The prolonged prosperity of the city during much of its history, based as it was on the labour of others, was probably the most significant reason why the citizens of Carthage acquiesced to rule by an elite aristocracy. The victim's ashes were then placed in an urn topped with a stone. Carthage resisted the Roman siege for two years. The Romans now directed their efforts once more against Sicily. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. "Carthaginian Warfare." As with most other ancient cultures warfare for the Carthaginians was, like any other state activity, inseparable from religious beliefs. Artillery was a component of Carthaginian armies in Sicily where the cities were well-fortified. Religious ceremonies could also take place at natural features like rivers and springs as these were often held as sacred by the Carthaginians. Phoenician-Punic Grinning MaskCarole Raddato (CC BY-NC-SA). By combining the finest mercenary armies with their own elite forces and huge naval fleet, Carthage was able to dominate the western Mediterranean and protect and expand its vast network of colonies and trading posts from the 9th to 3rd centuries BCE. The Romans certainly took this view and demanded Hannibals surrender. Polytheistic in nature, such important Phoenician gods as Melqart and Baal were worshipped in the colony alongside new ones such as Tanit. Books Special interests include art, architecture, and discovering the ideas that all civilizations share. Carthage's many advantages meant that Carthage was the capital of a prosperous coastal empire that dominated the western Mediterranean. The western Mediterranean during the Punic Wars, Learn about the rise and fall of the Carthaginian empire. if you were an emperor thinking about going to war against rome, how might this description make you feel? Ercte (247244) and Mt. We contribute a share of our revenue to remove carbon from the atmosphere and we offset our team's carbon footprint. Thank you! Carthaginian society was composed of an eclectic mix of native citizens, North Africans. This Roman-Carthaginian alliance against Pyrrhus caused him great trouble as he had to both fend off the Roman army and the Carthaginian navy. He landed his forces in Spain and the Marched east to attack Italy. Submitted by Mark Cartwright, published on 16 June 2016. Although human sacrifice may have been practised, the high proportion of newborn babies in the tophets shows that these enclosures served as burial places for children who died at birth or had not reached the age of two. but Rome did not. Some Rights Reserved (2009-2023) under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license unless otherwise noted. The size of the Carthaginian fleet changed depending on the period, but according to the ancient historian Polybius, Carthage had a fleet of 350 ships in 256 BCE. This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. Operations began with a joint attack upon Messana, which the Romans easily repelled. Thedesigns\underline{\text{The designs}}Thedesigns of various colored stripes crossing at right angles is rightfully a tartan; many a plaid is a tartan design. The head of the priests (rb khnm) was also a member of the Senate and the influential Council of 104. Baal Hammon ('lord of the altars of incense') was another important god, inspired by the Baal who was supreme god at the Phoenician city of Sidon. Please note that some of these recommendations are listed under our old name, Ancient History Encyclopedia. Tanit was also associated with the palm tree, dove, the moon, fish, and pomegranate, all of which appear with her on Carthaginian coins and stelae dedicated to her. The defending ships would try not to create any gaps in their formation and perhaps stagger their lines to counter the diekplous. All of these ploys helped to reassure the common soldier that they were fighting on the right side with the best general. Carthaginian Religion. Learn about the history of Hannibal and his ultimate defeat at the battle of Zama. At Mylae (Milazzo), off the north Sicilian coast, their admiral Gaius Duilius defeated a Carthaginian squadron of superior maneuvering capacity by grappling and boarding. Carthage's greatest loss was nothing less than total destruction at the hands of the Romans in the Third Punic War (149-146 BCE). The World History Encyclopedia logo is a registered trademark. It must also be mentioned, though, that the Carthaginians had a healthy respect for genealogy and political leaders were often recorded with not only their own names but also those of several previous generations. This appealed to both Carthaginians and Greeks. