Punic Wars History

Rome continued to quickly grow and develop thanks to the power and influence that it had acquired during all its years of being a republic. However, there was still another civilization that threatened to take power away from them. Carthage began as a Phoenician trading colony in the area about 800 B.C.; it became the wealthiest and largest city of the western Mediterranean area thanks to its trading.

Its territory extended from part of northern Africa to part of southern Europe and their mercantile network reached west Asia, west Africa and northern Europe. They had one of the largest and most powerful navies in the ancient world protecting their lands and their mercantile net from outsiders that wanted to attack them.

Carthage and Rome became rivals because both of them wanted complete control over the entire Mediterranean area. In 264 B.C., the conflict intensified starting a series of wars between the civilizations that took place over a period of 120 years ending in 146 B.C. These fights were fought in both land and sea and in total, there were 3 wars and 2 intervals between these wars.