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The Carthaginians anticipated victory, especially because of their superior experience at sea. [10] The corvi helped the Romans seize the first 30 Carthaginian ships that got close enough, including the Carthaginian flagship. To avoid the corvi, the Carthaginians were forced to navigate around them and approach the Romans from behind, or from ...
As a result, the Romans were initially at a disadvantage against the more experienced Carthaginians. To counter this, the Romans introduced the corvus, a bridge 1.2 metres (4 feet) wide and 11 metres (36 feet) long, with a heavy spike on the underside, which was designed to pierce and anchor into an enemy ship's deck. [62]
The Carthaginians established a camp on a hill near Adys. [55] The Romans carried out a night march and launched a surprise dawn attack on the camp from two directions. After confused fighting the Carthaginians broke and fled. Their losses are unknown, although their elephants and cavalry escaped with few casualties. [56]
The Roman lookouts spotted them well before they reached the harbour. As the Romans sallied forth, the Carthaginians lowered their sails for battle and moved to the open sea. The Carthaginians outnumbered the Romans, but their ships were undermanned and the Romans had the advantage of containing a larger number of soldiers aboard their ships.
In 204 BC the Romans landed near the Carthaginian port of Utica with four legions. The Romans defeated two large Carthaginian scouting parties, besieged Utica and set up a fortified camp. The Carthaginians and their Numidian allies each set up their own camps about 11 kilometres (7 mi) from the Romans but close to each other. The Romans were ...
Following the Battle of Cannae, Hannibal sent Carthalo to Rome as a peace envoy. [5] His delegation included a number of Roman prisoners whom the Carthaginians hoped to ransom. However, the newly appointed Roman dictator Marcus Junius Pera sent a messenger to intercept Carthalo's delegation, telling them to leave by nightfall.
The siege bogged down to a stalemate with the Romans unable to force their way into the city or keep their blockade tight enough to stop supplies reaching the defenders, and the Syracusans unable to force the Romans to withdraw. The Carthaginians realised the potential hindrance a continuing Syracusan defence could cause to the Roman war effort ...
The Numidians withdrew slowly and Sempronius pushed his whole army after them, in three columns, each 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) long, through the icy waters of the Trebia, which was running chest-high. The Romans were met by the Carthaginian light infantry; behind them the entire Carthaginian army was forming up for battle.