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Punic Wars Pros And Cons

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Before the Punic Wars, the Roman Empire had not fought any battles outside of Italy. In the third century BC, the Carthaginians of North Africa began threatening the lands and allies that Romans had acquired, and Rome was forced to respond with an attempt to quell the foreign threat.
Rome and Its Neighbors
Rome's influence spread as it conquered surrounding territories. The empire asked little from the defeated cities and provided them with protection against other aggressors. These generous terms made most of the cities loyal to Rome. The acquisition of so much territory turned Rome into a strong power throughout the Mediterranean region.
Another strong city-state in the Mediterranean was the Phoenician merchant city of Carthage in North Africa. …show more content…

It began when mercenaries took the Greek city-state of Messana, in Sicily. The neighboring city of Syracuse fought back against the mercenaries. Both Carthage and Rome, competitors in trade, were approached for assistance. Rome could not refuse because of their respect for Greek culture and because they could not tolerate an island controlled by Carthage so close to the newly conquered southern Italy. Though the Roman Senate rejected Syracuse's plea for help, the Roman people demanded that action be taken. Both Rome and Carthage sent soldiers to Sicily, causing conflict between the two …show more content…

The city-state built up its military for another strike against the Romans. Carthaginian military leader Hamilcar Barca brought his army to Spain and increased his forces with money and men collected from the Spaniards. The Romans did nothing to stop this Carthaginian threat because they were busy fighting other tribes on the Italian Peninsula. When Hamilcar died in 229 BC, he was replaced by Hannibal, who assumed command of Carthage's army of 35,000 men.
Hannibal's strategy was to attack Rome and win over their allies. The Republic depended on its allies for power and reinforcements. Without them, Rome would weaken and Hannibal would have a good chance at gaining victory. When Hannibal attacked Spain in 218 BC, the Romans could no longer ignore the threat and war broke out. The Roman generals hoped to stop Hannibal before he could get onto the Italian peninsula, but they

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