1. Unit Six Block Four Lecture The Punic Wars
World History I
Unit Six Block Four Lecture
The Punic Wars

2. What is this? A zoo or something?
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What is this? A zoo or something?

3. The elephant in the room … … Carthage!
Carthage (the city) is founded around 813 BCE/BC as a Phoenician trading port.
Carthage becomes the center of Phoenician civilization in 322 BCE/BC after Alexander invades the middle east
Rich and powerful due to trade
The only civilization that challenges Rome in the western Mediterranean basin
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Carthage
Rome

4. This town isn't big enough for the two of us!
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Rome and Carthage are trying to control the same part of the world, which causes competition for trade between the two civilizations
The Roman Republic also has “Imperialistic tendencies”. Rome wants to spread beyond the Italian Peninsula and control the entire western Mediterranean basin.
Rome v. Carthage

5. The Punic Wars (264 to 146 BCE/BC) (because having one war would be too easy)
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1st Punic War (Rome on the high seas): 264 to 241 BCE/BC
The war starts with Rome breaking its alliance with Carthage in 264 BCE/BC (they used to work together before this)
The war ends when Rome wins the islands of Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica in the battle of Aegates (241 BCE/BC)

6. Hannibal and the Animals
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Second Punic War (Rome on the defensive): 219 to 201 BCE/BC
Carthaginian general Hannibal hatches a daring plan to attack Rome from the north using battle elephants!
The Carthaginians make it over the Alps in seven months. Hannibal surprises Rome and wins battles in Europe and on the Italian Peninsula, but he is unable to take Rome
The Romans attack Carthage just as Hannibal's army is about to attack Rome and he goes home, but it is too late!

7. Don’t mess with the Romans!
3rd Punic War (Savage Rome): 149 to 146 BCE/BC
Roman senators believe that Carthage was becoming too powerful, so they order its destruction
Carthage is completely destroyed and 55,000 survivors are sold into slavery
So complete was the destruction of Carthage that archaeologists have discovered only a few artifacts.
The city of Carthage was torched and the fire lasted for seventeen days!
Salt was plowed into the earth so nothing could grow!
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8. The rise of imperialistic Rome!
The destruction of Carthage makes Rome the sole superpower in the entire Mediterranean basin
The Roman military (army and navy) becomes powerful (no one will dare to mess with Rome for a long time!)
Greco-Roman culture spreads throughout the Mediterranean basin
Roman trade expands
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It’s only a matter of time until Rome becomes an empire!