Territory controlled by Rome and Carthage at different times during the Punic Wars
Carthaginian possessions
Roman possessions
Date
264 BC – 146 BC
Location
Western Mediterranean region
Result
Roman victory
Destruction of Carthage
Territorial changes
Rome conquers Corsica and Sardinia islands, Sicily, Eastern Iberia and Cape Bon.
Belligerents
Rome
Carthage
v
t
e
Punic Wars
First
Mercenary
Second
Third
The Punic Wars were a series of wars between 264 and 146BC fought between the Roman Republic and Ancient Carthage. Three wars took place, on both land and sea, across the western Mediterranean region and involved a total of forty-three years of warfare. The Punic Wars are also considered to include the four-year-long revolt against Carthage which started in 241BC. Each war involved immense materiel and human losses on both sides.
The First Punic War broke out on the Mediterranean island of Sicily in 264BC as a result of Rome's expansionary attitude combined with Carthage's proprietary approach to the island. At the start of the war Carthage was the dominant power of the western Mediterranean, with an extensive maritime empire, while Rome was a rapidly expanding power in Italy, with a strong army but no navy. The fighting took place primarily on Sicily and its surrounding waters, as well as in North Africa, Corsica, and Sardinia. It lasted 23 years, until 241BC, when the Carthaginians were defeated. By the terms of the Treaty of Lutatius (241, amended 237 BC), Carthage paid large reparations and Sicily was annexed as a Roman province. The end of the war sparked a major but eventually unsuccessful revolt within Carthaginian territory known as the Mercenary War.
The Second Punic War began in 218BC and witnessed the Carthaginian general Hannibal's crossing of the Alps and invasion of mainland Italy. This expedition enjoyed considerable early success and campaigned in Italy for 14 years before the survivors withdrew. There was also extensive fighting in Iberia (modern Spain and Portugal), Sicily, Sardinia, and North Africa. The successful Roman invasion of the Carthaginian homeland in Africa in 204BC led to Hannibal's recall. He was defeated in the battle of Zama in 202 BC and Carthage sued for peace. A treaty was agreed in 201BC which stripped Carthage of its overseas territories and some of its African ones, imposed a large indemnity, severely restricted the size of its armed forces, and prohibited Carthage from waging war without Rome's express permission. This caused Carthage to cease to be a military threat.
In 151BC Carthage attempted to defend itself against Numidian encroachments and Rome used this as a justification to declare war in 149BC, starting the Third Punic War. This conflict was fought entirely on Carthage's territories in what is now Tunisia and centred on the siege of Carthage. In 146BC the Romans stormed the city of Carthage, sacked it, slaughtered or enslaved most of its population, and completely demolished the city. The Carthaginian territories were taken over as the Roman province of Africa. The ruins of the city lie east of modern Tunis on the North African coast.
The PunicWars were a series of wars between 264 and 146 BC fought between the Roman Republic and Ancient Carthage. Three wars took place, on both land...
The Second PunicWar (218 to 201 BC) was the second of three wars fought between Carthage and Rome, the two main powers of the western Mediterranean in...
The First PunicWar (264–241 BC) was the first of three wars fought between Rome and Carthage, the two main powers of the western Mediterranean in the...
The Third PunicWar (149–146 BC) was the third and last of the PunicWars fought between Carthage and Rome. The war was fought entirely within Carthaginian...
The Sicilian Wars, or Greco-PunicWars, were a series of conflicts fought between ancient Carthage and the Greek city-states led by Syracuse over control...
Look up Punic in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. The Punic people, usually known as the Carthaginians (and sometimes as Western Phoenicians), were a...
After a long conflict with the emerging Roman Republic, known as the PunicWars (264–146 BC), Rome finally destroyed Carthage in 146 BC. A Roman Carthage...
cause of war with Carthage breaking out again in 218 BC in the Second PunicWar. The main source for almost every aspect of the PunicWars is the historian...
since the PunicWars. Initially, Rome mediated a division of the country. But Jugurtha renewed his offensive, leading to a long and inconclusive war with Rome...
major power led by the Punic people who dominated the ancient western and central Mediterranean Sea. Following the PunicWars, Carthage was destroyed...
Carthage and Rome fought several major protracted conflicts known as the PunicWars, the last of which resulted in the complete and total destruction of the...
The Pubic Wars, a pun on the PunicWars, was a rivalry between the American pornographic magazines Playboy and Penthouse during the 1960s and 1970s. Each...
Caspari, Maximilian Otto Bismarck (1911). "PunicWars § The Interval between the First and Second Wars" . In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica...
Republic during the Second PunicWar. Hannibal's father, Hamilcar Barca, was a leading Carthaginian general during the First PunicWar. His younger brothers...
Mediterranean after the PunicWars. Traditionally, the "Macedonian Wars" include the four wars with Macedonia, in addition to one war with the Seleucid Empire...
(1995), The Beginnings of Rome – Italy and Rome from the Bronze Age to the PunicWars (c. 1000–264 BC), New York: Routledge, 1995, ISBN 978-0-415-01596-7 Ross...
expanding it. This list of wars by death toll includes all deaths that are either directly or indirectly caused by the war. These numbers usually include...
and allowed the vessels to become better built. The PunicWars are some of the most notorious wars in history, and the naval vessels and tactics used in...
efforts of the Romans to construct a war fleet were based on copies of Carthaginian warships. In the Punicwars in the mid-third century BCE, the Romans...
Carthaginian army commanded by Hannibal. The battle was part of the Second PunicWar and resulted in such a severe defeat for the Carthaginians that they capitulated...
Republic and the later Roman Empire. The PunicWars. The old constitution of Carthage, before the First PunicWar, was described by Aristotle as a mixture...
Second PunicWar. The battle took place on the north shore of Lake Trasimene, to the south of Cortona, and resulted in a heavy defeat for the Romans. War had...
reflected in English in some borrowings from Latin – notably the PunicWars and the Punic language. The Modern Standard Arabic form Qarṭāj (قرطاج) is an...
discipline, war elephants were rarely used. While the Romans did eventually adopt them, and used them occasionally after the Punicwars, especially during...
southern Italy by means of treaties with the cities. During the Second PunicWar (218–201 BC) the Bruttii allied with Hannibal, who sent Hanno, one of...
Commanders were often prorogued during the First PunicWar (264–241 BC). During the Second PunicWar, Rome started to assign private citizens both imperium...
156. ISBN 978-0-547-75031-6. Hoyos, Dexter (2011). A Companion to the PunicWars. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 9781444393705. Kakar, Mohammed (1995). Afghanistan:...
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