Punic Wars became the turning event in the history of the ancient world because of their essential impact on its further evolution. The clash of Rome and Carthage was the struggle of two leading powers in the area, and the defeat of the second one meant the elimination of barriers for Roman dominance and the further spread of the Roman Empire. One of the central causes of Carthage’s failure was the difference in political and military strategies utilized by these states. Hannibal, who was the general of military forces, managed to defeat the Roman army several times. Possessing an outstanding understanding of strategy and tactics, he invaded the Italian peninsula and gained control over the area. In such a way, the capital became isolated and faced a high risk of being conquered. It was one of the central moments in the Punic Wars as Carthage, led by Hannibal, was close to the complete victory.
The significance of Hannibal’s invasion is evidenced by the fact that there are many works devoted to it. For instance, Polybius describes this general as the only cause for all events was Hannibal, who had a wonderful influence on minds and people. However, regardless of his outstanding military talents, Hannibal failed to end the war because of the inappropriate strategy and mentality. Being a Hellene in his thinking, he did not recognize the necessity of attack Rome because of the straightforward vision. Having defeated Romans in multiple battles and acquired control over the Empire’s land, he expected them to start negotiations and asking for peace. This erroneous assumption became the central cause of Carthage’s failure as its enemy did not give up and continued resistance regardless of multiple deaths and problems. Almost all fit male citizens served in the army during the Punic War to raise new armies instead of the destroyed ones and win this conflict.
Having lost the chance to conquer Rome, the ancient Cartage had to protect its own capital as Roman Armies used another strategy and did not waste time occupying all enemy’s territories. Instead, legions were sent to the center of the state, and, during the Battle of Carthage, the city was completely destroyed, which became the end of the Punic Wars. There is also an opinion that being the nation of merchants and negotiators with Hellene mentality, Carthage’s citizens were not interested in a long war and siege, while militaristic Romans had all needed to win. In such a way, the end of this conflict signalized the beginning of a new era of a great empire.