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22:04
Transcript
0:00
(explosion sound)
0:03
- [Narrator] After the
gigantic battle at Cape Ecnomus
0:06
the Romans were now free
to land on African soil,
0:09
and so they did.
0:11
The Carthaginians chose to focus on
0:13
defending the city of Carthage itself.
0:15
So the Romans immediately
took the city of Aspis
0:18
and were then free to raid
and plunder the countryside.
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0:21
They took over 20,000
slaves and a ton of booty
0:25
but then some orders
arrived from the Senate.
0:28
Send home the booty.
0:30
D'oh!
0:31
But I want to stay.
0:33
No, Steve not you.
0:34
They mean the treasure.
0:36
Well, we are not watching
anymore this filth.
0:40
- [Kids] Aww.
0:41
- [Narrator] So the other
consul left with the booty,
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0:43
leaving Regulus and his
forces on their own,
0:46
and they began advancing towards Carthage.
0:48
Along the way, according to
the ancient writer, Livy,
0:51
they encountered a literal dragon.
0:54
Now Livy was a Roman historian,
0:56
so his account may be
slightly exaggerated.
0:59
But this, I believe.
1:01
As the Romans continued to plunder,
1:03
the Carthaginian people
flooded into the city.
1:07
Now, not only was it in a major panic,
1:09
but it was so crowded, the
people began to starve.
1:14
Don't panic, everyone.
1:16
Look, I know you're all starving
1:19
but I still have food for me.
1:23
So, you know, it's not all bad.
1:26
(crowd boos)
1:27
Whoa, you're wasting your tomatoes
1:30
and you idiots wonder why you're starving?
1:33
Oh, well it's just more food for me.
1:36
(emperor makes chewing sounds)
1:39
Things weren't looking good for Carthage.
1:41
They had to do something
to stop the Romans
1:43
rampaging throughout their land.
1:45
So they decided, finally, it
was time to put an end to it.
1:50
They headed out and set
up on rough, hilly terrain
1:53
overlooking the Roman camp
1:55
and they prepared for battle.
1:57
Now, while the Carthaginians were the
1:59
traditional masters of the sea, on land,
2:02
they weren't always the brightest.
2:04
Case in point, setting up in this position
2:07
overlooking the Roman camp was just about
2:09
the stupidest thing they could have done.
2:12
Why?
2:13
Well, there's something you
gotta understand about Carthage.
2:17
The Carthaginian land
forces actually suffered
2:19
from a multitude of different issues.
2:22
First of all, since the Carthaginians were
2:24
rich, rich, rich, they could afford to pay
2:26
a huge number of foreign
mercenaries to fight for them.
2:29
These mercenaries actually
made up the vast majority
2:33
of Carthage's forces and therefore
2:35
Carthage's land armies were a melting pot
2:37
of many different cultures.
2:39
This, however, meant
that if a battle wasn't
2:41
going their way, there
could be loyalty issues.
2:45
Man, I ain't getting paid enough for this.
2:47
You Balearic slingers better not be
2:49
thinking of running away.
2:51
What did he say?
2:52
I don't know, man.
2:52
I don't speak Venetian.
2:54
Let's get outta here.
2:56
Clearly, there were also language issues.
2:58
The military generals
tended to be Carthaginian
3:01
but they made a lot of strange decisions.
3:03
For example, one of the most feared assets
3:05
of the Carthaginian army
were the war elephants.
3:08
To a Roman soldier who had never even
3:10
seen an elephant before, this was like
3:12
fist fighting a literal monster.
3:15
Yet the Carthaginians
continually kept placing
3:17
the elephants in the rear
where they were no use.
3:20
In a similar fashion,
the neighboring region
3:22
of Numidia provided Carthage with
3:24
the most skilled cavalry men in the world.
3:26
But the Carthaginians often chose to fight
3:29
on rough, uneven terrain where horses
3:31
and elephants were less effective.
3:34
And so in this case,
when the Carthaginians
3:37
again chose the rough
terrain near the Roman camp,
3:40
the Romans easily sent them packing.
3:43
Wow, Regulus.
3:44
We're mere miles from Carthage.
3:46
You sure are amazing.
3:49
Yes, Steve.
3:50
I know.
3:51
(Steve sighs)
3:52
Steve, what's the matter?
3:54
We've almost won.
3:55
I just wish I could be
as great as you Regulus.
