Elephants were the first "tanks" used in warfare. Can you imagine the sight of 40,000 troops and 40 angry elephants crossing snow-covered mountains to attack your city? If you think an elephant isn't a frightening fighting machine, watch this video:

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Source: Hannibal's elephants - BBC, YouTube1911

Yikes! That was the scene as Hannibal Barca marched through the Alps on his way to attack the enemy he hated most, Rome.

A special purpose map of the Mediterranean showing the various locations of Phoenician colonies throughout North Africa, Southern Spain, the coastal Middle East, Malta, Sicily, and Crete.

Source: The Phoenician World, EDSITEment!, National Endowment for the Humanities

Punic? Seriously...what does THAT mean? The word Punic refers to the civilization in North Africa known as Carthage. "Punic" was derived from a Greek word meaning "Phoenician." Carthage was a strong Phoenician city, but as Phoenicia declined in importance in the region, Carthage thrived. Rome desired the strategic trading location of Carthage and its neighboring islands of Sardinia and Sicily.