Punic Wars

In the first Punic War (264–241 bc), Rome secured Sicily from Carthage and established itself as a naval power; in the second (218–201 bc), the defeat of Hannibal (largely through the generalship of Fabius Cunctator and Scipio Africanus) put an end to Carthage’s position as a Mediterranean power; the third (149–146 bc) ended in the total destruction of the city of Carthage