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The Carthaginians were not beaten for good. They were only waiting for another chance to get even. As, however, they had been unsuccessful in attacking Italy from in front as they had been doing, they made up their minds to attack from the back. Their scheme was to go the long way round through Spain and down into Italy from the north.
In order to do this, first of all they had to conquer Spain so that they could get through. They did this, however, rather easily, for the Carthaginians had a very great general named Hannibal. Then came the great difficulty, to get into Italy by this back way.
Across the top of the boot , at the north of Italy, there are the great mountains called the Alps. They are miles high and covered even in summer with ice and snow. There are crags and steep cliffs along which anyone passing who made a single misstep would be dashed to death thousands of feet below.
It was the Alps, therefore, that formed a bigger and better wall than any city or country could possibly build. Of course the Romans thought it impossible for any army to climb over such a terribly high and dangerous wall.
Time and again there have been things that people call impossible to do, and then someone has come along and done them.
People said it was impossible to fly.
Then someone did it.
People said it was impossible to cross the Alps with an army.
Then Hannibal came along, and before the Romans knew what had happened, he had done it. He had crossed the Alps with his army and was in at the back door! Hannibal brought with him elephants from Africa. These were the tanks of ancient warfare and were highly valued. Can you imagine the long columns of soldiers and elephants crossing those high mountains?
The Romans were unable to keep him from marching on toward their city, winning battle after battle as he came along. They were unable to prevent his marching up and down Italy, conquering other towns in Italy and doing pretty much as he pleased. It seemed as if Rome were beaten and would lose all of Italy.
Now, in some games, if you can’t defend your own goal, it may be a good plan to try attacking your opponent’s goal.
Romans thought they would try this plan. While Hannibal was attacking, Rome would attack Carthage while its general was away and there was no strong goalkeeper to defend that city.
The Romans sent a young man named Scipio with an army to do this.
First, however, Scipio went to Spain to cut Hannibal off from the way he had come.
Scipio then went over to Africa to attack Carthage itself.
The Carthaginians, frightened at being attacked with their general and his army far off in Italy, sent as fast as they could for Hannibal to come home. When at last he arrived, it was too late. Scipio fought a famous battle at Zama near Carthage, and the Carthaginians were beaten, beaten a second time by the Romans. Thus ended the second Punic War in 202 B.C. This is another easy name and easy date:
ZAMA—202 B.C.
The Romans had won two wars against Carthage; you would think that they would now have been satisfied. But they weren’t. They thought they had not beaten Carthage badly enough. They were afraid Carthage was not quite dead or that it might come to life. They thought there might be a little spark left that might start a fire if it weren’t trampled out.
Now, it is bad sport to pummel your opponent after he is beaten, and Carthage was beaten—beaten, black and blue. Yet a few years later the Romans attacked again for the third and last time.
Carthage was unable to defend itself, and the Romans destroyed the city. Later, though, the Roman general Julius Caesar rebuilt the city. Still later, the Romans built other cities nearby, with fine roads connecting them and with great aqueducts bringing them water. Today we can visit the Roman ruins in what is now Tunisia.