3:58
Steve, you're amazing.
4:01
I mean, look at this thing.
4:03
It's unbelievable.
4:05
I know, but I mean like at war stuff.
4:08
I'm such a noob, my tanks
always get blown up.
4:11
I can't even fly an aircraft straight.
4:14
Tanks, aircraft?
4:16
What are you talking about Steve?
4:18
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So thank you.
5:42
Mow, where were we?
5:44
Oh yeah, invading Africa,
getting some booty
5:47
and sending the Carthaginians packing.
5:50
Everything was looking up for Regulus.
5:53
A Roman victory seemed like
it was only a matter of time,
5:56
but then Regulus realized something.
6:00
He had been consul for
almost a year and his term
6:03
was coming to an end.
6:05
He knew that if his successor took over
6:07
and he finished the job, then he would get
6:10
the naked statues, not Regulus,
6:13
and there was no way Regulus
was going to allow that.
6:16
So he jumped the gun.
6:19
You there, Carthaginian boy.
6:21
I want you to deliver a
message to your elders.
6:24
I Marcus Atilius Regulus, demand the total
6:29
and unconditional surrender of Carthage.
6:32
Unconditional surrender?
6:34
Geez, at least lay siege and
starve us all to death first.
6:37
Just deliver the message, punk.
6:40
He demands your total surrender.
6:41
What?
6:42
Geez at least lay siege and
starve us all to death first.
6:45
Hey, that's what I said.
6:47
Well, boys, this Roman thinks we're out,
6:50
but we're not out, are we boys?
6:52
No.
6:53
We'll do what we always
do in times like this.
6:57
Hire somebody else to
solve our problems for us.
6:59
Darren, bring in the Spartan.
7:03
(dramatic musical trill)
7:06
Regulus' overly harsh demands had had the
7:08
unintended effect of reinvigorating
Carthaginian resolve.
7:12
They brought in a mercenary
from the famed land of Sparta
7:15
named Xanthippus to help dig
them out of this situation.
7:19
And we all know what Spartans are like.
7:22
(crowd cheers)
7:24
Xanthippus showed up and
immediately took charge.
7:27
He had a look around and said, you idiots.
7:30
Put the elephants in front of the army
7:32
so they can smash into the Romans and
7:35
stop fighting on rough, uneven terrain.
7:37
Find a big, flat field
so your superior cavalry
7:40
can do their job.
7:41
And what's this I hear
about you giving a speech,
7:43
telling everyone they're gonna die?
7:45
Hey, I was just telling
the people the truth.
7:48
You're a politician.
7:50
Lie to the people.
7:51
(crowd gasps in agreement)
7:53
And so Xanthippus led
out the newly reformed
7:55
Carthaginian army to meet Regulus
7:58
in the battle of the Bagradas River.
8:00
The elephants, now in the front,
8:02
smashed into the Roman
lines, causing disarray.
8:05
The cavalry, with total
freedom of movement,
8:08
out flanked the Roman infantry.
8:10
Thanks to this impressive Spartan,
8:12
the battle was a total
Carthaginian victory.
8:17
And Xanthippus, for his stunning victory,
8:20
was forced to flee Carthage
8:22
because the leadership got jealous.
8:24
Regulus, the Roman consul was
captured during the battle.
8:28
Legend has it, he was brought before the
8:30
Carthaginian council and
they made a proposition.
8:34
Well, Reggie, not looking
so good anymore is it?
8:37
Looks like we beat you pretty bad, huh?
8:40
(spitting noise)
8:40
Up yours, your Punic pansies.
8:43
Now, now Regulus, nobody
likes a sore loser, do they?
8:47
No.
8:48
How about this?
8:49
We're gonna send you back to Rome
8:51
and you convince the Roman
Senate to surrender to us.
8:54
If you fail though, you gotta come back
8:56
so we can torture you to death, okay?
8:59
Okay.
9:00
You promise?
9:02
I promise.
9:04
Hey guys.
9:05
Whoa, Regulus.
9:06
We thought you got captured.
9:08
I did.
9:09
But they sent me back to
convince you to surrender.
9:11
Well, should we surrender?
9:13
No, never surrender.
9:15
Give them hell, boys.
9:17
They're at the end of their rope.
9:18
Anyway, I gotta go be
tortured to death now.
9:21
What?
9:22
Yep. Part of a deal I made.
