what advantages did the carthaginians have?
In 202 BCE, the Roman general Scipio Africanus famously defeated the great Hannibal and his elephants at the Battle of Zama in western Tunisia. Historians, such is the lack of clarity on the specifics of Phoenician and Carthaginian gods, continue to discuss his association or even equivalence to Melqart and the Phoenician god El. The moveable gangplank What advantages did the Carthaginians have when fighting the Romans? 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. Sign up for our free weekly email newsletter! Cartwright, Mark. The battle took place at a site identified by the Roman historian Livy as Naraggara (now Sqiyat Sd Ysuf, Tunisia). are there any other examples to support his claim? We contribute a share of our revenue to remove carbon from the atmosphere and we offset our team's carbon footprint. The first, the diekplous or breakthrough, was when ships formed a single line and sailed right through the enemy lines at a selected weak point. The Romans had presumed that the Alps created a secure natural barrier against invasion of their homeland. They hadn't reckoned with Hannibal's. Some women's names crop up as inscriptions on religious dedications where they are referenced to by either their husband's or father's name. They besieged and captured the Carthaginian base at Agrigentum in 262 but made little impression upon the Carthaginian fortresses in the west of the island and upon the towns of the interior. 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. who did the romans fight against in the punic wars? 12,000 Romans were killed against 800 Carthaginians. Some of Scipios Roman forces were reinvigorated veterans from Cannae who sought redemption from that disgraceful defeat. According to Livy, Hannibal told Scipio, What I was years ago at Trasimene and Cannae, you are today. Scipio is said to have replied with a message for Carthage: Prepare to fight because evidently you have found peace intolerable. The next day was set for battle. Here issues of the day were discussed and proposals from the Senate approved or sometimes even rejected. Scipio managed to persuade the Numidian cavalry to join his cause and he brilliantly arranged his infantry to form corridors which allowed Hannibal's 80 elephants to harmlessly charge through, then sent them back to cause havoc with the Carthaginian lines. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. going roof to roof, collecting their power as they take over house by house until they are left with all power in that specific location. Simply by investing heavily in warships, the Romans took the latter advantage away. 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. Tombs have been a vital source of such objects, and the presence of votive offerings, day-to-day utensils, amulets, and masks to ward off evil spirits would suggest that the Carthaginians did believe in some sort of after-life. Please support World History Encyclopedia. Express the thought of each sentence below in no more than four words. Create your account. In 219 Hannibal laid siege to Saguntum and carried the town in spite of a stubborn defense. (252). Mago, who had sustained battle wounds during a losing engagement in Liguria (near Genoa), died at sea during the crossing. Conclusively ending the Second Punic War with a decisive Roman victory, the Battle of Zama must be considered one of the most important battles in ancient history. Punic Wars, also called Carthaginian Wars, (264-146 bce ), a series of three wars between the Roman Republic and the Carthaginian (Punic) empire, resulting in the destruction of Carthage, the enslavement of its population, and Roman hegemony over the western Mediterranean. what was the punishment for treason in Rome? So too, after the battle, victories were celebrated with more sacrifices and conquests were recorded on tablets and stelae set up at Punic temples. Catapults could be mounted on the deck of these large vessels but were probably limited to siege warfare and not used in ship-to-ship battles. -suffering capital punishment The survivors were sold into slavery, the city was razed, and the territory was made a Roman province under the name of Africa. 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. Less skilled workers but no less important to the city's industry were the dockworkers, porters, and sailors. Inscriptions on Punic stelae describe many temples to many different deities at Carthage, but unfortunately, very little remains of them exist in the archaeological record due to the destruction of the city by the Romans at the end of the Third Punic War in 146 BCE. Carthage was an accomplished practitioner of warfare for centuries acquiring new territories & resources, & safeguarding ITs vast trade network. Our publication has been reviewed for educational use by Common Sense Education, Internet Scout (University of Wisconsin), Merlot (California State University), OER Commons and the School Library Journal. Cite This Work One of the most important Punic deities that were not worshipped in Phoenicia was Tanit (Tnt), although she may have been considered an attendant of Astarte there. Our latest articles delivered to your inbox, once a week: Our mission is to engage people with cultural heritage and to improve history education worldwide. We care about our planet! In the founding legend of Carthage, Dido (Elissa), the queen who fled from Tyre, picked up the High priest of Astarte in Cyprus on her way to North Africa, promising him that he and his descendants would hold the position of High Priest in the new city. What advantages did the Carthaginians have? What advantage did the Carthaginians have over the Romans? See full answer below. Carthage was, then, an accomplished practitioner of warfare for centuries but eventually, and despite a heroic effort which several times almost brought victory, more than met its match in Rome with its professional and well-trained army backed by a seemingly endless pool of replacements and financial support. Indeed, they remain largely silent in the already impoverished historical record of Carthage. Why did Sicily cause conflict between