Pyrrhus essays

Pyrrhus essays Pyrrhus grew up in Illyria, given sanctuary by the King Glaucias when he was a an infant even when he was offered 200 talents for the boy. Pyrrhus became King of Epirus when he was twelve with an army supplied by King Glaucias. at 17 Pyruss went to a wedding of one of Glaucias sons, where was a coup and he lost his throne and his property. So he joined his brother in-law Demetrius. Pyrrhus had gained the reputation of being a skilled fighter but At the battle of Ipsus, demtrius lost that battle, lost control of Greece, and Pyrrhus was sent to Egypt as a hostage to secure the peace treaty between King Ptolemy and Demetrius. In Egypt he married the step-daughter of Ptolemy Antigone, who helped him raise money to raise an army. He went to regain his kingdom in 297 to find that Neoptolemus had taken his kingdom over. He didnt fight him for fear of Neoptolemus allies and they agreed to share the government. This went on for sometime until Pyrrhus finally killed Newptolemus. Pyrrhus friends considered him easy going and not one to lose his temper and a person who would always repay kindness. When he was told to banish a man for saying bad things about him he replied Its better to have him saying things here, then around the world. On another occasion he asked some men whether or not they said some things about him. Demetrius had now installed himself as King of Macedonia and now the Kingdom of Pyrrhus was adjacent to the Macedonian kingdom. War between the former allies was inevitable. The two armies missed each other and he met the army that Demetrius left behind. Pantauchus the commander of that army challenged Pyrrhus to a duel. Pyrrhus wounded Pantauchus and as he fell he was saved by his men. Pyrrhus men were so happy with this victory they tore the Macedonian Phalanx apart and took 5000 prisoners. Demetrius was did not want to keep fighting Pyrrhus when he could be ...

The Third Punic War and Carthago Delenda Est

The Third Punic War and Carthago Delenda Est By the end of the Second Punic War (the war where Hannibal and his elephants crossed the Alps), Roma (Rome) so hated Carthage that she wanted to destroy the north African urban center. The story is told that when the Romans finally got to take revenge, after they won the Third Punic War, they salted the fields so the Carthaginians could no longer live there. This is an example of urbicide.   Carthago Delenda Est! By 201 B.C., the end of the Second Punic War, Carthage no longer had its empire, but it was still a shrewd trading nation. By the middle of the second century, Carthage was thriving and it was hurting the trade of those Romans who had investments in North Africa. Marcus Cato, a respected Roman senator, began to clamor Carthago delenda est! Carthage must be destroyed! Carthage Breaks the Peace Treaty Meanwhile, African tribes neighboring Carthage knew that according to the peace treaty between Carthage and Rome that had concluded the Second Punic War, if Carthage overstepped the line drawn in the sand, Rome would interpret the move as an act of aggression. This offered daring African neighbors some impunity. These neighbors took advantage of this reason to feel secure and made hasty raids into the Carthaginian territory, knowing their victims couldnt pursue them. Eventually, Carthage became fed up. In 149 B.C., Carthage got back into armor and went after the Numidians. Rome declared war on the grounds that Carthage had broken the treaty. Although Carthage didnt stand a chance, the war was drawn out for three years. Eventually, a descendant of Scipio Africanus, Scipio Aemilianus, defeated the starved citizens of the besieged city of Carthage. After killing or selling all the inhabitants into slavery, the Romans razed (possibly salting the land) and burned the city. No one was allowed to live there. Carthage had been destroyed: Catos chant had been carried out. Primary Sources on the Third Punic War Polybius 2.1, 13, 36; 3.6-15, 17, 20-35, 39-56; 4.37. Livy 21. 1-21.Dio Cassius 12.48, 13.Diodorus Siculus 24.1-16.