First Punic War Trivia Quiz

Answer: The occupation of the city of Messina by mercenaries

In 288BC a mercenary band called the Mamertines (sons of Mars) occupied the city and massacred its inhabitants. They then started raiding the countryside around it. In 264BC the king of Syracuse decided to crush them, and the Mamertines fearing justice appealed to both Rome and Carthage for help.

The Carthaginians realised that taking the city would greatly aid them in their wars against the Greeks and occupied it for themselves. The Romans may already have been considering an invasion of Sicily, it would have been a logical next step, but they were certainly worried that once in possession of Messina there would be nothing between the Carthaginians and Italy itself, thus with mixed motives of greed and fear they invaded and took the city from the Carthaginians starting the war.

Answer: They sided with Carthage but then defected to the Romans

The Syracusans had been fighting Carthage for hundreds of years, but Rome was a new and hungry power, and the Syracusan king (Heiro) didn't want a new power established in Sicily. However the allies didn't work together and the Romans defeated them both seperately, shortly afterwards Heiro defected to their side.

Answer: Oligarchy, a senate of wealthy citizens supported by a people's assembly

In Rome senators were appointed due to family connections, the senate was dominated by the same families throughout the republican era and there was a belief that certain traits (wisdom, courage, loyalty) ran in particular families, you could judge a man by his ancestors and the offices they had achieved.

In Carthage entry to the senate depended on wealth. The Carthaginian government was praised by the Greek author Aristotle as a balanced constitution. Both governments were presided over by 'twin presidents' called Consuls in Rome and Suffetes in Carthage.

Answer: Marcus Atilius Regulus

The Roman fleet gained a significant victory over the Carthagninians at the battle of Cape Ecnomus, and landed their army safely. The Roman army then won a crushing victory over the Carthaginians in a battle at Adys.

After this second defeat the Carthagninian senate heard of a Spartan mercenary nemaed Xanthippus who was in the city and criticising the way the Carthaginians were fighting, they hired him to reorganise their army and moved to confront the invaders.

Some fifty years before the first Punic War a Syracusan ruler named Agothacles had been losing a war against Carthage and had tried a similar tactic, applying pressure to the Carthaginians own homeland to try and force them to accept terms.

Answer: Tunis

The Carthaginians had war elephants, cavalry superiority and a highly competent commander in Xanthippus; the Roman army was destroyed and the survivors were evacuated by sea, but due to poor seamanship the fleet was wrecked off Sicily and most of the men were lost.

Regulus himself was captured but his fate is unknown, a popular story is that he was sent to Rome under parole to negotiate peace, but then encouraged the Romans to fight on, he then honoured his parole by returning to the Carthaginians who killed him, either by torturing him to death or rolling him down a hill in a barrel with spikes on the inside. However these stories did not appear until long after the events and may be propaganda justifying Roman actions.

Answer: False

Quite the opposite, and this makes their repeated naval victories over the Carthaginians all the more remarkable. Although successful on land the Romans had never been a naval power, and at first had to use ships provided by their allies. However it is believed that a Carthaginian warship was wrecked on the coast of Italy and the Romans copied the design. The Romans quickly learned how to build ships of war.

The Carthaginians on the other hand being a trading nation had a very powerful navy and skilled crews. Superior seamanship helped them on at least one occasion where a Carthaginian fleet spotted a storm coming and took shelter while a Roman fleet was wrecked.

Answer: The raven

Carthaginian sailors were of a far higher quality than Roman sailors and could sink Roman ships by ramming them, so the Romans developed a weapon that pinned the enemy ship in place while their soldiers boarded and captured it. It was known as the raven (corvus). It enabled them to turn a sea battle into a series of small land battles.

Answer: The Carthaginians failed to press the Romans, and in fact disbanded their fleet

Unbelievably with the naval war won and a real opportunity to counter attack on land, the Carthaginian senate decided to disband their fleet. The anti-war faction in the senate led by Hanno the Great had taken power and thought that the Romans were beaten. The Romans constructed a new fleet from scratch and attacked. This sabotaging of their own efforts is a recurring theme for the Carthaginians in the Punic wars.

Incidentally, there was a Roman tradition before battle of giving corn to the sacred chickens, if they ate then it was a good omen and battle could be commenced; if they refused to eat then it was a bad sign and battle should be avoided. Before Drepana the chickens refused to eat the grain and the furious Roman commander, Publius Claudius Pulcher, shouted "They don't eat, so let them drink!" and the poor chickens were thrown overboard. Pulcher was later prosecuted, not for losing the battle, but for having ignored the sacred chickens!

Answer: Loans from wealthy citizens

Patriotic citizens made loans to the government who promised repayment after the war was won. Given that Rome was on the brink of defeat this shows the tremendous patriotism and stubborness of the Romans, even if a few may have been "encouraged" to lend.

In times of crisis the Romans frequently resorted to such means, including in the second Punic war raising legions entirely composed of slaves, gladiators and convicts, who were promised freedom if they survived.

Answer: The Aegates Isles

Too late the Carthaginians raised a new fleet, but it was of very poor quality and the Roman fleet commanded by Lutatius Catulus won a total victory, enabling them to impose extremely harsh terms on the Carthaginians which caused great resentment. After the war the Romans seized the islands of Sardinia and Corsica from Carthage and extorted another massive fine. This was going too far. A second war was inevitable.

Amid the carnage of the first Punic War few people would have noticed the birth of a child to Hamilcar Barca and his wife, a baby boy called Hannibal. The unjust seizure of Sicily, Corsica and Sardinia by the Romans enraged and embittered Hamilcar, and shortly afterwards he and his now nine year old son left Carthage for Spain to build a new empire, the Romans had just created their own worst nightmare.