Republic of Carthage (Romae Delenda Est Map Game)

The Republic of Carthage is a major power of the Meditteranian Sea, occupying territory in North Africa, Iberia, and Italy. It is a Republican Oligarchy and was formerly a Monarchy until 308 BC with the death of Bomilcar, the last King of Carthage. Carthage is a former Phoenician colony that gradually grew independent and became a much larger nation, able to challenge the Roman Republic.

History
In 218 BC, The Second Punic War, or The Hannibalic War as it's known as in Carthage,  arose from a  dispute between Rome and Carthage over the hegemony of Saguntum, an Iberian coastal city with diplomatic contacts with Rome. Hannibal Barca laid siege to the city, but no Roman response was made. Hannibal sensed that Rome was weak, and made his move. He went through Western Iberia, through Gaul, and across the Alps into Cispaline Gaul and then finally, the Roman Republic. His army consisted of 90,000 soldiers, 12,000 cavalry, 37 War Elephents, and many siege engines. This was the largest army ever seen by the Hellenistic World and larger than any Roman Army ever fielded yet.

The Roman Republic was unaware any attack was coming, due to the belief that the Alps would keep invaders away and their navy could destroy and prospect of an Amphibious assault. Hannibal fought and won the battles of Massalia, Trebia, and Trasimene. Hannibal also won the sieges of Ariminum, Arretium, Etruria, and even Rome while in Italy. However, he did not realize that Rome had sent an army to Carthago Nova in Iberia, lead by Scipio Africanis, a young and great general of Rome who many believed could challenge Hannibal himself. Scipio defeated Hasdrupal, Hannibal's brother, in Carthago Nova and laid siege to the city.

Hannibal held Rome, and Scipio held Carthago Nova. A peace was brokered by Hannibal due to the fact that his men were exhausted, dead, wounded, and held low morale. There also was no more major armies in Iberia to oppose the Romans with the defeat of Hasdrupal. The peace treaty was known as the Treaty of Hannibal in Carthage and the Treaty of Rome in the Roman Republic. The conditions were that Rome would recieve Carthago Nova, and the Canaris Islands, and Carthage would recieve North-West Rome and half of the island of Sardinia.