Punic Wars

The Punic Wars were three wars fought between Rome and Carthage. The first Punic War was a naval battle on the sea. The battle was for control of the island Sicily. Rome won this one. The second Punic War was supposed to be for control of Rome but Carthage never made it. General Hannibal from Carthage was leading the charge. He decided to attack Rome from the North after crossing through Iberia and the Alps on elephants. They lay siege to most of the peninsulas for fifteen years but can never get to Rome. The third Punic War was led by Rome in the hopes of destroying Carthage forever. Scipio, Tiberius Gracchus, and others attacked the city.  Carthage was burned for 17 days. When the war ended, the rest of the people in the city were sold into slavery. All of Carthage's other owned land/areas were also taken by Rome. After all of the wars, there were so many slaves that small farmers were losing their farms to aristocrats, who could buy put their farms and purchase slaves to work on them. Carthage and Rome fought these wars because they both saw each other as threats.