The Punic Wars
SkillBuilder discussion Historical signiýcance 1. Identify the key locations of Hannibal’s battles in SOURCE2 . 2. Describe how Hannibal’s route impacted his strategy. 3. What obstacles did Hannibal face during his campaign?
The Punic Wars were a series of three wars fought between the Roman Republic and the Carthaginian (Punic) empire from 264 BCE to 146 BCE. In the First Punic War, Rome defeated Carthage and gained control of Sardinia and Sicily. The Second Punic War (218–202 BCE) began when Hannibal invaded Italy (see SOURCE2 ) with 40 elephants. He won battles at Trebia, Lake Trasimene and Cannae. The Romans, led by Fabius Maximus, later defeated him at Zama in 202 BCE. In 146 BCE, Romans captured and destroyed Carthage, enslaving its people.
SOURCE2 Hannibal’s route and major battles in the Second Punic War
Key
Hannibal’s route in the Second Punic War
GALLIA (FRANCE)
Battle site
Trebia 218 BCE
ATLANTIC OCEAN Carthaginian territory, 265 BCE
ILLYRIA
Carthaginian territorial losses, 238 BCE
Carthaginian territorial gains, 219 BCE
Lake Trasimene 217 BCE
Corsica
Rome
ITALIA
HISPANIA (SPAIN)
Cannae 216 BCE
Sardinia
MEDITERRANEAN SEA
Sicily
Carthago Nova
Carthage
Zama 202 BCE
0
150
300
A F R I C A
kilometres
Source: Map drawn by Spatial Vision
TOPIC5 Ancient Rome 139
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator