The First Punic War - OverSimplified (Part 1)

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0:21 [OverSimplified] Buy them, or I'll marry your mother.

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0:27 [Dad] Oh, Marcelus!

0:29 You sure have a lot of dignitas!

0:31 Kiss me!

0:32 Okay.

0:33 (imitates kissing)- [Timulus] Hey dad?

0:36 [Dad] Hi son, just reading the newspaper.

0:37 What can I do for you?

0:38 [Timulus] Well, you know how you always say

0:40 Rome is the greatest civilization in the world?

0:43 [Dad] It bloody well is!

0:44 [Timulus] Well, I was just wondering, what makes us so great?

0:47 How did we come to be?

0:49 [Dad] Wow.

0:50 My son!

0:52 Boy, let me take you on a journey to this side of the room.

0:57 The story of Rome begins with these beautiful baby

1:01 boys going to town on some she-wolf mommy milkers.

1:04 [Timulus] That's gross.

1:05 [Dad] You're gross!

1:06 Sorry, son.

1:07 You're not gross.

1:08 I love you.

1:09 They're called Romulus and Remus and when they grew up,

1:13 in 753 BC, they founded Rome But there was just one problem.

1:19 They couldn't agree on which of them should be the king.

1:22 [Timulus] But they worked it out peacefully, right?

1:24 [Dad] Oh, heavens no!

1:25 Romulus caved Remus's skull in with a shovel.

1:27 Here's a picture.

1:29 [Timulus] Our first king committed fratricide?

1:31 [Dad] I know, look at his face!

1:33 [Timulus] When's the part where we become the greatest civilization, Dad?

1:36 [Dad] Well, you see, at first Rome was full of men.

1:39 Oh yeah!

1:39 I'm talking like a real sausage party.

1:41 You know what I mean?

1:42 [Timulus] Yes, sir.

1:43 [Dad] So we invited some neighboring cities over for a big

1:45 feast and then we literally kidnapped all of their women.

1:48 Here's a picture.

1:49 (laughs) Look at that one.

1:52 She's like, bah!

1:54 (Dad laughs)- This is messed up.

1:56 [Dad] You're messed up!

1:56 Ugh, sorry, sorry.

1:58 I'll be a better father.

2:00 I promise.

2:01 So then, finally, after centuries of monarchy,

2:04 those tyrannical kings started getting a little too big for their britches,

2:07 so we overthrew the kings and established Rome as a republic.

2:11 [Timulus] Is that when all the killing stopped?

2:13 [Dad] Oh, heavens no!

2:14 That's when the killing surged, baby!

2:16 We went wild and conquered the Latin League, the Samnites, the Etruscans!

2:21 Woo, what a rush!

2:23 [Timulus] Dad, Rome seems pretty barbaric.

2:25 [Dad] You're barbaric!

2:26 Oh, I forgot to tell you about the time

2:28 a prophet told Saturn his son would one day overthrow him.

2:30 So Saturn literally ate his own son, seconds after he was born.

2:36 [Timulus] I don't wanna see a picture.

2:37 [Dad] Here's a picture.

2:38 [Timulus] Dad!

2:39 Look at that!

2:40 [Dad] Hmm?

2:41 [Timulus] That's messed up, man.

2:42 Are we really this uncivilized?

2:43 [Dad] Hey, hey, if we were so uncivilized,

2:46 would we use communal toilets where we all

2:48 fart and poo together in one big stinky, steamy, dirty toilet room?

2:51 [Timulus] Yeah, dad, we would!

2:53 [Dad] Clean your butt with the sponge, Timulus!

2:55 [Timulus] But all these guys just used it.

2:57 [Roman] What's wrong with your son, bro?

2:58 [Timulus] I don't wanna be Roman.

3:00 This is so weird.

3:01 [Dad] You're weird!

3:02 Sorry, you're not weird.

3:04 I'm sure you're probably fine.

3:06 Huh?

3:08 (Timulus screams)- [OverSimplified] The Roman Republic,

3:17 the nation that, since its foundation,

3:19 had been stabbing necks all the way down the Italian peninsula.

3:23 But this isn't the famous Roman Empire that ruled the known world.

3:26 Not yet, anyway.

3:27 This is a relatively juvenile Rome,

3:30 (Rome passes gas) still just a regional power.

3:31 In 264 BC, the big daddy of the Western Mediterranean was Carthage.

3:37 Let's rewind a bit.

3:39 Carthage was founded in 814 BC when some Phoenicians in Tyre had

3:43 mega surplus of goods and decided

3:45 to export those goods across the Mediterranean.

3:48 They became the dominant trading power in the region

3:51 and to support their growing trade network,

3:53 the Phoenicians established a number of colonies, one of which was Carthage.

3:58 Therefore, Carthage began its life as a Phoenician

4:01 trade colony and the Carthaginians were actually Phoenicians,

4:05 or, if you're a Latin speaking Roman,

4:08 they were Punic, hence the name of the video.

4:10 Oh!

4:11 Over the centuries, Carthage gradually expanded

4:13 and became the region's base of power.

4:15 Just like Rome, Carthage was a semi-democratic

4:18 Republic with its own Senate and Judiciary.

4:21 But there were also some pretty hefty differences between the two.

4:24 While Rome was big into farming and stabbing people in the neck,

4:27 the Carthaginians, on the other hand, just like their Phoenician forefathers,

4:31 had built their power through trade and navigating the waves.

4:35 They went here and there, selling ivory tusks, gold, and slaves.

4:40 And as a result, (Carthaginians cheer) they were rolling in it.

4:44 Whenever they weren't busy swimming around in their copious hoards of money,

4:47 in their spare time,

4:48 they also possibly enjoyed sacrificing their children to Ba'al,

4:51 the God of, let me just check my notes, ah, yes, plant fertility.

4:57 [Farmer] Oh boy, these figs aren't looking too hot.

4:59 Maybe if I throw my son into a burning pit of fire, they'll grow.

5:03 [Son] Have you tried watering them, Dad?

5:05 [Farmer] Hmm.

5:07 No, we'll try that second.

5:09 [OverSimplified] As a result of all their trading,

5:10 Carthage had emerged as one of the Mediterranean superpowers.

5:13 "But wait," they said.

5:15 "Rome?

5:15 What the heck is that?" Well,

5:17 I know it's a pretty obscure little country that you've probably never heard

5:21 of, but this spunky young nation was about

5:24 to upset the entire region's balance of power.

5:27 Initially, the two sites enjoyed relatively friendly

5:30 relations and it even signed a couple treaties.

5:32 But it was a relationship that was practically destined to turn sour.

5:37 See, Rome had a thing where they liked to aggressively expand their boundaries,

5:41 often viewing such expansion as a defensive act.

5:44 Kind of like when you could kill your neighbor because

5:47 you knew eventually they would've tried to kill you first.

5:50 Meanwhile, Carthage was extremely protective of its wealthy trade network.

5:54 So if you put a very strategically important island between them,

5:58 well, two plus two equals war.

6:01 Tensions rose and the two sides

6:03 began viewing each other with increasing disdain.

6:07 The hardworking Romans looked across the water

6:09 at the money-hungry Carthaginians and said, "Look at those dishonest crooks.

6:13 Bet they've never done an honest day's work

6:15 in their lives!" And the Carthaginians looked back and said,

6:18 "Look at those simple-minded brutes.

6:20 Bet they've never sacrificed a baby in their lives!"

6:22 "Yeah!" While war between the two superpowers seemed inevitable,

6:27 the event that finally triggered it was a little unexpected.

6:30 The whole thing began with a few simple mad lads on a wild night out.

6:35 These mad lads are called the Mamertines.

6:38 They were Italian mercenaries employed by the tyrant of Syracuse, here.

6:42 But when he died, his successor said, "Sorry, fellas,

6:45 we don't need any big burly men with sharp sticks anymore.

6:48 You can all go home."- [Mamertines] Aw.

6:51 [OverSimplified] The Mamertines, as it turned out, didn't want to go home.

6:54 So instead, they went to the nearby town of Messana and said,

6:57 "Hey man, we are but poor little buff boys without a home.

7:01 May we come in?"- [Guard] Aw, poor fellas.

7:04 Sure thing!

7:05 Ah, ah, just so long as you promise not to massacre all of us.

7:10 [Mamertines] (laugh) We promise!

7:14 [OverSimplified] The Mamertines then massacred all of them.

7:15 Well, not all of them, just the men.

7:18 And they stole their homes and families.

7:21 [Mamertine] Ha, this is my house now!

7:23 This is my Best Dad Ever mug now!

7:25 And you guys are my new family!

7:27 Son, wanna go play catch with your old papa?

7:31 [Son] You're not my real dad!

7:32 [Mamertine] Ugh, teenagers, am I right, dear?

7:35 [Woman] You're not my real husband.

7:37 [Mamertine] Ugh, I'm so trapped in this marriage.

7:40 [Woman] Then get out!

7:43 [Mamertine] No.

7:44 [OverSimplified] Messana was now controlled by the Mamertines

7:45 and they began raiding up and down the Syracuse coastline.

7:49 When the new ruler of Syracuse saw this, he wasn't happy.

7:52 The Syracusans began fighting back and in response,

7:56 the Mamertines said, "Oh, crap, they're fighting back?

7:59 What do we do?"- [Mamertine] Quick,

8:01 we'll convince the Carthaginians to come and save us.

8:04 Oh no!

8:05 We're in trouble!

8:07 And we need a big, strong empire to come and rub our bellies.

