Punic Wars facts for kids

Empire of Carthage through the Punic Wars

The Punic Wars were a series of conflicts fought between Rome and Carthage between 264 and 146 BC. They were probably the largest wars in the ancient world. The term "Punic" comes from the Latin word Punicus (or Poenicus). This was the word the Romans used for the Carthaginians, due to their Phoenician ancestry.

The main cause of the Punic Wars was the clash of interests between the existing empire of Carthage and the expanding Roman Republic. What was at stake was control of the trading around the Mediterranean sea. Carthage lost the three wars.

• First Punic War 264 to 241 BC. Hannibal's father Hamilcar Barca was the Carthaginian general.
• Second Punic War 218 to 201 BC. Hannibal was the Carthaginian general. Hannibal crossed the Alps with war elephants in order to attack Rome on land, because they had put their fortifications on the coast, expecting a naval attack. Carthage lost when Romans invaded Africa.
• Third Punic War 149 to 146 BC. Carthage lost again and their city was completely destroyed by the Romans.

Context

Carthage was a trading nation founded by Phoenicians. It was the dominant sea power in the western Mediterranean. It was a maritime empire, in contrast to the land-based Roman empire. The Romans decided they needed Sicily, which was then in Carthaginian hands. The consequence was a series of wars which lasted over a hundred years, and ended in the utter destruction of Carthage.

Images for kids

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  Polybius
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  The approximate extent of territory controlled by Rome and Carthage immediately before the start of the First Punic War.
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  Detail from the Ahenobarbus relief showing two Roman foot-soldiers from the second century BC
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  Roman statuette of a war elephant recovered from Herculaneum
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  Territory ceded to Rome by Carthage under the treaty is shown in pink
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  A Carthaginian quarter-shekel, dated 237–209 BC, depicting the Punic god Melqart (who was associated with Hercules/Heracles). On the reverse is an elephant; possibly a war elephant, which were linked with the Barcids.
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  Hannibal
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  Hannibal's allies in southern Italy c. 213 BC, shown in light blue
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  Roman controlled territory in Iberia 218–214 BC, shown in red and pink
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  2nd century BC marble bust, identified as Scipio Africanus, now in the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek.
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  The "Hellenistic Prince", tentatively identified as Scipio Aemilianus
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  Part of the ruins of Carthage

See also

In Spanish: Guerras púnicas para niños