9:23
It's a long story.
9:25
Oh, Hey wait, Regulus.
9:26
No, no, it's cool guys, I promised.
9:29
Regulus, this is ancient times.
9:33
We massacre entire populations.
9:35
We chop pets in half.
9:37
You can break a promise.
9:38
No, Tim!
9:40
You never break a promise.
9:42
That's too far.
9:45
And so Regulus went back to Carthage
9:47
and was tortured to death.
9:49
And for keeping his
promise, he was immortalized
9:52
as the leading symbol of Roman virtue.
9:56
Meanwhile, after their defeat in Africa,
9:58
the remaining Roman
survivors, still in Africa,
10:01
were still in Africa and
they needed to be rescued.
10:05
So the Romans sent their
fleet to pick 'em up
10:07
and bring 'em home.
10:09
They successfully fended
off a Carthaginian fleet,
10:11
grabbed the survivors and
made their way to Sicily.
10:15
A great success.
10:16
But then things took a turn for the worse.
10:20
Sir, that cloud looks kind of angry.
10:23
Fear not, coward.
10:25
If we Romans can build
a war fleet from scratch
10:28
and defeat the Carthaginian
empire at their own game,
10:32
why then, even mother nature
herself will crumble before us.
10:37
I laugh in the face of mother nature.
10:39
Haha.
10:40
See?
10:41
Come on guys, laugh at
mother nature with me.
10:44
Ha ha!
10:45
(all laugh)
10:48
(thunder crashes)
10:51
(soldiers screaming)
10:54
284 ships, nearly 80% of the
Roman fleet, was destroyed.
11:00
As many as a hundred thousand men drowned
11:03
in a terrifying act of nature.
11:06
Never before had Rome lost so many men
11:09
in a single incident.
11:11
A hundred thousand casualties
for any other nation
11:14
would be crippling.
11:15
Any other nation would
hastily sue for peace.
11:18
Any other nation would spend
decades trying to recover.
11:22
But Rome was not just any other nation.
11:26
Infamous for its unrelenting determination
11:28
in the face of overwhelming odds,
11:31
Rome said, well, I guess we'll just
11:33
have to build another fleet.
11:35
And they did.
11:36
In just three months,
they built 220 more ships,
11:40
an astonishing feat.
11:42
The Romans sent out
their brand spanking new
11:44
war fleet and they got
caught in another storm.
11:51
This time a whole 'nother fleet was lost
11:55
and still the Romans did not give up.
11:58
The Carthaginians couldn't believe it.
12:00
Their enemy had just lost
hundreds of thousands of men,
12:04
had two fleets almost entirely destroyed
12:07
and they still wouldn't surrender.
12:10
As one Roman poet put it,
the victor is not victorious
12:14
if the vanquished does
not consider himself so.
12:18
In typical Roman fashion,
after a short break,
12:21
they were once again
building another fleet.
12:24
However, for now, after
all the disasters at sea,
12:28
the focus began shifting back to the
12:30
land campaign in Sicily.
12:32
The Carthaginians, overconfident
from recent successes,
12:36
attempted to retake Panormus,
12:38
but the Romans countered
the terrifying war elephants
12:41
by throwing stuff at them
and scaring them away.
12:44
Having stopped the Carthaginian advance,
12:46
the road was now open to the final
12:48
Carthaginian stronghold
on the island, Lilybaeum.
12:52
Lilybaeum was an extremely
well fortified city.
12:56
In 250 BC, the Romans laid siege.
12:59
The Carthaginian defense
however, was fierce
13:03
and skilled blockade runners
kept the city supplied.
13:05
Progress was so slow
that the siege would last
13:09
another nine years.
13:10
To make matters worse, the Carthaginians
13:13
later sent possibly the
greatest military general
13:15
of the time, a man named
Hamilcar Barca, to the island.
13:19
He engaged in a skillful
campaign of guerrilla warfare
13:22
behind enemy lines and for
the remainder of the war
13:25
he was a major thorn in the Roman's side.
13:27
For now, with the deadlocked
siege at Lilybaeum
13:30
and the new Roman fleet at sea,
13:32
things seem to be at a standstill
13:35
and the Romans had to do
something to break the deadlock.
13:38
Thankfully, the Roman consul,
Clodius Pulcher, had an idea.
13:43
He tried to get things moving by attacking
13:45
the Carthaginian fleet at Drepana.
