Rome vs. Carthage: The Day the World Trembled

Military History Magazine ^ | June 2002 | Lee Levin

[MinuteGal]

Thanks for the history. If you're doing more, please put me on your ping list.

Years ago, someone was posting famous historical battles, but after a while they disappeared.

These ancient clashes are captivating to me.

Leni

[SunkenCiv]

They're in this somewhere:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=godsgravesglyphs

[MinuteGal]

Thank you kindly. Your link is much appreciated.

Leni

[Eaker]

Great read!

Thanks!!

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

Can you close your eyes and see this battle

WOW

[Polybius]

Very interesting post. But I cannot help wondering whether the US is not, to some extent, placing itself in the role of Carthage. We have a volunteer army that emphasizes quality over quantity. Afghanistan is an interesting case...very few troops are being used. Our view of casualties seems similar to that of Carthage. And if we're Carthage, who might Rome be? China, perhaps?

The Carthaginian war strategy was sound. They had the best troops that money could buy up against newly recruited Roman Legions after the veteran Legions lay dead. They had mercenaries fighting overseas and Carthaginian reserves at home should the need arise that were powerful enough to defeat a mercenary mutiny after the First Punic War. The Carthaginians had a professional General and military genius while the Roman Republic, very distrustful of military tyrants, burdened the Roman Legions with inexperienced Generals by dividing military command between two separate Consuls that were both replaced every two years.

Only when Scipio Africanus was allowed to develop military experience in his long term campaign in far off Spain did Rome finally develop a General with the experience to defeat Hannibal.

By all logic, Carthage should have won the Second Punic War.

However, the Second Punic War was the Roman Republic's Finest Hour because, like Great Britain in 1940, the Roman Republic simply refused to accept defeat no matter how many military disasters befell it. A reading of the complete history of the Second Punic War leaves you in absolute awe of the tenacity of the Roman Republic in that war.

World War II America also had a similar fire in the belly.

The Achilles' Heel of 2005 America is the Democrat Party and the liberal news media that starts screaming that the sky is falling no matter how low casualties may be.

Graphic Representation of World War II U.S. Deaths:

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Graphic Representation of Iraqi War U.S. Deaths:

XXX

World War II TIME Magazine Cover:

Iraq War TIME Magazine Cover:

[SunkenCiv]

You're most welcome.

[MattinNJ]

phenomenal post

[WestVirginiaRebel]

"They had the best troops that money could buy"

Any nation that can't or won't get it's own people to fight for it is always in trouble. The use of foreign mercenaries as troops has historically not been a wise idea-the Hessians in the American Revolution comes to mind.

[tang-soo]

... a solemn oath before the gods of Carthage ...

Evidently this was baal - Hannibal is translated as "the joy of baal".

[Lx]

Wow, that was a good read!
Thanks for posting it.

[dc27]

Too bad Hannibal didn't sack Rome when he had the chance. His delay in sacking Rome allowed the Romans to defend the city.

Great post

[connectthedots]

Military strategy on a large scale has changed little over the course of history. Tactics at the lower unit levels have evoled considerably based on experience and changes in weaponry.

[Marie Antoinette]

Bump for later...

[onja]

They had a tenth of the population of Rome so they couldn't really use just own men. And Carthage was a mercantile empire so it seems like huge citizen armies like the Romans would be hard to come by. Besides, if I'm correct, the Carthaginians took the natural role as leaders in every field in their country. I don't think they had a huge number of peasants.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Kind of makes Antietam looks like a paint-ball game.

[Hemingway's Ghost]

Bookmark Bump.

[Skeeve14]

The article didn't mention it but part of the reason Hannibal couldn't sack Rome was because of Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus who would constantly attack and harass Hannibal.

[SunkenCiv]

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