The Roman Empire was also often at war with the city of Carthage in North Africa. At the time, Carthage was a very important and wealthy city. The conflict between these two superpowers of the time were known as the Punic Wars. The second Punic War (218–202 BC) was famous for the Carthaginian
general Hannibal
crossing the Alps with 37 elephants to attack Rome. The Romans finally defeated the Carthaginians in 146 BC, enslaved its entire population and razed the city to the ground. Legend has it that salt was ploughed into the ground so that nothing would ever grow there again.
Fig 2.8 The extent of the Carthaginian Empire.
Fig 2.9 Vercingetorix, leader of the Gauls, surrenders to Julius Caesar in 52 BC.
CHAPTER 2 CHECK-IN
RECALL 1. What was a Roman soldier called? 2. Explain the following words: (a) Cavalry (b) Artillery (c) Mutiny (d) Gruel
3. What was decimatio? 4. Roman soldiers were sometimes called mules. Can you guess why?
5. What happened to the city of Carthage? HISTORICAL EMPATHY
6. Give an account of the life of a Roman soldier using the following headings: (a) Organisation of the army and his position in the army
(b) Equipment and weapons (c) Daily life (d) Enemies that he fought
CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE
7. In pairs or small groups, consider the link between Rome’s army and the size of its empire. What advantages and disadvantages would there have been for Rome in having such a large and
successful army? VIEWPOINTS AND OBJECTIVITY
8. The Romans enslaved the entire population of Carthage and razed the city to the ground. (a) How would that action be considered now? Have a class discussion on whether we can judge the actions of people in history as we would if they did those actions now.
(b) Examine the map of the Carthaginian Empire. Despite its size and wealth, we have very little information about the Carthaginian Empire. Can you explain why this is?