Punic Wars facts for kids

Empire of Carthage through the Punic Wars

The Punic Wars were a series of huge battles between two powerful ancient groups: Rome and Carthage. These wars happened between 264 BC and 146 BC. They were some of the biggest wars ever fought in the ancient world!

The word "Punic" comes from the Latin word Punicus. This is what the Romans called the people from Carthage. They called them this because the Carthaginians were originally from Phoenicia, a land far away.

The main reason for these wars was that Rome was growing fast, and Carthage was already a big empire. Both wanted to control the important trading routes around the Mediterranean Sea. In the end, Carthage lost all three wars.

• The First Punic War lasted from 264 to 241 BC. A famous Carthaginian general named Hamilcar Barca, who was the father of Hannibal, led their army.
• The Second Punic War happened from 218 to 201 BC. This time, Hamilcar's son, Hannibal, was the general for Carthage. Hannibal did something amazing: he crossed the huge Alps mountains with war elephants! He wanted to surprise Rome by attacking on land, because Rome expected a sea attack. Carthage lost this war when the Romans invaded Africa.
• The Third Punic War was from 149 to 146 BC. Carthage lost again. After this war, the Romans completely destroyed the city of Carthage.

Why Rome and Carthage Fought

Carthage was a very successful trading nation. It was started by people from Phoenicia. Carthage was the strongest sea power in the western Mediterranean. It was an empire based on ships and trade, while the Roman empire was mostly based on land.

The Romans decided they wanted to control Sicily, a large island that Carthage already owned. This disagreement led to the Punic Wars. These wars lasted for over 100 years and ended with Carthage being completely destroyed.

Images for kids

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  Polybius, an ancient Greek historian who wrote about the Punic Wars.
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  This map shows the areas controlled by Rome and Carthage right before the First Punic War began.
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  A detailed carving showing two Roman soldiers from the 2nd century BC.
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  A small Roman statue of a war elephant, found in the ancient city of Herculaneum.
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  The pink area on this map shows the land Carthage gave to Rome after the First Punic War.
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  A Carthaginian coin (a quarter-shekel) from 237–209 BC. It shows the Punic god Melqart and an elephant, possibly a war elephant.
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  Hannibal, the famous Carthaginian general.
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  This map shows Hannibal's allies in southern Italy around 213 BC, marked in light blue.
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  The red and pink areas show the parts of Iberia (modern-day Spain and Portugal) that Rome controlled from 218–214 BC.
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  A marble bust from the 2nd century BC, believed to be Scipio Africanus, a Roman general who fought Hannibal.
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  A bronze statue, possibly of Scipio Aemilianus, another important Roman figure.
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  What's left of the ancient city of Carthage today.

See also

In Spanish: Guerras púnicas para niños