The Italian War And The Punic Wars - 1399 Words

Roma omnia vincit: by 44BC. Rome had conquered a vast array of land from Gaul to Numidia to Syria. Although not completely joined up for instances most of Anatolia was not under the Roman State. The question was a topic of much debate in the 1980s, after Harris published his ‘War and Imperialism in Republican Rome’. Promoting a view that Roman expansion was aggressive, while the main thought was that Rome had gained provinces via defensive measures; Sherwin-White rebuffed Harris’ claims but partly for them being too extreme in thought. The debate resulted in three points of view: economic imperialism: an aggressive policy that believes Rome is intentionally seeking to dominate other states. Defensive imperialism: unintentional empire, a result from major wars such as the Macedonian war and the Punic wars. Rome entered the wars either to help allies or protect herself. This was part of Badian’s thesis against the Marxist polemic. The essay will incorporate the theories but will weigh up if Rome was aggressive or defensive in approach to acquiring an empire. The sources that will be used are Harris and White predominantly as the two are of opposing views. Ancient evidence will mostly come from literary sources such as Polybius, Sallust and Livy to name three and bearing in mind biases that they may have. For instance, Polybius was a Greek and a hostage so at times there may be an anti-Roman feel to his prose. The essay will indicate that the evidence and practises ofShow MoreRelatedThe Battle Of The Roman Republic1741 Words   |  7 Pagesanticipated its level of military engagement nor the number of conflicts it would find itself in over the next two hundred years. A series of wars allowed the Roman Republic to consolidate power on the Italian peninsula, emerge as a major force in the Mediterranean area, and lay the groundwork for what eventually would become the Empire. The series of wars Rome fought had profound impacts on the poli tical, economic, social and cultural areas of Roman life. Ultimately Rome would emerge as a powerhouseRead MoreThe Punic Wars973 Words   |  4 PagesThe Punic Wars were made of three major wars. The last war was kind of a punishment for Carthage from Rome. The two powers in these wars were Rome and Carthage. Rome was controlling the main peninsula of Italy while Carthage was controlling the islands and trade of the Mediterranean. Rome and Carthage were once on a friendly term until things went south well. The Punic Wars have major historical content that involve both leaders on opposite side as well as the battles among the two city-states. TheseRead MoreHannibal: Africa’s Tactical Genius Essay1202 Words   |  5 PagesHannibal was a Punic Carthaginian military commander, reputed to be one of the greatest in history and even a better tactician. Hannibal lived in a time of great friction in the Mediterranean where the Roman Republic dominated Macedon, Syracuse and the Sele ucid Empire. He was a notable member of the Barca family, a noble family well known for being staunch antagonists of the Roman Republic. His father Hamilcar was a leading commander in the First Punic War, his brother-in-laws were Hasdrubal theRead MoreEssay about Punic Wars929 Words   |  4 Pages Discuss the Roman Punic Wars, in terms of their circumstances and overall effect on Rome’s economic and social development Also discuss the ensuing â€Å"Gracchan turbulence† from the same perspective. The circumstance for the Roman Punic Wars towards Rome was a simple human reaction. If an outsider such as Italy, Carthage, or Greece make threats towards Rome, Rome will simply fight. The Punic Wars lasted in 3 stages, all resulting to the obsessive pride and higher standings of Rome. Rome’s initialRead MoreTo What Extent Was Rome Responsible for the Punic Wars? Essay1045 Words   |  5 PagesThe responsibility for the Punic wars greatly shifts from one to the next as both Rome and Carthage were Superpowers in their own right and it was inevitable that there would be a collision and subsequent reaction from any action taken. This exhausting conflict was, according to Caven, a ‘contest in three rounds’ in which the Romans fought first for control of Sicily, then for the leadership of the western Mediterranean and finally to determine the survival or extinction of Carthage. By 270Read MoreThe Roman Republic878 Words   |  4 Pagescould get the roman citizenship (95). The allies were people conquered by Rome that loss their independent policy and had to aid with troops when Rome require (). For example, during the second Punic war the Carthage’s Spanish allies help Rome and they revolt against Hannibal. Also, during the second punic war the roman army were forced to recruit a larger army after the defeat of 40 000 men in Carthage (93). Other factors or policies that help the romans in the conquest were the treatment of theRead MoreHannibal vs. Rome778 Words   |  4 PagesDuring the Second Punic War, Hannibal, was a terror to the Roman Republic. Remembered even today for his campaign, the hatred Hannibal felt for Rome was clearly seen on the battlefield. He plowed his way throughout modern day France and Italy, crushing his opponents (sometimes quite literally) under his army. However, Hannibal was not only a general of great strength, but also an exceptional strategist, and a charismatic leader. These qualities along with his appointed positionRead MoreThe Three Major Empires Essay examples1016 Words   |  5 PagesLatin city-states encircled by these alliances felt threatened and opposed Roman expansion, but in 338 B.C.E they were conquered by the Romans in the â€Å"Latin wars.† In 340 B.C.E Campania attempted to annul their affiliation to Rome they were subdued by Roman forces. In less than a century the Romans dominated the northern part of the Italian Peninsula by conquering the Etuscans, Samnites, Gauls, and Umbrians. The Romans then turned to the south and faced Pyrrus of Epirus. He won a few early,Read MoreThe Period Of The Punic Wars918 Words   |  4 PagesWhile the governments of Rome and Carthage around the times of the Punic wars might look similar as drawn in organisational chart fashion, reflecting structural similarities, there were important differences in the allocation of responsibilities, concepts of citizenship and the scope and exercise of power. I will firstly provide a brief history of governance in the two societies and then depict the structural similarities before highlighting important differences. Brief history of governance Rome’sRead MoreThe Battle Between Carthage And Rome1728 Words   |  7 PagesThe three Punic Wars was a series of battles fought between Carthage and Rome that lasted almost a century from 264 BC to 149 BC. As Carthage had the leading power of Western Mediterranean and Rome’s control over the peninsula of Italy. However, both of the two states had different intensions over the island of Sicily leading to the battles of the Punic Wars that soon later ended in a total defeat for Carthage. With the desire of controlling the island of Sicily, Carthage would still have the dominance