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. What advantages did the Carthaginians have? We also know that Carthage had a significant Greek community in the 4th century BCE. Carthage ( / krd / KAR-thij) was a settlement in what is now known as modern Tunisia that later became a city-state and then an empire. When the Carthaginian flagship was captured, the commander was forced to ignominiously flee in a rowing boat. We know, for example, that Hannibal released non-Roman enemy troops on several occasions to increase the chances of local areas revolting against Rome. The head of the priests (rb khnm) was also a member of the Senate and the influential Council of 104. There is no evidence that a citizen of Carthage ever became a slave but, as in Rome, this may have happened if a person could not pay their debts or if poor parents sold their child, as was sometimes the case. The tophet at Carthage was known as the 'precinct of Tanit' and located to the south of the city at Salammbo. The failure of the elephant charge can likely be explained by a trio of factors, with the first two being well documented and most important. Corrections? Similarly, the Phoenician gods Eshmun (an equivalent of Adonis but also identified as Asclepius by the Greeks, suggesting he had an association with healing at Carthage), Reshef (the god of fire and lightning, linked to Apollo by the Greeks), and Rasap (associated with warfare) were worshipped at Carthage but again with slightly different connotations such as Reshef (a form of Rasap) and Shadrap (associated with snakes and healing). Certainly, though, sometimes war prisoners were sacrificed to honour the Punic gods and give thanks for victory. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Hannibal famously swore an oath to the god in 237 BCE when, aged 9, he stated that he would forever be the enemy of Rome. Such a large geographical spread of interests required a naval fleet to safeguard both the ships which plied their trade across the seas and the ports which gave them protection and access to lucrative hinterlands. The first, the diekplous or breakthrough, was when ships formed a single line and sailed right through the enemy lines at a selected weak point. Scipios cavalry then charged the opposing Carthaginian cavalry on the wings; the latter fled and were pursued by Masinissas forces. These had two large columns, one either side of the entrance which led to three chambers within which was not a representation of the god but a large bronze bowl with an eternal flame. Books Attempts to ram enemy ships could be made in two ways. Omissions? Cartwright, M. (2016, July 13). who was the audience of the twelve tables? The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. The victims were killed by fire, although it is not clear precisely how. From the 6th century BCE, stelae were dedicated to Baal or Tanit and placed on top of the urns instead of stones. Carthaginian Society. Simply by investing heavily in warships, the Romans took the latter advantage away. More certain is that the Carthaginian religion continued, beyond the Roman destruction of the city, to be practised, sometimes under different names, perhaps more clandestinely than previously, but very often at the same temple sites as before. World History Publishing is a non-profit company registered in the United Kingdom. Some dedications were jointly inscribed with a father and daughter's names. That Hannibal was fighting from a position of weakness does not in any way diminish Scipios victory for Rome, however. The cavalry slammed into Hannibal's rear, forcing a decisive end to a brutal battle. What advantages did the carthaginians have See answer Advertisement Mathunga - Carthage had a much better naval force at the beginning of the Punic wars. The Carthaginians accordingly opened negotiations and consented to a peace by which they ceded Sicily and the Lipari (Eolie) Islands to Rome and paid an indemnity of 3,200 talents. Slaves were either conquered peoples or brought from slave markets and were used for all manner of tasks, professional or menial, in the city and in the countryside, as well as in the Carthaginian navy during the Punic Wars. Web. This is because most of it was in perishablestextiles, unworked metal, foodstuffs, and slaves; its trade in manufactured goods was only a part of the whole. Cartwright, Mark. "Carthaginian Warfare." As Carthage employed mercenaries, one of the first priorities after a victory was to pay them, and this was done with coinage or by allowing the soldiers to take any booty they could get their hands on from the defeated weapons, armour, jewellery, foodstuffs, and so on. Carthage was a sea power so therefore it had a naval advantage over Rome, until the Romans caught up, that is. It was first used in the 8th century BCE and continuously thereafter until the fall of Carthage in the Punic Wars. Hannibal escaped from the battle and went to his estates in the east near Hadrumetum for some time before he returned to Carthage. Some women's names crop up as inscriptions on religious dedications where they are referenced to by either their husband's or father's name. The elite class dominated the religious posts of Carthage too. This war caused the Roman Empire to invest in their navy in order to defeat Carthage, which was important to assure the Roman dominion and hegemony in the Mediterranean. Scipio may have been curious to meet Hannibal, but he refused the proposed terms, stating that Carthage had broken the truce and would have to face the consequences. These could take the form of the pouring of libations, food offerings, flowers, animal sacrifice (bulls, lambs, poultry, birds etc. It is not clear if Carthage's citizens were obliged to pay tax, such was the enormous revenue extracted from conquered territories. