Transcript Roman Expansion & Punic Wars

Roman Expansion
Roman Legions
Legion can mean an army, or it
can mean a group of about
5,o00 Roman soldiers.
Roman legions wore more
armor, used larger shields and
carried a gladius, or short sword
They performed very well
against phalanx on uneven
terrain or where manueveuring
was important
Punic Wars
 Fought between Rome and Carthage over control of
the Western Mediterranean and Sicily
1st Punic War
 Primarily fought by navies
 Carthage was a naval
power. Rome was a land
power. Rome lost most of
the battles.
 Until they equipped ships
with grappling hooks and
soldiers who boarded
Carthaginian ships- turning
it into a small land-battle.
 Using this strategy Rome
won.
Second Punic War
 Carthaginian general Hannibal leads an
army through Spain, France, and over the
Alps and invades Italy from the north.
 Over 10 years, he repeatedly defeats the
Roman army, but does not attack the city
of Rome
 Roman army sails to North Africa, where
it threatens to destroy Carthage.
Hannibal returns to Carthage, and is
defeated Rome does not destroy
Carthage and fears it will rebuild and
become a threat again
 at the Battle of Zama.
Aftermath of 2nd Punic War
 Carthage is ruined
 Loses all its empire to Rome
 Carthage is left only in
control of the city itself
Third Punic War
 Rome does not destroy Carthage and fears it will
rebuild and become a threat again.
 Romans siege Carthage for 3 years under the general
Publius Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus Africanus
Numantinus – Or, as his friends call him Scipio
 Scipio burns Carthage to the ground, enslaves
everyone, and pours salt on the ground to prevent
anything from ever growing again!
(Don’t mess with Scipio)
Results of the Punic Wars
 Rome gains an overseas empire- North Africa, Sicily,
Spain
 Rome has control of Western Mediterranean
 Expanded trade and wealth for Rome
 Rome continues expansion and conquers an empire in
Europe, Asia, and Africa
 These conquered areas called provinces
Rome and its Allies
58-51 BC
214-148 BC
246-146 BC