13:47
Now before a battle, to
predict if they would win,
13:50
it was common for the Romans to look
13:52
for signs from the gods.
13:54
This could mean observing the weather
13:56
or inspecting some cow livers, you know,
13:58
typical religion stuff.
14:00
In this case, Pulcher reportedly tried to
14:02
feed some sacred chickens,
14:04
but unfortunately for him
they wouldn't eat a crumb.
14:07
A very bad sign.
14:09
Well, he said if they won't
eat, then let them drink.
14:14
Stupid chickens.
14:15
We'll observe the weather instead.
14:17
Gods, give me a sign.
14:19
(thunder crashes)
14:21
Ignore that.
14:22
Okay, how about this?
14:23
If I can get this piece of paper
14:24
into that trash basket, we'll win.
14:28
Okay, if I can stand here silently
14:30
for five seconds and
do nothing, we'll win.
14:36
(Pulcher farts)
14:37
Ah, dagnammit.
14:38
Pulcher chose to ignore
the signs from the gods
14:41
and in the following battle,
the superior Carthaginians
14:44
tore them to shreds.
14:45
It also didn't help that
by now the Romans had
14:48
removed the Corvus to
stabilize their ships
14:50
and without their secret
weapon, it was a disaster
14:54
and Pulcher was disgraced.
14:56
To make matters worse, the
victorious Carthaginian fleet
15:00
then went on to intercept
a Roman supply fleet
15:02
on its way to Lilybaeum.
15:04
As they approached,
however, they saw the signs
15:06
of an incoming storm,
so they took shelter.
15:09
The Romans on the other hand
said, onward men, set sail.
15:13
We've gotta deliver these supplies stat.
15:15
But sir, those clouds.
15:17
Don't you think we ought to
have learned our lesson by now?
15:20
Yes, Brian, we ought to
have, but we haven't.
15:25
Another fleet and 50,000
men lost in another storm.
15:31
Disaster.
15:32
Now at this point there still
really isn't a clear winner.
15:36
Sure, the Romans have
captured most of Sicily
15:39
and cornered the Carthaginian
land forces at Lilybaeum.
15:42
But the continued disasters at sea were
15:44
critically depleting their resources.
15:46
And without a strong
fleet, Rome could not win.
15:49
Meanwhile, Hamilcar Barca
was still knocking about
15:52
and creating even more problems.
15:54
So where do we go from here?
15:56
How does this war finally end?
15:59
By now, the two sides had
been fighting for 23 years.
16:03
They were exhausted.
16:05
Their money, their
resources, their strength
16:08
were all utterly spent.
16:11
The Carthaginians, in
particular, were eager to see
16:13
the war end so they could get back to
16:15
trading and making money.
16:17
So after the latest Roman disaster at sea,
16:20
they said, look, there
ain't no way in heck
16:24
the Romans can come back again.
16:26
They can't possibly afford
to build another fleet.
16:29
They're done.
16:30
That's it.
16:32
Recall the Navy, repurpose
them as merchant ships
16:35
and let's get back to making some money.
16:38
(crowd cheers)
16:39
Assuming the Romans would soon make peace,
16:42
an anti-war faction within the government
16:44
recalled a large portion of the Navy,
16:46
leaving Hamilcar on his own.
16:48
The victors appeared to be
declaring themselves victorious.
16:51
Meanwhile, the vanquished
we're getting ready
16:54
for round five.
16:55
The Romans built another fleet.
16:57
This time heavily relying
on patriotic donations
17:00
from the upper classes to afford it.
17:02
And once again they put to sea.
17:06
Sir, the Romans have built another fleet.
17:08
Oh, for goodness sake, Clarence.
17:10
Can't you see I'm busy rolling around
17:11
in this pile of money?
17:12
But sir.
17:13
I don't care anymore, Clarence.
17:15
I just don't care.
17:17
The Carthaginian politicians made a
17:19
fairly lackluster final effort
17:21
with a poorly built fleet to
supply their forces in Sicily.
17:25
But when the brand new
Roman fleet caught them
17:27
at the battle of the
Aegates, even without their
17:30
signature Corvus, they
dealt them the final blow.
17:33
And that was that.
17:36
23 years of war.
17:38
Neither side could
afford to keep fighting.
17:40
But the Romans showed that
they intended to anyway.
