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Rome and Carthage came into conflict in the First Punic War of 264-241 BCE. This war was fought for the control of Sicily. The Romans after a brutal struggle emerged victorious and they gained possession of the island and became the dominant Italian power. The Second Punic War (218-201 BC), often known as Hannibal’s War was the greatest challenge that Rome ever faced <ref> Chris Scarre, "The Wars with Carthage," The Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Rome (London: Penguin Books, 1995), pp 24–25</ref>. Hannibal was a military genius, who had greatly expanded the Punic Empire in Iberia and invaded Italy after traversing the Alps. After his decisive victory at Cannae it seemed that the Romans were defeated, but remarkably they survived. They eventually wore Hannibal down in a war of attrition. Then one of the greatest Roman generals Scipio Africanus defeated the Carthaginians in Spain and invaded their homeland (in modern Tunisia). This forced Hannibal to return from Italy and he was later defeated by Scipio at the Battle of Zama. The Carthaginians were defeated, and Hannibal was forced into exile. A vengeful Rome imposed a peace treaty on the city that was punitive. By the end of the second Punic War, the Carthaginians had lost all their Empire and were confined to their original territory. Rome had achieved a total victory in the Second Punic War. It had a large and very professional army and had become a naval power. Carthage was too weak to oppose Rome’s ambitions in the Mediterranean. Under the harsh terms of the treaty that ended the Second Punic War the Carthaginians had been reduced to the status of a dependency of the Italian city-state <ref>Scullard, Howard Hayes: A History of the Roman World, 753 to 146 BC (New York, Routledge, 2002), p 316</ref>. Not only had they been forced to relinquish their Empire and limit their navy, the Punic state was obliged to pay a massive indemnity to their old enemies’ treasury every year. Furthermore, the Republic oversaw the foreign relations of the city-state. The Romans also encouraged Numidians to frequently raid Carthaginian areas and found in their favor in border disputes<ref> Scarre, p. 24</ref>. The peace terms that the Romans had imposed on the North African city-state were onerous and framed in such a way as to weaken it, permanently. The descendants of the Phoenician settlers were an intrepid race of mariners, entrepreneurs, and traders. Despite the treaty, Carthage was able to pay the reparations and even to expand its trade network. The recovery of the city was remarkable, and it became, once more an economic powerhouse, despite all the efforts of the Romans<ref>Miles, Richard. Carthage Must Be Destroyed: The Rise and Fall of an Ancient Civilization (London, Allen Lane, 2010), p. 45</ref>. This alarmed some of the Senators, who were the ruling elite in the city on the Tiber. Many had fought in the Second Punic War and knew that Rome had come close to defeat and possible extinction at the hands of Hannibal. The distinguished senator Cato the Elder demanded that ‘Carthage must be destroyed’ at the end of every speech he made in the Senate </ref> Appian, History of Rome, v, iii</ref>. However, many Romans did not want a war as they had come to rely upon the payments from Carthage.

[[File: Carthage four.jpg|200px|thumb|left|The prow of a Carthaginian Ship in a modern museum]]

Hoyos, Dexter The Carthaginians (London, Routledge, 2010)

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