Talia Celli 18 July, 2017 Greek and Roman Civilization Mr. Lutkins In history, there are many great empires and cities, we still hear of today. Many wars, especially, are learnt throughout school. Rome and Carthage were two cities I was aware of throughout most of my life, most know them from the Punic Wars. Both cities were equally famous around 200 BC, however Rome is still very relevant in today’s society as well. However, most people aren’t taught that Carthage was once equal to Rome in its power. Carthage is a city in North Africa, in the country of Tunisia, while Rome is the capital of Italy. Rome and Carthage battled for power of the western Mediterranean, for nearly a century! The battle was known as the Punic Wars, there …show more content…
Rome on the other hand, didn’t have as much wealth as Carthage, however they had an amazing army (that we are still taught of, to this day), had organized politics, and the city of Rome seemed to pull together and overcome unfavorable events. In the first war, they battled for Sicily, which Rome conquered, however Rome wanted more power, which brings us to the second war. In the second war, Hannibal leader of Carthage, won many battles against Rome showing Carthage’s power, however was incapable of completely ending the Punic Wars. Roman general, Scipio Africanus was able to defeat Hannibal in the Battle of Zama, and the Romans were able to defeat the Carthage’s in Spain and Africa. This gave Rome power over Carthage, also making Carthage surrender it’s navy and agreeing Carthage will not have a war, without the approval of Rome, making it the weaker of the two cities. By the end of the third war, Carthage only had 50,000 citizens left, which were sold into slavery by the Romans. The reason Rome became such a naval power, is because in the Battle of Mylae, Carthage was battling with their Navy.