The Punic Wars: A Clash of the Titans
In the mid third century B.C.
Rome and
Carthage were two of the Ancient Mediterrranean's "super powers".
Carthage was well established, having a great
maritime trade throughout the Mediterranean along with a formidable Navy.
Rome was on the rise in this era and dominated much of the
Italian mainland.
The
Mamertines of
Messana in
Sicily would initially call on the Carthaginians to support them in a local skirmish with
King Hiero II of
Syracuse. The
Mamertines would soon revolt against their African allies and call on
Rome to ally with them instead. When
Rome entered
Sicily and
Carthage then supported
Syracuse, the result was a pressure cooker environment which would ultimately explode into the First Punic War.
Rome would win several battles in this war and quickly build a navy comparable with
Carthage.
Rome eventually won the conflict, and all of
Sicily as
part of a treaty drawn up with Cathage in 241 B.C.
After several years of tolerable trade agreements the two powers would soon bath again in each other's blood. Hannibal quickly became the premier general of
Carthage, sworn to hate
Rome for eternity by
his father, Hamilcar
Barca. In 218 B.C. Hannibal would invade
Saguntum, a
Roman ally, sparking the beginning of the Second Punic War. Hannibal was determined to destroy the
Roman Republic, and he knew the only way was to strike the Republic's heart: sack
Rome itself. Hannibal would
cross the Alps and battle
Rome in their own back yard. He defeated the
Roman legions in several engagements, including the Battle of the Trebia, Lake Trasimene and most famously at the Battle of Cannae. Despite these victories, Hannibal would be left short for the siege of
Rome which he so longed for.
This gold
stater marks the first time
Rome struck gold, both as an economic necessity and also as a rally cry.
Rome was shaken to the core during the Second War, which put a tremendous strain on the treasury. The Republic was forced to take loans to support their war effort. They also realized they could not endure without their allies. The
reverse here clearly depicts a
Roman and an
Italian ally standing, facing each other, holding spears and touching with their swords a
pig held by a figure kneeling between them. This oath taking scene was perhaps meant to rally the troops of both
Rome and it's allies.
Rome wanted to convey to their allies that they were in this war together, which ultimately helped swing the momentum in their favor. The allies remained strong throughout the campaign and Hannibal's troops were soon outnumbered and exhausted by the time they neared
Rome. This would allow
Rome to go on the offensive, led by the powerful general
Scipio, who would attack
Carthage and force Hannibal to return
home. Hannibal would lose at the final Battle of Zama in 202 BC where the
Romans at last defeated him in open battle.
Carthage pushed for and obtained a
peace agreement, but only after receiving harsh terms.
Carthage was stripped of its foreign colonies, forced to pay a huge war indemnity, and prevented from ever building a sizable army or navy in the future.
The Third Punic War would become a siege of
Carthage and prove to be their demise. A powerful light was snuffed out in Northern
Africa, and the spread of western civilization as we know it would be greatly influenced from a new beacon hailing from
Rome, the newest superpower who would dominate the Ancient Mediterranean for the next 500 years. One can only ponder how different culture and society would be if the western world was influenced from the Phoenicians in
Africa as opposed to the
Romans from mainland Europe.
Stater circa 218-216, AV 6.82 g.
Obv: Laureate Janiform
head of the
Dioscuri.
Rev: Oath taking scene with two warriors, one
Roman and the other representing the
Italian allies, standing facing each other, holding spears and touching with their swords a
pig held by a figure kneeling between them. In
exergue,
ROMA.
Sydenham 69.
Bahrfeldt 1 and pl. I, 8 (these dies).
Crawford 28/1.
Kent-Hirmer pl. 7, 14.
Photo courtesy of Numismatica Ars Classica