what advantages did the carthaginians have?

Carthaginian Society. There was intense competition between commanders, not helped by the fact that command was sometimes shared between two, or even three, generals. The most notorious example of this, recounted by the ancient historian Diodorus, was when Agathocles, the tyrant of Syracuse, invaded North Africa in 310 BCE. Corbita SailingJan van der Crabben (CC BY-NC-SA). In 254 they captured the important fortress of Panormus (Palermo), but when Carthage threw reinforcements into the island the war again came to a standstill. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. 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. While this was the Romans only naval defeat in the war, their fleet had suffered a series of grievous losses by storm, and now it was so reduced that the attack upon Sicily had to be suspended. Foreigners in the city came from the original founding city of Tyre in Phoenicia, from the conquered areas of North Africa (especially Libya and Numidia), Spain, Italy, and Sardinia. Corrections? Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms. 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. -yes It was one of the greatest military feats in history. Yes, you're reading this right. Tradesmen lived in specific areas with potters and metalworkers congregating outside the city walls to the south and along Lake Tunis, for example. Omissions? Less important Phoenician gods surviving in Punic religion included Hawot (god of the dead), Hudis (the new moon), Kese (the full moon), Kusor/Kusorit (god/goddess of intelligence), and Semes (the sun goddess). Please select which sections you would like to print: 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. It took the Carthaginians the entire afternoon to destroy the encircled Romans. https://www.worldhistory.org/article/908/carthaginian-society/. The Greek hoplite was perhaps the most common model heavy armour, large shield, spear, and sword. C. paid soldiers to force the Carthaginians out of the city. 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. In 255, under Xanthippus command, they offered battle to Regulus, who had taken up position with an inadequate force near Tunis, outmaneuvered him, and destroyed the bulk of his army. The survivors were sold into slavery, the city was razed, and the territory was made a Roman province under the name of Africa. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/Carthaginian_Religion/. Analysis of the remains found within the urns at Carthage reveals that, overall, 80% of the human remains are from newborn babies or foetuses. It is not clear if Carthage's citizens were obliged to pay tax, such was the enormous revenue extracted from conquered territories. Cite This Work This strategy could be countered by spreading one's ships as wide as possible but not too much so as to allow a diekplous attack. The Carthaginians hastily collected a relief force, but in a battle fought off the Aegates Insulae (Egadi Islands), west of Drepana, their fleet was caught at a disadvantage and mostly sunk or captured (March 10, 241). The recent complications of foreign and internal strife had indeed so weakened Punic power that the prospect of renewing the war under favourable circumstances seemed remote enough. World History Encyclopedia is a non-profit organization. These, in turn, were spread to new Punic colonies around the ancient Mediterranean while in the other direction gods from neighbouring cultures were incorporated into the Carthaginian pantheon. View Hannibal's campaign against Rome with the siege of Saguntum, The interval between the First and Second Punic Wars (241218, https://www.britannica.com/event/Punic-Wars, Humanities LibreTexts Library - The Punic Wars, UNRV History - The Punic Wars and Expansion, Khan Academy - Punic Wars between Rome and Carthage, Punic Wars - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Carthage's military also allowed it to expand into Sardinia and . Related Content The Romans now directed their efforts once more against Sicily. We want people all over the world to learn about history. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms. "Carthaginian Society." For only $5 per month you can become a member and support our mission to engage people with cultural heritage and to improve history education worldwide. Thank you! Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). which regions of the Mediterranean did Rome and its allies control? Ercte (247244) and Mt. We also know that Carthage had a significant Greek community in the 4th century BCE. Priests may have controlled education, of which we know very little, and also the libraries we know existed at the time of Carthage's destruction in 146 BCE. Special interests include art, architecture, and discovering the ideas that all civilizations share. Help us and translate this definition into another language! Updates? Roman expansion in Italy from 298 to 201 bce Carthage was founded by the Phoenician city of Tyre in 813 BCE as a handy location along western Mediterranean trade routes, and the colony would go on to prosper and found its own colonies, eventually taking over the old Phoenician network too. Such memberships regularly bonded through shared banquets. There were female priests, but once again, the details of initiation and duties of the priestly class remain unknown. I would be scared, because the romans are willing to do anything for power. Mago, who had sustained battle wounds during a losing engagement in Liguria (near Genoa), died at sea during the crossing. Artisans also formed guilds and collectively provided the money to improve and maintain their area of the city. stable before this time, with Carthage being most powerfull, the romans wanted more power and recognition, so they used war to get this. Their loyalty, rather, was expected and received in times of dire stress during the Second Punic War and the siege of Carthage in the Third Punic War when slaves were granted their freedom in return for military service. One of the rituals of the Phoenician and Punic religions was to sacrifice humans, especially children (but not only), according to ancient sources. Priests may have controlled education, of which we know very little, and also the libraries we know existed at the time of Carthage's destruction in 146 BCE. (1) Huge population (2) Huge navy (3) Wealthy from taxes and tribute (4) Employed mercenaries. In the years after the First Punic War, Rome wrested Corsica and Sardinia from Carthage and forced Carthaginians to pay an even greater indemnity than the payment exacted . Updates? 