8:12 [Mamertine Leader] Why are you saying it like that?

8:14 [Mamertine] If I was a big, strong empire, I think I'd like to be seduced.

8:18 (Carthaginians murmur) See, it's working!

8:23 [OverSimplified] The Carthaginians had long

8:24 dreamed of controlling all of Sicily.

8:25 They had been fighting Syracuse and their Greek

8:27 influence on the island for centuries

8:29 and now here was a great opportunity to get one over on them.

8:33 So Carthage promptly answered the Mamertines's cry

8:35 for help and sent a force to garrison Messana.

8:38 As it turned out, however,

8:39 some within the ranks of the Mamertines weren't too happy with the occupying

8:43 Carthaginians and they sent out a second cry for help to Rome.

8:46 When it reached the Roman Senate, they were a little more hesitant.

8:50 Going to help the Mamertines ran the risk of triggering an all-out

8:54 war with Carthage and they had

8:56 only just finished conquering the Italian peninsula, so they were kind of tired.

8:59 Plus the Mamertines were all the way across the water.

9:02 They had never made a leap like that before.

9:05 So you would assume that to avoid any conflict with Carthage,

9:08 the exhausted Romans would probably sit this one out,

9:11 But you would assume wrong.

9:14 Rome just couldn't resist a good chance for war.

9:18 Why?

9:19 Well, there's something you gotta understand about Rome.

9:22 See, as a Republic, they were hell-bent on preventing

9:25 any one man from ever gaining too much power.

9:28 And so rather than having one leader,

9:30 Rome had two, called Consuls, who shared power.

9:33 These Consuls could also only serve for one

9:35 year at a time before new Consuls were elected.

9:38 These measures, to limit the powers of the Consuls,

9:41 were noble, but had an interesting side effect.

9:44 The Consuls knew they had just one year to try

9:48 and gain as much glory and prestige as possible,

9:50 something that was very important in Roman society.

9:54 And the best way of gaining glory and prestige?

9:56 Military victory, of course.

9:59 The Roman political system basically ended

10:01 up encouraging these Consuls to go out and be as aggressive as your Italian

10:07 grandmother when you don't eat all the spaghett.

10:09 And so the glory-seeking Consuls convinced the people

10:12 to vote in favor of going to Messana.

10:15 And in they went.

10:17 Upon the arrival of the Romans, the Carthaginians in the city,

10:20 amongst the confusion, were forced to leave.

10:23 Now in contrast to Roman aggression,

10:25 the Carthaginian military had a slightly different philosophy.

10:29 [Teacher] All right, kids, listen up.

10:31 If you wanna grow up to be Carthaginian military leaders,

10:33 there's a few things you have to understand.

10:36 If you fail to succeed on the battlefield, that's a crucifixion.

10:39 Showing cowardice, that's a crucifixion.

10:42 [Warrior] Hello, sir.

10:43 [Teacher] Huh?

10:44 What are you doing here?

10:45 Aren't you meant to be in Messana?

10:46 [Warrior] Yeah, but the Romans showed up.

10:48 [Teacher] So you just left?

10:50 [Warrior] Sure did.

10:53 [Teacher] Oh, you better believe that's a crucifixion.

10:55 (class cheers)- [OverSimplified] The Roman Consuls were awarded

10:58 for victory and therefore tended to be aggressive go-getters.

11:02 By contrast, the Carthaginian generals were brutally punished for failure

11:06 and so they tended to be more cautious and restrained.

11:09 This dynamic is helpful for understanding some

11:12 of the crazy things that happened during the Punic Wars.

11:15 So the Romans have crossed over to Messana

11:18 and now there was some red on the island.

11:21 Hit that panic button.

11:22 (crowd screams) This turn of events

11:25 was unacceptable to both Carthage and Syracuse.

11:28 So the traditional enemies teamed up to kick the Romans off their island.

11:32 They surrounded the city and said, "Hey, you jerks, this isn't your island!

11:37 Come out of there at once!"- [Romans] Okay, we're coming!

11:41 [Carthaginian] See, Phil.

11:41 You just gotta speak with authority.

11:43 That's what being an alpha male's all about.

11:46 [Romans] Hey man.

11:48 [Carthaginian] Oh, you brought your weapons and armor?

11:50 No, I didn't mean.

11:52 Oh, crap.

11:53 [OverSimplified] Out the Roman legions came to engage

11:56 the Carthaginians in battle and they sent them packing.

12:00 With the battle of Messana, whether intended or not,

12:03 by going to help the Mamertines,

12:05 the two sides had just slipped into an all-out war.

12:10 With the initial Roman victory,

12:12 towns across Sicily, including Syracuse began switching allegiance.

12:17 Because being a winner is more fun.

12:20 But the Carthaginians weren't about to just give up that easily.

12:23 In 262 BC, they began building up their forces at Agrigentum.

