Carthage had been founded as Phoenician colony 500 years earlier Dispute over control of Sicily and trade routes in the western Mediterranean brought Rome into conflict with the powerful North African city-state of Carthage Carthage had been founded as Phoenician colony 500 years earlier Result was the three Punic Wars 264-146 BC

FIRST PUNIC WAR Primarily a naval war Carthage very good at this because of long experience as naval power Rome had small navy and little experience Defeated by larger and more experienced Carthaginian navy

SECOND PUNIC WAR Carthaginian general Hannibal surprises Romans, leads army from Spain, through the Alps, and invades Italy from the north Defeats Roman armies sent to stop him several times but will not attack Rome itself Too well protected

ROME WINS Unable to defeat Hannibal in Italy, a Roman army sailed across the Mediterranean, and headed for Carthage Hannibal forced to leave Italy to protect Carthage Hannibal

THIRD PUNIC WAR Carthage finished after Second Punic War Hannibal committed suicide Economy shattered Lost all territory to Rome But some Romans feared it might revive someday and challenge Rome again Cato the Elder

ROME WINS A THIRD TIME Wins easily Entire population of city sold into slavery Everything of value carried back to Rome Everything else burned and dumped into the sea Site sown with salt so that nothing would ever grow there again Carthage completely disappeared

Rome drawn into the affairs of the successor kingdoms Took over Greece, Macedonia, some of Asia Minor, Syria, Aegean and eastern Mediterranean islands by 133 BC Rome eventually became weary of playing this endless refereeing role and realized that the continued independence of the successor kingdoms threaten Roman interests Rome always responded in the belief that achieving a balance of power in the east was better than having one successor kingdom become too powerful and challenge Rome Successor kingdom increasingly called on Roman aid in their incessant wars against each other Rome drawn into the affairs of the successor kingdoms