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/article/908/carthaginian-society/. The society of Carthage was dominated by an aristocratic trading class who held all of the important political and religious positions, but below this strata was a cosmopolitan mix of artisans, labourers, mercenaries, slaves, and foreigners from across the Mediterranean. -the laws showed the internal flaws of the government According to Livy, Hannibal told Scipio, What I was years ago at Trasimene and Cannae, you are today. Scipio is said to have replied with a message for Carthage: Prepare to fight because evidently you have found peace intolerable. The next day was set for battle. -news articles written by lower class plebeians, The Twelve Tables and Roman War Mechanics, Ways of the World AP World History: Chapter 11, Dahia Ibo Shabaka, Larry S. Krieger, Linda Black, Phillip C. Naylor, Roger B. Beck, L37-38: lipoprotein metabolism & disorders. "Carthaginian Religion." The Greek historian Polybius states that Hannibal had done all that he could as a general in battle, especially considering the advantage held by his opponent. Related Content Because Hannibal could not transport the majority of his horses from Italy, he was forced to slaughter them to keep them from falling into Roman hands. There was a small elite Carthaginian army known as the Sacred Band and composed of 2,000 hoplites, but most of the city's military requirements were met by mercenary armies. The Roman Republic's biggest disadvantage was their lack of a strong navy and naval firepower. Carthaginian Warfare has been overshadowed by defeat to Rome in the Punic Wars, but for six centuries before that Carthage was remarkably successful in conquering lucrative territories in North Africa, the Iberian Peninsula, and Sicily. The situation is made more complex by the sometimes indiscriminate use of Greek and Latin names by ancient writers of those cultures when describing Carthage's religious practices, not to mention their bias against foreign practices. Perhaps Carthage's most shocking naval loss was their very first sea engagement with Rome at the battle of Mylae (Milazzo) in 260 BCE. "Hamilcar barca", means they could strike fast and attack from anywhere without warning. Secondand perhaps even more vital to the outcomeScipio had arranged his forces in maniples (small, flexible infantry units) with broad alleys between them. Our latest articles delivered to your inbox, once a week: Our mission is to engage people with cultural heritage and to improve history education worldwide. World History Encyclopedia, 16 Jun 2016. Invested with an unrestricted foreign command, he spent the rest of his life in founding a Spanish empire (237228). We care about our planet! This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/event/Third-Punic-War, Ancient History Encyclopedia - Third Punic War. The battle took place at a site identified by the Roman historian Livy as Naraggara (now Sqiyat Sd Ysuf, Tunisia). Aside from naval battles, the Carthaginian fleet was also vital for transporting armies, resupplying them by providing an escort for transport ships, coastal raids, attacking enemy supply ships, blockading enemy ports, and relieving Carthaginian forces when they were themselves besieged. In ancient Rome, a member of the privileged upper class. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Finally, gods were adopted and adapted from the Greek pantheon following the increasing Hellenization of Carthage from the 4th century BCE. Our publication has been reviewed for educational use by Common Sense Education, Internet Scout (University of Wisconsin), Merlot (California State University), OER Commons and the School Library Journal. After a lengthy siege and staunch resistance, the city finally fell to the siege engines of Scipio Africanus the Younger. The World History Encyclopedia logo is a registered trademark. It was the battle which would end the Second Punic War and, effectively, Carthage's position as a major power. Sign up for our free weekly email newsletter! What advantage did the Carthaginians have over the Romans? The Battle of Zama left Carthage helpless, and the city accepted Scipios peace terms whereby it ceded Spain to Rome, surrendered most of its warships, and began paying a 50-year indemnity to Rome. Read the following passage and then choose the best revision for the underlined portions of the paragraph. Corbita SailingJan van der Crabben (CC BY-NC-SA). Hannibal, however, showed a willingness to adapt superior enemy tactics and formations such as after the Battle of Lake Trasimene (217 BCE) when he likely adapted the more flexible Roman maniple troop deployment as opposed to the more static phalanx. Perhaps the finest hour of Carthage's army was Hannibal's streak of four great battles against Rome in Italy during the Second Punic War (218 - 201 BCE). https://www.worldhistory.org/Carthaginian_Religion/. Web. This aggression provoked war with Carthage and Syracuse. While Pyrrhus was still fighting battles in Sicily and facing heavy losses, he received information from Tarentum that it was difficult to defend the city on their own and that they needed assistance. The use of Egyptian-made and home-copied amulets was widespread at Carthage judging by their abundance in tombs. the battle in 202 BC in which Scipio decisively defeated Hannibal at the end of the second Punic War. Although the Carthaginians consented to make reparation by giving 300 hostages and surrendering their arms, they were goaded into revolt by the further stipulation that they must emigrate to some inland site at least 10 miles (16 km) from the sea, making impossible the