How Did Rome Civilize Rome?

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When Alexander the Great destroyed the Phoenician city of Tyre in 332 BCE, wealthy Phoenicians fled to a small Phoenician port city on the Mediterranean coast of North Africa called Carthage. Prior to the defeat of Tyre, Carthage was already busy building an empire of new territories for trade and resources. While Rome expanded with its army on land to take over the Peninsula of Italy, Carthage expanded along the coastlines of the Western Mediterranean. Carthage grew from a stop for Phoenician traders to re-supply and repair ships to the most powerful city in the Mediterranean; acquiring a merchant marine monopoly through a series of conquests and complicated treaties. The Roman conquered Italian Peninsula met the Carthaginian conquered western Mediterranean coastline in the island of Sicily in 264 BCE. Three wars and a century later the Carthaginian empire ended and Roman Empire began.

Rome’s first encounter with Carthage was 510-509 BCE when a treaty was signed. This trade agreement probably wasn’t too difficult for
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While Rome innovated new ships by copying the ships of Carthage, Carthage did not acquire the machines and technology possessed by Rome needed to seize Rome. Romans had land skills the Carthaginians did not have and did not bother to acquire. Romans employed siege engines, used by the Hellenistic kingdoms, but innovated these to include battering rams, wheels, and interior fighting platforms. (Cartwright, 2016). These were used in both the siege of Utica in 204 BCE and the final siege of Carthage ending the punic wars in 146BCE. (Cartwright, 2016). While Carthage rested between the first and 2nd punic wars, Rome built more ships and developed the corvus; allowing Romans to board enemy ships taking their land battle expertise to the seas. (Mark, 2011). Carthage was destracted by the Mercenary War 241-238