginian rear. The Roman left wing attacked the Carthaginian right wing and Scipio marched the centre towards the Carthaginian one. Hannibal kept his third line (composed of veterans from the campaign in Italy) as reserve. The Romans first and second line had the better over their Carthaginian equivalents. There was a pause and both armies regrouped. Scipio, who was waiting for the return of his cavalry, delayed the resumption of the battle. When it resumed it was a stalemate. However, in the meantime the Roman cavalry had routed the Carthaginian one. Then it returned to the battle and attacked the rear of the Carthaginian infantry, which was encircled and slaughtered. 20,000 Carthaginians died and 20,000 were taken as prisoners. The Romans only lost 2,500 men.
How did the second punic war effect Romans?
A land based power, Rome had to develop a navy to match Carthage's.
Why did Romans fight the Punic Wars what did they gain?
Control of the Western Mediterranean; control of the Western Mediterranean.
How did Hannibal's crossing of the Alps use the element of surprise?
The flash-point of the Second Punic War was Spain. Hannibal was the leader of the Carthaginian territories in Spain which belonged to his family. He seized a city in Spain which was an ally of Rome. Rome tried to negotiate, but these failed and she declared war. The war was expected to be fought in Spain. Rome sent a naval expedition to Spain. The surprise was threefold:
1) The Romans did not expect Hannibal to attack Italy.
1) The speed of the march was astonishing. By the time the Roman fleet reached Massalia (Marseilles) for a stopover, Hannibal had already reached southeastern France.
2) Nobody thought that it was possible to cross the Alps with an army in the winter.
What was the basic cause of the Punic Wars?
There were three Punic wars
In the first Punic war mercenaries called the Mamertines seized the city of Messana (modern day Messina) in eastern Sicily. The Greek city of Syracuse, also on the east coast, the most powerful city in Sicily, attacked the Mamertines. These asked both Carthage (which has 5 ports in western Sicily) and Rome for help. Carthage decided to help, but set up a garrison in Messana. The Mamertines, unhappy with this, asked Rome for help again. The Roman senate did not want to intervene, but the popular assembly voted for war. The reason for this vote is not clear. Historians have speculated about this. Rome landed in Messana, expelled the Carthaginian garrison and then besieged Syracuse which became an ally of Rome. After this Carthage mobilised for war and a big war developed, fought mainly at sea. It is quite clear that the Romans did not realise the implications of their intervention and that they were let ting themselves in for. The war developed into a struggle over the control of Sicily, but this cannot be said to be the original cause of the war.
Before the First Punic War Rome hardly had a fleet and was hardly involved in trade around the Mediterranean.
The Second Punic War has also been called the Hannibalistic war. Hannibal wanted war for revenge for the defeat in the first war and for Rome seizing Corsica and Sardinia taking advantage of a military rebellion in Carthage after the war. Hannibal provoked the war and wanted to attack Rome. He marched an army from his base in Spain to invade Italy. However, he could not attack Rome because he lost his siege machines while crossing the Alps.
Rome started the Third Punic War because she wanted to destroy Rome. In the previous war Rome won, took the Carthaginian territories in southern Spain and imposed demilitarisation in the peace treaty. After finishing paying the 50-year war indemnity, Carthage considered herself free from the peace treaty and formed an army to respond to attacks from her neighbours in Algeria. Rome used this to declare war. Rome was worried about a possible military resurgence of this once formidable ally.
How long was the battle of zama?
Almost 14 years : Battle of Cannae - August 2, 216 BC / Battle of Zama - October 19, 202 BC .
Where did the first punic war take place?
The Second Punic War took place in Italy, Spain, Tunisia and eastern Algeria.
Hannibal invaded Italy. The Romans conducted two campaigns in Spain, where the Carthaginians had territories in the south. They did so because the war was sparked by Hannibal capturing a Spanish town which was a Roman ally. Rome had to fight in Spain because she was supposed to defend her allies there. Towards the end the Romans took the war to Tunisia because that is where Carthage was. There were also operations in eastern Algeria to pursue a Carthaginian ally from that area.
What happened to Rome in the Third Punic War?
Nothing happened to the city of Rome itself, given that the Third Punic War happened entirely in North Africa. The Roman Republic, on the other hand, grew larger with the destruction of the city of Carthage, and the subsequent annexation of the surrounding territories. The Third Punic war also eventually led the Romans to use modern-day Tunisia and Libya as their major grain-producing regions
Who did rome fight in the punic war for control of the Mediterranean region?
Rome struggled with Carthage for hegemony in the eastern Mediterranean . Rome prevailed .
When was the second punic war when Hannibal led the elephants against the roman?
The Second Punic War lasted from 218 BC to 202 BC.
Hannibal's use of war elephants was not an innovation. The Carthaginians had already used against the Romans in the in the battles in Africa of the First Punic War (264-241 BC). Pyrrhus, the Greek king of Epirus was the first to deploy elephants against the Romans in 280 BC during his attempt to invade southern Italy.
The use of war elephants started in India in the 4th century BC. The Persians adopted the idea and used them in a battle against Alexander the Great in 330 BC. Alexander and his successors also made use of them. Then the Greek rulers of Egypt, the Carthaginians and the Numidians in North Africa also adopted war elephants. They used African elephants which are smaller than the Indian ones.
