[00:00] (explosion sound)
[00:03] - [Narrator] After the
gigantic battle at Cape Ecnomus
[00:06] the Romans were now free
to land on African soil,
[00:09] and so they did.
[00:11] The Carthaginians chose to focus on
[00:13] defending the city of Carthage itself.
[00:15] So the Romans immediately
took the city of Aspis
[00:18] and were then free to raid
and plunder the countryside.
[00:21] They took over 20,000
slaves and a ton of booty
[00:25] but then some orders
arrived from the Senate.
[00:28] Send home the booty.
[00:30] D'oh!
[00:31] But I want to stay.
[00:33] No, Steve not you.
[00:34] They mean the treasure.
[00:36] Well, we are not watching
anymore this filth.
[00:40] - [Kids] Aww.
[00:41] - [Narrator] So the other
consul left with the booty,
[00:43] leaving Regulus and his
forces on their own,
[00:46] and they began advancing towards Carthage.
[00:48] Along the way, according to
the ancient writer, Livy,
[00:51] they encountered a literal dragon.
[00:54] Now Livy was a Roman historian,
[00:56] so his account may be
slightly exaggerated.
[00:59] But this, I believe.
[01:01] As the Romans continued to plunder,
[01:03] the Carthaginian people
flooded into the city.
[01:07] Now, not only was it in a major panic,
[01:09] but it was so crowded, the
people began to starve.
[01:14] Don't panic, everyone.
[01:16] Look, I know you're all starving
[01:19] but I still have food for me.
[01:23] So, you know, it's not all bad.
[01:26] (crowd boos)
[01:27] Whoa, you're wasting your tomatoes
[01:30] and you idiots wonder why you're starving?
[01:33] Oh, well it's just more food for me.
[01:36] (emperor makes chewing sounds)
[01:39] Things weren't looking good for Carthage.
[01:41] They had to do something
to stop the Romans
[01:43] rampaging throughout their land.
[01:45] So they decided, finally, it
was time to put an end to it.
[01:50] They headed out and set
up on rough, hilly terrain
[01:53] overlooking the Roman camp
[01:55] and they prepared for battle.
[01:57] Now, while the Carthaginians were the
[01:59] traditional masters of the sea, on land,
[02:02] they weren't always the brightest.
[02:04] Case in point, setting up in this position
[02:07] overlooking the Roman camp was just about
[02:09] the stupidest thing they could have done.
[02:12] Why?
[02:13] Well, there's something you
gotta understand about Carthage.
[02:17] The Carthaginian land
forces actually suffered
[02:19] from a multitude of different issues.
[02:22] First of all, since the Carthaginians were
[02:24] rich, rich, rich, they could afford to pay
[02:26] a huge number of foreign
mercenaries to fight for them.
[02:29] These mercenaries actually
made up the vast majority
[02:33] of Carthage's forces and therefore
[02:35] Carthage's land armies were a melting pot
[02:37] of many different cultures.
[02:39] This, however, meant
that if a battle wasn't
[02:41] going their way, there
could be loyalty issues.
[02:45] Man, I ain't getting paid enough for this.
[02:47] You Balearic slingers better not be
[02:49] thinking of running away.
[02:51] What did he say?
[02:52] I don't know, man.
[02:52] I don't speak Venetian.
[02:54] Let's get outta here.
[02:56] Clearly, there were also language issues.
[02:58] The military generals
tended to be Carthaginian
[03:01] but they made a lot of strange decisions.
[03:03] For example, one of the most feared assets
[03:05] of the Carthaginian army
were the war elephants.
[03:08] To a Roman soldier who had never even
[03:10] seen an elephant before, this was like
[03:12] fist fighting a literal monster.
[03:15] Yet the Carthaginians
continually kept placing
[03:17] the elephants in the rear
where they were no use.
[03:20] In a similar fashion,
the neighboring region
[03:22] of Numidia provided Carthage with
[03:24] the most skilled cavalry men in the world.
[03:26] But the Carthaginians often chose to fight
[03:29] on rough, uneven terrain where horses
[03:31] and elephants were less effective.
[03:34] And so in this case,
when the Carthaginians
[03:37] again chose the rough
terrain near the Roman camp,
[03:40] the Romans easily sent them packing.
[03:43] Wow, Regulus.
[03:44] We're mere miles from Carthage.
[03:46] You sure are amazing.
[03:49] Yes, Steve.
[03:50] I know.
[03:51] (Steve sighs)
[03:52] Steve, what's the matter?
[03:54] We've almost won.
[03:55] I just wish I could be
as great as you Regulus.
[03:58] Steve, you're amazing.
[04:01] I mean, look at this thing.
[04:03] It's unbelievable.
[04:05] I know, but I mean like at war stuff.
[04:08] I'm such a noob, my tanks
always get blown up.
[04:11] I can't even fly an aircraft straight.
[04:14] Tanks, aircraft?
