Carthage was a rich city in Africa. It build its economy by trading resources in North Africa and present day Spain. It also established colonies and trading ports. It had a strong navy. Later, Rome competed with Carthage over trade and control of the Mediterannean. This triggered the first punic war. The First Punic war began in 264 B.C. on a strategic island called Sicily. Carthage was a very rich Phoenician colony. Punic is Latin for Phoenician. The war was fought mainly on the sea where Carthage was good at. Then, Rome suffered a key naval defeat. However, Rome built a fleet of 120 warships in 60 days. This helped Rome get Sardinia and Corsica (two islands near Sicily). Finally, in 241 B.C. Carthage surrendered to Rome. They defeated Hamilcar Barca who was the father of the young boy, Hannibal.

When Hannibal was a kid, he vowed to his father that he would always hate Rome for what it did during the First Punic War. When Hannibal become general of the Carthaginian army he attacked Rome’s allies in southern Spain. That began the Second Punic War in 218 B.C. The Romans executed a counterattack. However, Hannibal outsmarted them. He led his army of 60,000 soldiers and many war elephants into Roman territory and won many battles. He now set his sights on the city of Rome.