Who were the heroes of Rome and Carthage?

Publius Cornelius Scipio.

Gaius Julius Caesar.

Lucius Cornelius Sulla.

Gnaeus Pompey.

Octavian. Andunny.

Pyrrhus. Hannibal (Carthage).

From 1217 to 1221, when the Fifth Crusade of the Pope swept through Carthage, the ancient city was almost completely damaged until it finally disappeared completely.

Hannibal (Carthage) Julius Caesar (Ancient Rome).

Punic Wars.

In 264 BC, Rome and Carthage fought for Sicily in the First Punic War, and Carthage was defeated. In 218 BC, Hannibal led an expedition to Italy, and the Second Punic War broke out, and Carthage was finally defeated. From 149 BC to 146 BC, during the Third Punic War, Carthage was captured by Rome.

It was the Punic Wars that were fought 3 times.

In contrast, Carthage was far inferior to Rome in many ways. After the conquest of the lands in North Africa, the ruling class of Carthage was clearly divided into two factions: one represented the interests of the large landowners, and the Nasan advocated the preservation and consolidation of interests mainly in Africa; On the other hand, there are business groups that advocate continued overseas expansion and expand their interests overseas.

There has always been a sharp struggle between the two factions, often one after another, influencing and swaying Carthage's foreign policy, Hamilcar, Hasdlubar and Hannibal mainly represent the interests of the latter faction, and the main bases and strongholds are Spain and the city of New Carthage, while in Carthage and within **, it is often the landlord faction that prevails. Here's why Hannibal never received support from Carthage** during his move to Greater Italy. Despite his military prowess, Hannibal commanded an army composed mainly of mercenaries, which was isolated and almost cut off from his own country, and fought on the territory of another country, which was a very difficult situation.

All of the above circumstances led to the final defeat and destruction of Carthage in the war.

Carthage was one of the most powerful empires of antiquity and ruled the Mediterranean for hundreds of years. But in the end, it found an opponent of the same size: Rome.

The two superpowers collided for more than a century. It was Rome that won the victory, making it the new master of the Mediterranean and establishing its own empire.

(The Romans reduced Carthage to ashes.) ）

But first, we must explain how these two cities became enemies.

Carthage

The city was founded by Phoenician immigrants in 814 BC in Tunisia, near North Africa. As a result, the city was surrounded by great kingdoms and had little land to use, so it turned to the sea for development.

The city really started in the 6th century. It received a considerable fleet: its ships quickly became the most advanced in the Mediterranean. It has one of the largest ports in ancient history.

(It was a double port: a commercial port, divided into two docks, and a military port that was circular.) ）

With its great naval power, Carthage quickly enriched it by controlling the ** route in the Mediterranean. The Carthaginians also conquered the islands of Sardinia, Corsica, and Sardinia along most of the coastline of North Africa and southern Spain. They have built a real empire for themselves.

Carthage became the greatest power in the Mediterranean. Its prosperity attracts many foreigners who want to make a fortune, thus making the city a cosmopolitan city. The town itself is nicely furnished with buildings and running water.

(Carthage is a force to be reckoned with.) ）

Rome

At the beginning of the 3rd century, Rome was a nascent power, and later entered the geopolitical chessboard of the Mediterranean, competing with Carthage.

The city was founded much earlier, in 753. For a long time it was a small city like other cities in Italy. But from the 5th century, and especially from the 4th century, it annexed other cities, thus gradually conquering the rest of the peninsula.

Unlike the Carthaginians, the Romans did not have sea legs, at least not at first. In addition, they had a professional army of soldiers, while the Carthaginians had a mercenary unit, and only their fleet was professional.

At that time, Rome was not yet an empire, but a republic. It was not ruled by the emperor, but by an elected biannual consul (people's assembly).

Consuls share powers with the Senate and magistrates, such as the Inspector who lists citizens or the Deputy ** who manages public finances. On the other hand, little is known about the institutions of Carthage, but they must be similar to Rome.

(The Roman economy was largely based on agriculture, while the Carthaginian economy was more focused on the sea**.) ）

By the third century, almost all of Italy was under Roman rule. Therefore, as the masters of the peninsula, the Romans wanted to expand their domination over the Mediterranean and control the ** route.

However, the Mediterranean is ruled by Carthage, and there is no room for two superpowers. Then the tension between the two cities became very strong, and confrontation was inevitable.

There is a combination of factors such as business factors.

The rise of the Roman Empire was based on the conquest of civilization, which was completely different from Greece, and Carthage, which brought ruin to Rome, was forgotten after the Roman conquest. Whether it is national culture or historical relics, Carthaginian statues disappeared in history in an instant. How did Carthage, known as Rome's strongest rival, perish?

The Rising Nature of Carthage: A Product of the Phoenicians.

In the 10th century BC and even earlier, the Phoenicians extended trade routes to the Mediterranean. Carthage is located in the heart of central North Africa, a transit point around the Mediterranean. As a result, it quickly surpassed the Phoenician mother state and sat on a commercial empire with the wealth of the Mediterranean.

At its peak, Carthage had colonies in Africa, southern Spain, and even Sicily. It has the right to control the sea in the western Mediterranean, and it is very prosperous. <>

This model is inferior to the Roman civil society system, which was ruled by a commercial oligarchy. Under this system, the state is essentially a business company of merchants, sustained by profits, and cannot unite the sense of citizenship. In the event of defeat, the regime maintained by money will directly collapse.

In contrast to the Greeks, the Carthaginians were bored, did not give birth to scientists, and had no interest in life. There are no theaters, no arenas, only places of religion. As a merchant people, the Carthaginians focused their energy on wealth and did not transform material civilization into spiritual civilization.

The Carthaginians were merchants of "copper stench" and were not powerful to speak of. For such a thing, it is just a money-making machine, the country is destroyed, and the businessman will forget his homeland under the expulsion of interests. In the place of survival, there are no relics of civilization, there is no community that constitutes memory, and money is the motherland. <>

Because of the system of pure advocacy of commerce, the former empire was like a paper tiger. It is true that, like Hannibal, they used money to wage military wars and win victories on the territory of the Romans.

Hannibal did not have a resilient state. The Romans attacked Carthage, but the Carthaginians could not organize a defensive battle, and Hannibal's men chose to leave when they heard of the defeat.

In the seventies of the third century B.C., Rome expanded to the outside world and became a fierce rival of Carthage, and the famous three "Punic Wars" broke out in ancient history. Eventually, Carthage perished. In 147 BC, the city of Carthage was razed to ruins by the Roman army.

Carthage, known as Rome's strongest opponent, was finally destroyed because it was defeated by Rome on land and sea.