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Superpowers In Ancient Rome

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In Ancient Rome History, one of the greatest, if not the greatest rival of Rome in terms of power, financial and military strength was Carthage. Both nations were superpowers of their time, and were the two dominant figures in the western Mediterranean, for Carthage, and Italian peninsula, for Rome. In this essay, I will analyze how Carthage grew to the point of being almost as powerful as Rome by showing the strengths of both superpowers, and also explaining how this, ultimately led to Rome becoming a naval power.
In the Ancient times of the Mediterranean Sea, Carthage and Rome rose both around the Mediterranean Sea, but in opposite sides. As these two ancient superpowers developed independently on different sides of the Mediterranean, they …show more content…

One of them is that it was founded by a tyrant colony. Over time, just like in the case of Rome, it became a center of commerce and maritime power. They were very curious, as they engaged in exploration and discovery. This innate curiosity, enabled the Carthagians to build good ships, that allowed them to explore around the Mediterranean Sea. They entered in contact with many nations, trading and purchasing and selling various goods. Selling these goods made huge profits for them, which enabled Carthage to grow rich and powerful, just like Rome was growing in the opposite side of the Mediterranean …show more content…

These new ships, which Rome could produce 100 of them in 60 days, also equipped with a plank that acted as a bridge, to invade nearby ships, were an infinitely valuable asset to the roman navy, as their superiority in hand to hand combat could be replicated when the plank was deployed to invade nearby ships.
By this time, Rome was the new naval superpower, with the best ships, and the best soldiers, which finally turned the tide in their favor.
With Rome now superior in both land and sea combat, ultimately Carthage was exhausted and it fell. With their defeat, Rome forced them to pay large fines every year, so as to keep them in financial struggle and avoid the possibility of rising again in the future. They also had to renounce to their possessions in Italy and Spain. As Cartwright explains: “Carthage would briefly rise again for a Third Punic War 50 years later but its position as a great Mediterranean power was now lost forever.” (2016)

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