commerce by sea that drove the city's economy. According to the ancient historians Clitarch and Diodorus, a hearth was set before a bronze statue of the god Baal (or El), who had outstretched arms on which the victim was placed before falling into the fire. are there any other examples to support his claim? Cartwright, Mark. His main attack was delivered on the harbour side, where he effected an entrance in the face of a determined and ingenious resistance. Updates? It was one of the greatest military feats in history. The ships were the trireme with three banks of rowers, the quadrireme, and quinquereme. Animal entrails were read too prior to battles, where omens were established which reassured the troops with their promise of victory. To the remonstrances of Carthage the Romans replied with a direct declaration of war, and only withheld their attack upon the formal cession of Sardinia and Corsica and the payment of a further indemnity. Although the Carthaginians consented to make reparation by giving 300 hostages and surrendering their arms, they were goaded into revolt by the further stipulation that they must emigrate to some inland site at least 10 miles (16 km) from the sea, making impossible the commerce by sea that drove the citys economy. what did scipio do in response to hannibals campaign in italy? what other sources would help you to better understand the roman republic? "Carthaginian Religion." Hannibal, for example, went one step further than his father Hamilcar Barca (who had used such imagery on his coins) and identified himself as Hercules-Melqart, the figure who was a mix of the invincible Greek hero and the Phoenician-Punic god. what is inferred about the roman society? In response to this threat hundreds of noble children were sacrificed. why? Thank you! Most Carthaginian gods were inherited from the Phoenicians, but these were adapted, and their names and functions evolved over time. The absence of a large citizen army which had raised the collective political consciousness of citizens in other states such as those in Greece was, perhaps, another reason for the Carthaginians' seeming lack of interest in political power. There were cases of slaves becoming free, even if their new status is unlikely to have ever given them equal rights to ordinary citizens. Punic Stele with Goddess TanitCarole Raddato (CC BY-NC-SA). Ancient sources agree that Carthage had become perhaps the richest city in the world through its trade, yet few traces of its wealth have been discovered by archaeologists. Such were the requirements of Carthage's large navy that ships were constructed using mass-produced pieces marked with numbers for ease of assembly. Another, equally important role for armies was as an offensive means to expand the empire by taking control of new territories rich in natural resources such as the silver mines of Iberia. Bibliography The Roman infantry legions then advanced and attacked Hannibals infantry, which consisted of three consecutive lines of defense. Further, human sacrifices in ancient sources are almost always the children of rulers and the ruling class, as the gods, apparently, were not to be moved by the sacrifice of the common people. Corrections? The oldest such structures date to the 7th century BCE and so illustrate Carthage's prosperity and booming population early in the city's history. An important victory came near Tunis during the First Punic War (264 - 241 BCE) with Rome when the Carthaginians wisely employed the mercenary Spartan commander Xanthippus. what was the relationship between the carthaginians and romans before 260 bce? While all this chaotic ramming was going on, smaller vessels were used to haul stricken ships away from the battle lines or even to tow away captured vessels. Artisans also formed guilds and collectively provided the money to improve and maintain their area of the city. In 219 Hannibal laid siege to Saguntum and carried the town in spite of a stubborn defense. A serious consequence of the fear of failure inherent in the army command structure may have been that generals tended to be overcautious and conservative in battle. One Hasdrubal is known to have crucified the Iberian prince Tagua, a Celtic leader named Indortes was blinded before he was crucified, and the Roman general Regulus was put inside a barrel lined with spikes and then rolled through the streets of Carthage. Although both countries were comparable in military power and economic strength the two nations had different military advantages: Carthage had a strong naval power while Rome had almost no naval power, but had a stronger ground force. After the Roman Republic beat Carthage in the First Punic War (264-241 BCE), the Carthaginians looked for ways to strengthen themselves militarily and economically. Although both countries were comparable in military power and economic strength the two nations had different military advantages: Carthage had a strong naval power while Rome had almost no naval power, but had a stronger ground force. Defeated leaders could expect no better and were often cruelly executed. Although both countries were comparable in military power and economic strength the two nations had different military advantages: Carthage had a strong naval power while Rome had almost no naval power, but had a stronger ground force.
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