Outlines of Roman History

As we have learned from our reading material of “Outlines of Roman history “by William Morey. (1901) We know that Carthage was very successful from its trading business and has been an economically stable government in the African continent.

In this essay, we will discuss how Carthage authority developed to be nearly equivalent to Roman. Along with that, we will discuss the reason which led Rome to develop into a great naval power.

Mr. Morey very accurately transcribed that the Carthage was located in the northern part of the African continent. (1901) Positioned so close to the waters permitted this nation to trade with other nearby countries with the help of ships. She had brought under her influence the trading states of northern Africa and a large number of the Greek towns of Sicily. Truth to be told, Carthage was the incredible business-city of the Mediterranean. She had become prosperous and powerful by purchasing and selling various items like spices, fabrics, iron, gold, and other metals, etc.

of the East and the West. And thanks to the successful trading opportunity, Cartage had very strong naval ships and talented people who knew their jobs well.

For an outsider, who wasn’t very familiar with the inside circle of the government, Carthage visibly had a similar government structure as the Roman republic. Carthage had two main representatives ‘suffetes’, there was a board of senior citizens called the ‘Hundred’ which was analogous to the Roman senate, additionally; it had a general assembly that resembled the Roman ‘comitia’.

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Be that as it may, but the core and the spirit of the Carthaginians were altogether different. The genuine influence was practiced by a handful of prosperous aristocratic families. The order of the military was always in the hands of the constant and skilled general. Many Carthaginians wondered and didn’t understand about the Roman republic with its methods of delegating some of the government duties to Roman citizens. And as a result, comparing to Rome, the Carthage lacked its entire population’s loyalty.

Assessing these two incredible opponents of the West, we understand that they were more or less alike in their power and assets. Carthage was more prosperous in its resources; on the other hand, Rome had improved government structure. Carthage had dominant naval power and excellent military leaders, yet Rome had a progressively proficient armed force and its loyal residents. The principle quality of Carthage rested in her riches and business assets, while Rome relied on the loyalty of her citizens and the efficient political framework. The Carthaginians magnitude was visible in their triumphs, while the Romans have shown their merit during the difficult time of the catastrophe and tragedy.

During the first conflict between Rome and Carthage for the possession of the Sicily was the time when Rome has realized that her army is fragile without the strong navy ships. We shouldn’t forget, Rome had a navy fleet, but in comparison to Carthage, Roman ships were simpler and fewer in numbers. And in order to overpower the Cartage, Rome needed to build new and stronger crafts. According to Morey, the Romans had recreated one of a Carthaginian damaged ship that was abandoned on the seashore. And within two months have assembled a hundred of them, adding a few changes of their own; especially, laying out planks for the combat soldiers to be able to jump onto the opponent’s vessels during the battle. (1901) And since then, Rome became a supreme navy empire.