Depiction of a Roman legionary end of 3rd century
In the 70s of the 3rd century BC, Rome had reached dominance on the Italian peninsula. From all cities and peoples belonged as allies to the Roman Empire. The republic was stable, powerful and ambitious. On the opposite side of the Mediterranean, Carthage, not much older than Rome itself, had a position as a naval and trading power. Many colonies of Carthage moved along the Mediterranean coasts of Sicily, Spain, North Africa and Sardinia. His fleets ruled the western Mediterranean unchallenged. Carthage was satisfied with its extent; in contrast to Rome, it pursued no major expansive tendencies, but wanted to secure and expand its previous position. In Sicily, however, Hero had seized power over the great city of Syracuse and sought to strengthen the city’s power and develop it into a regional factor. It should be the ambitions of this Hero that tore Rome and Carthage into the longest coherent war of antiquity. Read the rest of this entry »