Why did they do that?
Takes on the

PUNIC WARS
by David E Woody

    One of history's great moments surrounds the conflict between Hannibal of Carthage, and the Roman Empire.  Because of Hannibal's aggressiveness and militaristic philosophy, as well as a promise made to his father, these two great civilizations came into conflict in terrible and destructive ways.  Your mission in this simulation is to learn about Hannibal and his Roman adversaries by making the same choices they made, and observing the results.  You may choose to be either Hannibal or the Roman Generals, after which you will be given a set of choices from key moments in the conflict.  If you make a choice other than that made by the historical characters, you will find a description of what might have happened had they chosen that option.  Then you will be directed to another decision.  If you choose the same option they chose, you will be told about the result, and then proceed.  In the end, you should learn about Hannibal and Carthaginian society, as well as gaining insights into Rome and Roman values in these wars.  Let's begin with some background.

    First, a word about this page.  I wrote this scenario as an exercise for my Sophomore World Cultures students, who have to listen to me lecture much more often than I'd like to.  I wanted to give them a more interesting way of getting the important information about this historical event, and I have always been amazed at the sheer number of critical decisions made in this conflict.  I used a variety of readings on which to base my scenario, and am in great debt to the excellent, insightful writings of these authors: Plutarch for Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans; Jacob Abbott for his entry in the Makers of History series (1849), Hannibal; Will Durant, for Vol. III of his The Story of Civilization series, Caesar and Christ.  The vivid details used by these authors made the events come to life, and the characters easy to describe.  I hope I have done half as well in forming the ideas into an exercise.  I also apologize for the low-tech appearance of the pages, but a teacher's time is always limited.  I intend to add better backgrounds and some images at a later date.  There is a worksheet which should be printed out before leaving this page, so the students can keep track of their progress, and lessons learned.  One other note, about ownership of the material in these pages.  Though I am seeking no payment for these materials, and welcome their use by students in any school, I would appreciate acknowledgment whenever they are used.  It is one of the simple courtesies often ignored when using the Internet.  (e-mail me)

    And now, on with the Wars.  The First Punic War (264 BC - 241 BC) stemmed from festering rivalry.  Carthage, a former Phoenician trading post, had grown into the wealthiest city on the Western Mediterranean Sea.  Their powerful navy kept the Romans from expanding to the west, and the Romans resented this greatly.  When a band of non-allied mercenaries attacked Sicily, the Carthaginians responded with force, and the Romans seized the opportunity to fight, claiming Sicily as their own province.  The resulting conflict had many effects: the Romans built their first navy; the Carthaginian navy suffered its first defeat; Carthage was invaded for the first time; the Roman army was thrashed and the consul Regulus taken captive and tortured to death; the Romans demonstrated their ability to accomplish a monumental task in a short time; and the superiority of a patriot force (Roman) over a mercenary army (Carthage) was established.  Though the Romans also gained Sardinia, Hamilcar [Durant says this name means "He whom Melkart (a deity) protects"] Barca (the surname means "lightning") took a new Carthaginian force to Spain, where he proceeded to reconquer lost territories there.

    Hannibal Barca was the son of this great Carthaginian General.  Hannibal had wished to go along with his father, but, being only 9 years old, was considered too young.  He promised his father that as soon as he was old enough, he would fight the Romans with all his ability.  That opportunity came when Hamilcar was killed in Spain in 229 BC.  The army passed into the control of Hamilcar's son-in-law, Hasdrubal, who appealed to the Carthaginian Senate for the appointment of Hannibal, then about 21, as one of his assistants.  This appointment was resisted by Hanno, a long-time political opponent of Hamilcar and his family.  Despite the resistance, Hannibal was appointed, and went to Spain.  There, he quickly established rapport with, and the respect of, the men who had followed his father so loyally.

    Soon the two great powers would come into conflict again.  Before this second conflict starts, you must choose which side you will take.  You may always, of course, come back to this page later and take the other line of approach, which could serve as a test for how well you have learned the available lessons.  Remember, in this case, making the "right" choice is a subjective thing, since, in our case, right constitutes "historically accurate".  In order to help you keep track of your progress, I have constructed a worksheet on which you can keep a record of your options, and the choices you made.  There are also questions on the worksheet that will help you determine how much you have learned in the process.  Good Luck!