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. scipio reflects on the history of great cities and empires? His defiant policy was too popular to be disavowed, however. Corrections? Cartwright, Mark. Buildings were destroyed, the people were sold into slavery, and the land officially cursed. These conventions further confirm that Carthage, as with most other ancient societies, was a male-dominated society in every respect. Please support World History Encyclopedia. The use of Egyptian-made and home-copied amulets was widespread at Carthage judging by their abundance in tombs. 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. I would be disappointed that our armies were to scared to try to control carthage, so they had to destroy carthage and all of their people. 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). The Romans crushed the soldiers of the first line and then those of the second. Light infantry was stationed on the wings and protected the flanks of the phalanx which might draw in the enemy lines. Third, the loud shouts and blaring trumpets of the Romans may have disconcerted the elephants, some of which swerved to the side early in the battle and instead attacked their own infantry, causing chaos on the front line of Hannibals recruits. 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, on the other hand, had long been anxious to conquer Sicily and so to complete the chain of island posts by which it controlled the western Mediterranean. Hannibal returned to Africa with his 12,000-man veteran army and soon gathered a total of 37,000 troops with which to defend the approaches to Carthage. 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). Hannibal was a military leader from Carthage. There were cases of slaves becoming free, even if their new status is unlikely to have ever given them equal rights to ordinary citizens. When not involved in head-to-head battles to break up formations and harass the enemy's flanks, the cavalry units were used to ambush enemy troops, lead them into ambush by infantry troops, or in guerrilla tactics to constantly harass enemy armies and their logistical support. The First Punic War was fought to establish control over the strategic islands of Corsica and Sicily. This was the first of a priestly class at the city. Their numbers advantage was lost because the Carthaginians limited their frontage as they enveloped them, and their advantage as heavily armed and armoured infantry was also negated by being compressed into such a small area. Carthage was an accomplished practitioner of warfare for centuries acquiring new territories & resources, & safeguarding ITs vast trade network. The victim's ashes were then placed in an urn topped with a stone. The second tactic, known as periplous, was to try and sail down the flanks of the enemy formation and attack from the sides and rear. if you were a roman citizen reading this description, how would you feel? A gross breach of the treaty was perpetrated when a Roman force was sent to occupy Sardinia, whose insurgent garrison had offered to surrender the island (238). When the Carthaginians in 150 resisted Masinissas aggressions by force of arms, thus formally breaking the treaty with Rome, a Roman army was dispatched to Africa. At the same time, the Carthaginians, who felt no less severely the financial strain of the prolonged struggle, reduced their forces and made no attempt to deliver a counterattack. Just like in any large city, there were all the professions needed for a thriving population with money to spend: teachers, doctors, architects, cooks, shopkeepers, cobblers, fishermen, scribes, chariot-makers, and so on. Patrick Hunt (Ph.D., Institute of Archaeology, UCL, University of London, 1991) is an archaeologist and historian who has taught at Stanford University since 1993. High ranking priests and priestesses were specifically assigned to serve the goddesses. (goal) was to show that romans could work together to create a compromise in the government. No other symbols are known of the other Carthaginian gods. Thus, he could field only about 4,000 cavalry, the bulk of them from a minor Numidian ally named Tychaeus. The ships were the trireme with three banks of rowers, the quadrireme, and quinquereme. what advantages did the carthaginians have? going roof to roof, collecting their power as they take over house by house until they are left with all power in that specific location. Carthage was, then, an accomplished practitioner of warfare for centuries but eventually, and despite a heroic effort which several times almost brought victory, more than met its match in Rome with its professional and well-trained army backed by a seemingly endless pool of replacements and financial support. What advantages did the carthaginians have See answer Advertisement Mathunga - Carthage had a much better naval force at the beginning of the Punic wars. 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. 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. Citizens were organised into memberships (mizrehim) or family clubs which were distinguishable from each other via their devotion to a specific god, the profession of their members, or perhaps even composed of those who had fought together in battle. We know that Carthage itself was equipped with artillery machines for defence. After one campaign they were ready to sue for peace, but the terms which the Roman commander Marcus Atilius Regulus offered were intolerably harsh.
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