<P> The Punic Wars were a series of three wars fought between Rome and Carthage from 264 BC to 146 BC . At the time , they were one of the largest wars that had ever taken place . The term Punic comes from the Latin word Punicus ( or Poenicus ) , meaning `` Carthaginian '' , with reference to the Carthaginians ' Phoenician ancestry . The main cause of the Punic Wars was the conflicts of interest between the existing Carthaginian Empire and the expanding Roman Republic . The Romans were initially interested in expansion via Sicily ( which at that time was a cultural melting pot ) , part of which lay under Carthaginian control . At the start of the first Punic War , Carthage was the dominant power of the Western Mediterranean , with an extensive maritime empire . Rome was a rapidly ascending power in Italy , but it lacked the naval power of Carthage . By the end of the third war , after more than a hundred years and the loss of many hundreds of thousands of soldiers from both sides , Rome had conquered Carthage 's empire , completely destroyed the city , and become the most powerful state of the Western Mediterranean . </P>
<P> The Punic Wars were a series of three wars fought between Rome and Carthage from 264 BC to 146 BC . At the time , they were one of the largest wars that had ever taken place . The term Punic comes from the Latin word Punicus ( or Poenicus ) , meaning `` Carthaginian '' , with reference to the Carthaginians ' Phoenician ancestry . The main cause of the Punic Wars was the conflicts of interest between the existing Carthaginian Empire and the expanding Roman Republic . The Romans were initially interested in expansion via Sicily ( which at that time was a cultural melting pot ) , part of which lay under Carthaginian control . At the start of the first Punic War , Carthage was the dominant power of the Western Mediterranean , with an extensive maritime empire . Rome was a rapidly ascending power in Italy , but it lacked the naval power of Carthage . By the end of the third war , after more than a hundred years and the loss of many hundreds of thousands of soldiers from both sides , Rome had conquered Carthage 's empire , completely destroyed the city , and become the most powerful state of the Western Mediterranean . </P>
who did rome battle for control of sicily
who did rome battle for control of sicily
Carthaginian Empire
Carthaginian Empire