17:43
The Carthaginians had no choice,
but to throw in the towel.
17:47
The war had been long
and hard for both sides
17:51
but in the end it was Roman determination
17:54
that won the fight.
17:56
The Romans had spent the entire war
17:58
trying to find a way to
deliver the knockout blow.
18:01
They learned how to build a fleet
18:03
and engage in Naval combat.
18:04
They developed ingenious,
new ways of waging war.
18:08
They attempted an invasion
of the Carthaginian heartland
18:11
and whenever disasters struck them,
18:13
they always came back again, and again.
18:16
The Carthaginians, on the other hand,
18:18
spent the entire war
watching whatever Rome did
18:21
and then figuring out how to respond.
18:23
They were much more passive.
18:26
And so it's no wonder then,
18:28
that when both sides
were close to collapse
18:30
Rome was the one who figured out how
18:32
to go that little bit further.
18:34
In 241 BC, the Carthaginian politicians
18:38
sent word to Hamilcar Barca
that he was on his own
18:41
and could choose to make peace
with the Romans if he wished.
18:44
Hamilcar was stunned.
18:46
He felt betrayed by the politicians.
18:49
Some sources say he
refused to even negotiate.
18:52
Nevertheless terms had to be drawn up.
18:56
Well Hammy, I'm glad you Carthaginians
18:58
have finally come to your senses and
19:00
recognized who the true winner is.
19:03
How many fleets did you lose?
19:04
Blah, blah, blah.
19:05
Okay, here are our terms.
19:06
You leave Sicily to us and
return all of our prisoners.
19:09
You're not allowed to
make war against Syracuse
19:11
or her allies and you have to pay us
19:13
2200 talents of silver
over the next 20 years.
19:17
What's a talent of silver?
19:19
Well, to put it in perspective,
19:21
in the year 2022, that'll be worth around,
19:23
let's say 40 million U.S. dollars.
19:25
Ay caramba!
19:27
That will cripple us.
19:28
Wow, we got a real smart guy over here.
19:30
Yeah, that's kind of
the point, you dingus.
19:32
Ugh.
19:33
I guess I have no choice.
19:35
I accept.
19:36
Great.
19:37
Oh, by the way, we changed our minds.
19:38
You actually have to pay us 3,200 talents
19:41
of silver over 10 years.
19:42
Thanks for accepting.
19:43
Dude!
19:44
See you later.
19:45
Hey, you didn't let me say uncool.
19:48
He didn't let me say uncool.
19:49
The treaty was extremely punishing,
19:51
and by switching up the
terms at the last minute
19:54
they enraged the Carthaginians,
19:56
but still one of the longest and deadliest
19:59
wars at the time was finally over.
20:03
The Romans had won.
20:05
They achieved their aim of gaining Sicily.
20:07
And even though it wasn't
part of the peace deal
20:09
they took advantage of a weakened Carthage
20:12
and grabbed Corsica and Sardinia as well.
20:14
Roman expansion beyond the
Italian peninsula had just begun.
20:19
The Romans hoped that
now the Carthaginians
20:21
would forever be under their thumb.
20:23
Unfortunately, the harsh terms they placed
20:26
on the Carthaginians at the end of the war
20:28
left a growing anger.
20:30
One that would come back to haunt them.
20:33
One day, Carthage will have its revenge.
20:36
That's nice dear.
20:38
I'm serious woman.
20:39
Maybe not in my lifetime,
but perhaps in his.
20:43
My beautiful son, you are
born into a momentous destiny.
20:50
You shall be Rome's greatest enemy.
20:53
You'll tear Rome limb from limb.
20:56
You'll burn their pathetic
city into the ground.
20:59
You'll slaughter their people,
men, women and children.
21:04
My child, you are vengeance.
21:09
Stop telling our baby he's vengeance.
21:11
But he is Barbara, he's vengeance.
21:14
That may be so someday, but
for now our son has a name
21:18
and you should call him that instead.
21:21
His name is...
21:24
(dramatic music)
21:32
Don't forget to play War Thunder now
21:34
by clicking my link in
the description below.
21:36
Get a huge bonus pack,
including premium vehicles,
21:39
boosters and more.
21:41
New and existing users
will also get the very sexy
21:44
Over Simplified decal, so you can
21:46
destroy your enemies in style.
21:48
(upbeat music)
21:58
(upbeat music continues)
— end of transcript —
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