Second Carthaginian-Roman Treaty

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In the year 348 BC The second Carthaginian-Roman treaty , concluded in the 2nd century BC, renewed the first friendship treaty from 508 BC. BC, which from the Roman point of view was due to the expansion in central Italy. Here the Roman Republic indicated its sole claim to the areas it had subjected to and the respect of its areas of influence in Latium towards Carthage. In return, the territorial claims and spheres of influence of Carthage in Africa and Spain were recognized.

Main features of the contract

  1. The Carthaginians have absolute sovereignty over Libya and Sardinia.
  2. The Romans are forbidden from entering these countries except as a result of force majeure .
  3. In Sicily, as far as Carthaginian territory is concerned, and in Carthage, the Romans are permitted to trade. The Carthaginians are allowed to do the same in Rome.
  4. The Romans have absolute sovereignty over the cities they control in Lazio.
  5. The Romans are entitled to the cities conquered by Carthage in Lazio, which Rome did not control.

The contract was quoted by Polybios as follows:

Friendship should exist between the Romans and the allies of the Romans and the people of the Carthaginians, Tyrians and Uticaeers and their allies under the following conditions.

  1. Beyond the beautiful foothills and Mastia Tarseios, the Romans are said not to engage in piracy, trade or found a city.
  2. If, however, the Carthaginians take a city in Lazio that is not subject to the Romans, they should keep their belongings and the people, but hand the city over to the Romans.
  3. If the Carthaginians make prisoners out of a people with whom the Romans are at peace according to a written treaty, but who are not subject to them, they should not bring them into the Roman ports.
  4. But if someone is brought there and a Roman lays hand on him, he should be free. Nor should the Romans do anything of the sort either.
  5. If a Roman takes water or food for the journey from a country that is under Carthaginian rule, he should not do injustice to someone with whom the Carthaginians have peace and friendship with the help of the food. But neither should the Carthaginian do that.
  6. However, when this happens, do not seek satisfaction on your own. If someone does this, it should be considered an offense against the state.
  7. In Sardinia and Libya no Roman should trade or found a city or land, except until he has provisions and repaired his vehicle. If a storm has driven it there, it should expire again within five days.
  8. In Sicily, insofar as it is Carthaginian territory, and in Carthage he should be allowed to do and sell everything that a Carthaginian citizen is allowed to do. The Carthaginian should also be allowed to do the same in Rome.

The situation had changed fundamentally. Rome accelerated the struggle for supremacy in central Italy and secured the immunity of the Italian coastal cities from Carthaginian territorial claims through the treaty. Carthage , for its part, underlined the absolute claim to North Africa, part of Sicily and Sardinia. There was also a driving ban for the south coast of Iberia. From the Roman point of view, trade was restricted to western Sicily and Carthage.

See also

literature

  • Michael Crawford : The Roman Republic . dtv, Munich 1983 (dtv history of antiquity), ISBN 3-423-04403-9 ; engl. Original edition: Michael Crawford: The Roman Republic . Collins & Sons, 1976 (Fontana History Of The Ancient World)
  • Dieter Flach : The Roman-Carthaginian relations up to the outbreak of the First Punic War . In: Rosmarie Günther u. a. (Ed.): E fontibus haurire. Contributions to Roman history and its auxiliary sciences. Schöningh, Paderborn 1994, pp. 33-44.
  • Werner Huss : History of the Carthaginians . Beck, Munich 1985, here pp. 149–155.
  • Christian Marek : The provisions of the second Roman-Punic treaty on the borders of the Carthaginian territorial waters . In: Chiron 7 (1977), pp. 1-7.
  • Klaus Zimmermann : Rome and Carthage . Scientific Buchgesellschaft, Darmstadt ³2013, ISBN 978-3-534-26025-6 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Polybios: Historien , Book III 24.3-13 .