Living an austere life and with distinctive shaved heads, the majority of their positions were hereditary. Updates? World History Foundation is a non-profit organization registered in Canada. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. Founded by the Phoenicians in the ninth century BC, Carthage reached its height in the fourth century BC as one of the largest metropolises in the world [4] and the centre of the . Second Punic War, also called Second Carthaginian War, second (218-201 bce) in a series of wars between the Roman Republic and the Carthaginian (Punic) empire that resulted in Roman hegemony over the western Mediterranean. Such memberships regularly bonded through shared banquets. It must also be mentioned, though, that the Carthaginians had a healthy respect for genealogy and political leaders were often recorded with not only their own names but also those of several previous generations. How The Romans Beat The Best Navy Of The Time Their loyalty, rather, was expected and received in times of dire stress during the Second Punic War and the siege of Carthage in the Third Punic War when slaves were granted their freedom in return for military service. -suffering capital punishment For only $5 per month you can become a member and support our mission to engage people with cultural heritage and to improve history education worldwide. One of the lesser punishments was a large fine whilst the worst case scenario was crucifixion. stable before this time, with Carthage being most powerfull, the romans wanted more power and recognition, so they used war to get this. Then there were the artists who produced goldwork, sculptures, and fine glassware. There are cases of slaves being allowed to run businesses for their master with relative autonomy and slaves returning to work for their former master after they had gained their freedom (although this may have been a legal obligation). In dire moments sacrifices were also made in a last ditch effort to avoid defeat. Thank you! Learn about the history of Hannibal and his ultimate defeat at the battle of Zama. These conquests aroused the suspicions of Rome, which in a treaty with Hasdrubal confined the Carthaginians to the south of the Ebro. Wiki User. The only noteworthy feature of the ensuing campaigns is the skillful guerrilla war waged by a new Carthaginian commander, Hamilcar Barca, from his strong positions on Mt. Significance Why were the carthaginians so powerful? First Punic War, also called First Carthaginian War, (264-241 bce) first of three wars between the Roman Republic and the Carthaginian (Punic) empire that resulted in the destruction of Carthage. Another, equally important role for armies was as an offensive means to expand the empire by taking control of new territories rich in natural resources such as the silver mines of Iberia. The victim's ashes were then placed in an urn topped with a stone. This would suggest that a handful of families who could trace their lineage back to the founding of the city and the original colonisers from Tyre had a distinct advantage in running for public office. Punic Wars | Summary, Causes, Battles, & Maps | Britannica Indeed, the colonists were obliged to send annual tribute - one-tenth of their annual profits - to the temple of Melqart at Tyre for the first few centuries of the colony's existence. Certainly, though, sometimes war prisoners were sacrificed to honour the Punic gods and give thanks for victory. Carthaginian Religion - World History Encyclopedia Some Rights Reserved (2009-2023) under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license unless otherwise noted. We want people all over the world to learn about history. In addition to utilizing 80 war elephants that were not fully trained, Hannibal was also compelled to rely mostly upon an army of Carthaginian recruits that lacked much battle experience. Motivation for commanders was high too as those generals who failed in wartime were treated harshly. There is no evidence that a citizen of Carthage ever became a slave but, as in Rome, this may have happened if a person could not pay their debts or if poor parents sold their child, as was sometimes the case. The Carthaginian generals Hannibal and his brother Mago were accordingly recalled from their campaigns in Italy. He had trained his men to move to the side when the elephants charged, locking their shields and facing the alleys as the elephants passed by. Carthage resisted the Roman siege for two years. One of the goddess' priestesses is depicted on a stunning marble sarcophagus lid from the St. Monique tomb. This was possible largely because for much of its history Carthage only ever fought battles in foreign territory and the city itself was never threatened until Agathocles landed an army in 310 BCE and the Roman invasions of the Second and Third Punic Wars. - Elephants. What disadvantages did Rome have when fighting the Carthaginians? His victories at the Ticinus (Ticino) River near Pavia and the Trebia River in December 218 BCE, Lake Trasimene in June 217 BCE, and at Cannae in Apulia in August 216 BCE rocked the Roman world. They did not have a navy and had no experience in fighting on the sea What innovation helped the Romans fight sea battles? This victory was followed by an investment of the chief Punic base at Lilybaeum (Marsala), together with Drepanum (Trapani), by land and sea. It was one of the greatest military feats in history. These had two large columns, one either side of the entrance which led to three chambers within which was not a representation of the god but a large bronze bowl with an eternal flame. Books He holds an MA in Political Philosophy and is the WHE Publishing Director. They didn't revolt. Soldiers, Citizens, And The Symbols Of War: From Classical Greece To Rome: Empire of the Eagles, 753 BC AD 476, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. Mago, who had sustained battle wounds during a losing engagement in Liguria (near Genoa), died at sea during the crossing. Although both countries were comparable in military power and economic strength the two nations had different military advantages: Carthage had a strong naval power while Rome had almost no naval power, but had a stronger ground force. Aside from naval battles, the Carthaginian fleet was also vital for transporting armies, resupplying them by providing an escort for transport ships, coastal raids, attacking enemy supply ships, blockading enemy ports, and relieving Carthaginian forces when they were themselves besieged. Ancient Carthage - Wikipedia What does Kennedy state are the two main reasons immigrants come to the United States? Controlled by their driver (mahout), they were used in front of the infantry lines to disrupt enemy formations and to harass the enemy from the wings or rear. We contribute a share of our revenue to remove carbon from the atmosphere and we offset our team's carbon footprint. The temper of the Roman people was soon made manifest during a conflict which broke out between the Carthaginians and their