Rome and Carthage? The use of Egyptian-made and home-copied amulets was widespread at Carthage judging by their abundance in tombs. Tanit, Carthaginian Electrum CoinThe British Museum (Copyright). The First Punic War was fought to establish control over the strategic islands of Corsica and Sicily. The Punic Wars: Causes, Summary & Hannibal Wiki User. Once his allies had arrived, Scipio had about the same number of troops as Hannibal (around 40,000 men), but his 6,100 cavalrymen, led by the Numidian ruler Masinissa and the Roman general Gaius Laelius, were superior to the Carthaginian cavalry in both training and quantity. Sign up for our free weekly email newsletter! Carthage and its HarbourThe Creative Assembly (Copyright). Boarding Troops Lacking the training and experience of the Carthaginians, the Roman sailors were at a disadvantage in terms of speed and manoeuvrability. The defending ships would try not to create any gaps in their formation and perhaps stagger their lines to counter the diekplous. https://www.worldhistory.org/article/908/carthaginian-society/. World History Foundation is a non-profit organization registered in Canada. First, the elephants were not well trained. -showed how they were unequal, but tried to be equal. Hannibal In 263 the Romans advanced with a considerable force into Hierons territory and induced him to seek peace and alliance with them. 01 May 2023. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. Ancient Carthage. Just how this might have been achieved is not known. I would be scared, because the romans are willing to do anything for power. When the Carthaginian flagship was captured, the commander was forced to ignominiously flee in a rowing boat. Then there were the artists who produced goldwork, sculptures, and fine glassware. Web. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. The larger workshops would have employed both citizens and slaves for their workforce. Mark is a full-time author, researcher, historian, and editor. Most Carthaginian gods were inherited from the Phoenicians, but these were adapted, and their names and functions evolved over time. This is similar to the percentage at other tophets such as on Tharros. hannibal Flashcards | Quizlet They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. 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. We care about our planet! That Hannibal was fighting from a position of weakness does not in any way diminish Scipios victory for Rome, however. Ancient sources agree that Carthage had become perhaps the richest city in the world through its trade, yet few traces of its wealth have been discovered by archaeologists. Priestess of Isis on a Carthaginian Sarcophagus Lid. The World History Encyclopedia logo is a registered trademark. Please note that some of these recommendations are listed under our old name, Ancient History Encyclopedia. Carthage - National Geographic Society When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. why were both Carthage and Rome wanting to control the mediterranean? Having staged a successful invasion of Africa and having vanquished its canniest and most-implacable foe, Rome began its vision of a Mediterranean empire. 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. 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. Even in Phoenician/Punic mythology, where the god El sacrifices his son Ieud, it is to save his country from collapse. After a lengthy siege and staunch resistance, the city finally fell to the siege engines of Scipio Africanus the Younger. 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. The military of Carthage was one of the largest military forces in the ancient world.Although Carthage's navy was always its main military force, the army acquired a key role in the spread of Carthaginian power over the native peoples of northern Africa and southern Iberian Peninsula from the 6th century BC and the 3rd century BC. They already had colonies on the island if Sicily and they had a navy. Before the battle, Hannibal and Scipio met personally, possibly because Hannibal, perceiving that battle conditions did not favour him, hoped to negotiate a generous settlement. Third Punic War | Carthage and Rome [149 bce- 146 bce] Omissions? Carthaginian Warfare. For the first time in decades, Hannibal was without a military command, and never again did he lead Carthaginians into battle. Child sacrifice did occur at Carthage, as it did in many other ancient cultures, but the physical evidence of the scale of such a practice does not seem to match the long-held infamous reputation the Phoenicians and Carthaginians have suffered from since antiquity. From the 6th century BCE, stelae were dedicated to Baal or Tanit and placed on top of the urns instead of stones. Indeed, this was a criticism of Aristotle when commentating on Carthage that such a preoccupation with wealth would lead inevitably to a self-interested oligarchy dominating society. World History Encyclopedia, 06 Jul 2016. What disadvantage did Rome have when fighting the Carthaginians? southern coastal portion, as well as 6 other masses of land to the north. The society of Carthage was dominated by an aristocratic trading class who held all of the important political and religious positions, but below this strata was a cosmopolitan mix of artisans, labourers, mercenaries, slaves, and foreigners from across the Mediterranean. Who was the leader of the Carthaginians in the second Punic war and what did he do? The elite class of Carthage dominated the important religious posts. Thank you! Analysis of the remains found within the urns at Carthage reveals that, overall, 80% of the human remains are from newborn babies or foetuses. One of the rituals of the Phoenician and Punic religions was to sacrifice humans, especially children (but not only), according to ancient sources. Did Rome or Carthage have a better navy? 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. Although human sacrifice may have been practised, the high proportion of newborn babies in the tophets shows that these enclosures served as burial places for children who died at birth or had not reached the age of two.