[04:16] What are you talking about Steve?
[04:18] I'm talking about free to play online
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[05:42] Mow, where were we?
[05:44] Oh yeah, invading Africa,
getting some booty
[05:47] and sending the Carthaginians packing.
[05:50] Everything was looking up for Regulus.
[05:53] A Roman victory seemed like
it was only a matter of time,
[05:56] but then Regulus realized something.
[06:00] He had been consul for
almost a year and his term
[06:03] was coming to an end.
[06:05] He knew that if his successor took over
[06:07] and he finished the job, then he would get
[06:10] the naked statues, not Regulus,
[06:13] and there was no way Regulus
was going to allow that.
[06:16] So he jumped the gun.
[06:19] You there, Carthaginian boy.
[06:21] I want you to deliver a
message to your elders.
[06:24] I Marcus Atilius Regulus, demand the total
[06:29] and unconditional surrender of Carthage.
[06:32] Unconditional surrender?
[06:34] Geez, at least lay siege and
starve us all to death first.
[06:37] Just deliver the message, punk.
[06:40] He demands your total surrender.
[06:41] What?
[06:42] Geez at least lay siege and
starve us all to death first.
[06:45] Hey, that's what I said.
[06:47] Well, boys, this Roman thinks we're out,
[06:50] but we're not out, are we boys?
[06:52] No.
[06:53] We'll do what we always
do in times like this.
[06:57] Hire somebody else to
solve our problems for us.
[06:59] Darren, bring in the Spartan.
[07:03] (dramatic musical trill)
[07:06] Regulus' overly harsh demands had had the
[07:08] unintended effect of reinvigorating
Carthaginian resolve.
[07:12] They brought in a mercenary
from the famed land of Sparta
[07:15] named Xanthippus to help dig
them out of this situation.
[07:19] And we all know what Spartans are like.
[07:22] (crowd cheers)
[07:24] Xanthippus showed up and
immediately took charge.
[07:27] He had a look around and said, you idiots.
[07:30] Put the elephants in front of the army
[07:32] so they can smash into the Romans and
[07:35] stop fighting on rough, uneven terrain.
[07:37] Find a big, flat field
so your superior cavalry
[07:40] can do their job.
[07:41] And what's this I hear
about you giving a speech,
[07:43] telling everyone they're gonna die?
[07:45] Hey, I was just telling
the people the truth.
[07:48] You're a politician.
[07:50] Lie to the people.
[07:51] (crowd gasps in agreement)
[07:53] And so Xanthippus led
out the newly reformed
[07:55] Carthaginian army to meet Regulus
[07:58] in the battle of the Bagradas River.
[08:00] The elephants, now in the front,
[08:02] smashed into the Roman
lines, causing disarray.
[08:05] The cavalry, with total
freedom of movement,
[08:08] out flanked the Roman infantry.
[08:10] Thanks to this impressive Spartan,
[08:12] the battle was a total
Carthaginian victory.
[08:17] And Xanthippus, for his stunning victory,
[08:20] was forced to flee Carthage
[08:22] because the leadership got jealous.
[08:24] Regulus, the Roman consul was
captured during the battle.
[08:28] Legend has it, he was brought before the
[08:30] Carthaginian council and
they made a proposition.
[08:34] Well, Reggie, not looking
so good anymore is it?
[08:37] Looks like we beat you pretty bad, huh?
[08:40] (spitting noise)
[08:40] Up yours, your Punic pansies.
[08:43] Now, now Regulus, nobody
likes a sore loser, do they?
[08:47] No.
[08:48] How about this?
[08:49] We're gonna send you back to Rome
[08:51] and you convince the Roman
Senate to surrender to us.
[08:54] If you fail though, you gotta come back
[08:56] so we can torture you to death, okay?
[08:59] Okay.
[09:00] You promise?
[09:02] I promise.
[09:04] Hey guys.
[09:05] Whoa, Regulus.
[09:06] We thought you got captured.
[09:08] I did.
[09:09] But they sent me back to
convince you to surrender.
[09:11] Well, should we surrender?
[09:13] No, never surrender.
[09:15] Give them hell, boys.
[09:17] They're at the end of their rope.
[09:18] Anyway, I gotta go be
tortured to death now.
[09:21] What?
[09:22] Yep. Part of a deal I made.
[09:23] It's a long story.
[09:25] Oh, Hey wait, Regulus.
[09:26] No, no, it's cool guys, I promised.
[09:29] Regulus, this is ancient times.
[09:33] We massacre entire populations.
[09:35] We chop pets in half.
[09:37] You can break a promise.
[09:38] No, Tim!
[09:40] You never break a promise.
[09:42] That's too far.
[09:45] And so Regulus went back to Carthage
[09:47] and was tortured to death.
[09:49] And for keeping his
promise, he was immortalized
[09:52] as the leading symbol of Roman virtue.
[09:56] Meanwhile, after their defeat in Africa,
[09:58] 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)