Punic Wars - Definition and Overview

History -- Military History -- War

The Punic Wars were a series of three wars fought between Rome and the Phoenician city of Carthage. They are known as the "Punic" Wars because Rome's name for Carthaginians was Punici (older Poenici, due to their Phoenician ancestry).

• The First Punic War (264 BC - 241 BC) was primarily a naval war.
• The Second Punic War (218 BC - 202 BC) is famous for Hannibal's crossing of the Alps.
• The Third Punic War (149 BC - 146 BC) resulted in the destruction of Carthage.

Also see ancient warfare.

The primary purpose of the Punic Wars was Roman territorial expansion. The Romans were particularly interested in the Carthaginian ports. The First Punic War was simply a war in which the Romans wanted to conquer Sicily. The other Punic Wars were simply designed to punish the other side for taking over ________. As a result of these battles, Rome greatly improved their navy, inventing a new device called the raven that was a plank designed to serve as a bridge that dropped down onto the enemy's vessel. The wars were very costly and also resulted in many deaths on both sides.