Carthage vs. Rome

1. 71

   BakerRamblesposted 12 years ago

   Would Carthage had fell from expansionist power is Rome had not interfered?

   replyreport
   1. 91

      ata1515posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I'm not sure I follow the question. Are you asking if Carthage would have collapsed due to its own expansion without Roman intervention?

      replyreport
      1. 71

         BakerRamblesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Yes that is what I'm asking, or if they would've thrived, either one works

         replyreport
   2. 56

      Obscure_Treasuresposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      same here.........i couldnt get the question

      replyreport
   3. 0

      Hxprofposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      It's possible, I believe, that Carthage could have risen to control the Mediterranean (as Rome did), but Carthage would have had to change.  That change might have come from the influence of the victorious Barca family and their supporters.  Necessary changes would have includied expanding citizenship to other Phoenicians in North Africa, even a limited form of citizenship.

      replyreport
2. 91

   ata1515posted 12 years ago

   Carthage would have eventually been overwhelmed by some Mediterranean power if the Romans had not annihilated them. They may have lasted longer, spread farther, and had a greater effect on the Mediterranean basin, but eventually they would collapse. A good example of a Carthaginian like collapse would be the earlier Athenian Empire. The Athenian Empire was based on trade and naval power, and had colonies around the Aegean, as well as farther out into the Mediterranean. The Athenian Empire was not defeated in war, but because of it. Athens had a mercenary fleet and paid allies to field land forces, much like the Carthaginians did with the Numidians and Spaniards. After fighting the Peloponnesian league to a standstill, the Athenian treasury ran out and the city-state collapsed internally. If the Carthaginians had managed to defeat Rome,  or confined the Romans to Italy, they would still have been unable to cope with the military expenses, unlike the Romans who had citizen soldiers. Victory over the Italians would simply have given the Carthaginians another foe, perhaps the Gauls, or one of the Diadochi kingdoms in the Eastern Mediterranean.

   replyreport
   1. 71

      BakerRamblesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you for that insightful information, and the Athenian empire reminds me of the American government invent sense of expansion and stressed financial funding

      replyreport
      1. 80

         vox vocisposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         I'm glad the Romans held everything in their hands. Without them, there wouldn't be the western culture as we know it today. Ave Cesare (this last greeting isn't meant to be provocative)

         replyreport
         1. 66

            Marquisposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            Without them, Athens and some of the Far Eastern cultures such as Babylon.

            replyreport