discontented mercenaries. As the two armies approached each other, the Carthaginians unloosed their 80 elephants into the ranks of the Roman infantry, but the great beasts were soon dispersed and their threat neutralized. He holds an MA in Political Philosophy and is the WHE Publishing Director. Scipio was awarded the surname Africanus in tribute of his victory. The survivors were sold into slavery, the city was razed, and the territory was made a Roman province under the name of Africa. Submitted by Mark Cartwright, published on 13 July 2016. Second Punic War | Carthage and Rome [218 bce-201 bce] -showed how they were unequal, but tried to be equal. Hannibal, he gathered 46,000 men, many horses, and 37 elephants. At the same time, the Carthaginians, who felt no less severely the financial strain of the prolonged struggle, reduced their forces and made no attempt to deliver a counterattack. Cartwright, Mark. Express the thought of each sentence below in no more than four words. While Pyrrhus was still fighting battles in Sicily and facing heavy losses, he received information from Tarentum that it was difficult to defend the city on their own and that they needed assistance. Carthage | History, Location, & Facts | Britannica This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. World History Encyclopedia. Temples were built in their honour, ceremonies were overseen by a priestly class, sacrifices were made to appease them, and their imagery appeared on ships, coins, and in the arts. We care about our planet! Sign up for our free weekly email newsletter! We want people all over the world to learn about history. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. The most important goddess was Tanit, who represented a mother goddess, life, & fertility. Most Carthaginian gods were inherited from the Phoenicians, but these were adapted, and their names and functions evolved over time. which regions of the Mediterranean did Carthage control? if you were an emperor thinking about going to war against rome, how might this description make you feel? The Western Mediterranean 264 BCEJon Platek (CC BY-SA). Military of Carthage - Wikipedia The Phoenician Religion, as in many other ancient cultures, was Utica (also Utique), 33km north of Tunis, was the first Phoenician Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. Carthage, on the other hand, had long been anxious to conquer Sicily and so to complete the chain of island posts by which it controlled the western Mediterranean. Tanit came to prominence only from the 5th century BCE at Carthage, but she would eventually supersede Melqart and Baal Hammon in importance. What advantage did the Carthaginians have over the Romans? The proximate cause of the first outbreak was a crisis in the city of Messana (Messina), commanding the straits between Italy and Sicily. Last modified July 13, 2016. Battle of Zama | Biography & Facts | Britannica (252). Indeed, they remain largely silent in the already impoverished historical record of Carthage. The head of the priests (rb khnm) was also a member of the Senate and the influential Council of 104. Religious ceremonies could also take place at natural features like rivers and springs as these were often held as sacred by the Carthaginians. In 251 or 250 the Roman general Lucius Caecilius Metellus at last brought about a pitched battle near Panormus in which the enemys force was effectively crippled. The Romans had presumed that the Alps created a secure natural barrier against invasion of their homeland. By the year 203 Carthage was in great danger of attack from the forces of the Roman general Publius Cornelius Scipio, who had invaded Africa and had won an important battle barely 20 miles (32 km) west of Carthage itself. High ranking priests and priestesses were specifically assigned to serve the goddesses. World History Publishing is a non-profit company registered in the United Kingdom. The quinquereme, so called for its arrangement of five rowers per vertical line of three oars (a total of 300 rowers), became the most widely used in the Punic fleet. This brutality did sometimes serve a political purpose for canny generals could then seem especially generous when they treated the defeated well, they could encourage enemy cities to capitulate without much bloodshed and avoid the same fate and, perhaps not least, persuade their own troops of what they could expect in retaliation themselves from the enemy if they were captured, and so they became even more motivated to fight well. All of these ploys helped to reassure the common soldier that they were fighting on the right side with the best general. Artillery was a component of Carthaginian armies in Sicily where the cities were well-fortified. They lived in the large residential areas of the city in tightly-packed modest homes built of adobe brick, some even multi-storied (up to six floors) to house several families. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/Carthaginian_Warfare/. Artisans also formed guilds and collectively provided the money to improve and maintain their area of the city. The failure of the elephant charge can likely be explained by a trio of factors, with the first two being well documented and most important. The origin of these conflicts is to be found in the position which Rome acquired, about 275 bce, as leader and protector of all Italy. Attempts to ram enemy ships could be made in two ways. These conventions further confirm that Carthage, as with most other ancient societies, was a male-dominated society in every respect. Although both countries were comparable in military power and economic strength the two nations had different military advantages: Carthage had a strong naval power while Rome had almost no naval power, but had a stronger ground force. scipio reflects on the history of great cities and empires? Carthage was founded by the Phoenician city of Tyre in 813 BCE as a handy location along western Mediterranean trade routes, and the colony would go on to prosper and found its own colonies, eventually taking over the old Phoenician network too. Further, human sacrifices in ancient sources are almost always the children of rulers and the ruling class, as the gods, apparently, were not to be moved by the sacrifice of the common people. The recent complications of foreign and internal strife had indeed so weakened Punic power that the prospect of renewing the war under favourable circumstances seemed remote enough. Nevertheless, despite this precaution, in several instances mercenary armies would prove to be disloyal and even cause in-fighting between the rival clans of Carthage's aristocracy, most famously during the Truceless War (aka Mercenary War, 241-237 BCE). Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. There are also tales of prisoners being executed en masse, sometimes imaginatively as in one case where elephants were used to trample the unarmed captives. The western Mediterranean during the Punic Wars, Learn about the rise and fall of the Carthaginian empire.