Rome and Carthage fought three Punic Wars, and the last ended with Carthage destroyed in 146 BC

historyWikipedia264–146 BC · Western Mediterranean

Rome and Carthage fought three Punic Wars, and the last ended with Carthage destroyed in 146 BC

the gist

The Punic Wars were fought between the Roman Republic and the Carthaginian Empire from 264 to 146 BC, with three wars and a revolt in between. The First Punic War began over Sicily and ended in 241 BC with Carthage paying reparations and Sicily becoming Rome's first province. In the Second Punic War, Hannibal crossed the Alps and campaigned in Italy for fourteen years before the Romans invaded Africa and defeated him at Zama in 202 BC. Carthage was then stripped of its overseas territories and barred from waging war without Roman permission. In 149 BC Rome declared a Third War, and in 146 BC it stormed Carthage, sacked it and levelled the city.

so what

The conflict decided which power would dominate the western Mediterranean and turned Rome into an overseas empire. Its lessons about naval power, long campaigns and total victory still shape how historians talk about ancient warfare.

fun fact

Hannibal crossed the Alps with war elephants during the Second Punic War.

Hampi was once one of the world's largest cities, until its Vijayanagara capital was destroyed in 1565

the gist

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.

how it works

The city was built around a fortified core with temples, markets and water structures along the river, supplied by an extensive network of roads and waterworks. When the empire fell, the city was not rebuilt, so its stone monuments were left standing.

so what

Hampi shows how quickly a great city can vanish after a military defeat, and how a ruined capital can remain sacred. Its ruins give historians a view of medieval South Asia that few other sites can match.

fun fact

The name Hampi comes from Pampa, an old name for the Tungabhadra River.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · text CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: Wikimedia Commons

source: Wikipedia ↗

2 min

politicsshortCNA2:01

False allegations about Singapore’s hand in Indonesia’s markets and a made-up meeting

from CNA

CNA Verify has found close to 400 posts pushing falsehoods tying Singapore to Indonesia’s stock market rout and to a secret meeting that never took place. Together, they drew nearly 12 million views, and some were circulated by accounts that appeared to be working in concert, across multiple social media platforms.

Here’s how the disinformation campaign targeting Singapore was uncovered.

on YouTube: CNA ↗