12:28 So the Romans, being aggressive go-getters, aggressively go got them.

12:32 The Romans immediately laid siege,

12:34 hoping to starve out the Carthaginian garrison.

12:37 However, because this was the first time

12:39 Rome had been fighting outside the Italian peninsula,

12:42 across the water, they struggled to supply their forces.

12:45 And before long, the Romans were

12:47 as starving as the Carthaginians they were besieging.

12:51 They had to forage for food, leaving them open to ambush.

12:54 And when Carthaginian reinforcement arrived,

12:57 creating a double siege, things got really bad.

13:00 Everybody starved each other for months until nobody could take it

13:04 anymore and they all finally came out for battle, which Rome won.

13:08 [War Counselor] Here's the report from the recent siege at Agrigentum, sir.

13:12 [Senate Member] We killed 30,000 while only suffering 7,000 losses?

13:16 That's amazing!

13:17 We're the best!

13:18 [War Counselor] Yes, sir.

13:19 Whoops, those are the wrong way around.

13:22 [Senate Member] What?

13:23 We lost 30,000?

13:24 We're the worst!

13:26 But we won, right?

13:28 [War Counselor] Yes, sir.

13:29 [Senate Member] But we also got our asses kicked?

13:31 [War Counselor] Yes, sir.

13:32 [Senate Member] So are we the best or the worst?

13:35 [War Counselor] Yes, sir.

13:36 (Senate murmurs)- [OverSimplified] The Romans wanted

13:39 Agrigentum because they were aggressive go-getters

13:41 and they now began eyeing up the possibility of conquering the entire island.

13:45 But they also suffered very heavy losses and it was clear

13:49 they couldn't sustain a campaign if they couldn't supply their troops.

13:53 Here's the issue.

13:54 Sicily was an island.

13:56 Islands are surrounded by water.

13:59 A strong navy would be vital for supplying troops and winning the war.

14:03 Here was Carthage's navy and here was Rome's.

14:08 (water splashes) I think you can see the problem.

14:10 Historians debate just how much naval experience Rome had at this point.

14:15 Presumably, they must have had something to defend their shoreline.

14:18 But whatever it was,

14:20 it would've paled in comparison to the Carthaginian juggernaut.

14:24 And so Rome had to figure out exactly what to do about all this water.

14:29 [Roman General] Come on, men!

14:30 We're not gonna let some pansy,

14:32 candy-ass water get in the way of our glorious victory against Carthage!

14:36 Charge!

14:39 (Roman General sputters) Tell my kids I love them!

14:46 [Roman Leader] We're gonna need a bigger boat.

14:48 [Roman Warrior] What's a boat?

14:50 [Roman Leader] I don't know.

14:50 [OverSimplified] If the Romans wanted to win this war and obtain Sicily,

14:53 there was only one thing for them to do.

14:56 [Roman General] I guess we're just gonna have to go

14:58 ahead and build ourselves a war fleet, aren't we?

15:00 [Hank] From scratch?

15:01 [Roman General] From scratch.

15:02 [Hank] But we don't even know how, never mind how to fight with one.

15:06 [Roman General] Don't worry, Hank.

15:07 We're up to the challenge.

15:08 Come on, guys.

15:09 We're Romans and Romans aren't afraid of anything!

15:13 (screams)- [OverSimplified] And so the Romans worked long and hard,

15:15 trying to figure out how on earth

15:17 you actually built the latest style of warship.

15:19 In the end, they had a bit of luck on their side.

15:22 A Carthaginian quinquireme ended up accidentally grounding on Italian soil.

15:26 The Romans found it and copied the design.

15:29 While the new fleet was being built,

15:31 the Romans trained rowers on land and, would you believe it,

15:34 the Romans put together a full fighting fleet

15:37 of 120 warships in just two months, a staggering feat.

15:43 Now, I know what you're thinking.

15:45 "But OverSimplified,

15:46 if the Romans can build a war fleet from scratch in two months,

15:49 then why does it take you half a year to make a video?" Well,

15:53 my valued subscriber, I think you should shut up.

15:57 [Carthaginian General] What the heck?

15:58 How on earth did the Romans learn how to build a war fleet?

16:02 This shouldn't be happening!

16:04 [Carl] From what I hear, they copied the design from us, sir.

16:07 [Carthaginian General] Well, how on earth did they get the blueprint, Carl?

16:10 [Carl] I don't know, sir.

16:12 But I'll tell you what.

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16:15 [Carthaginian General] No.

16:16 [Carl] And you wanna protect yourself

16:17 from outside threats—- [Carthaginian General] Don't you dare!

16:19 [Carl] Then you, my friend—- [Carthaginian

16:20 General] If you mention NordVPN, I'll scream!

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17:24 Now, where were we?

17:26 Oh yeah, the siege at Agrigentum, supply issues, and building a war fleet.

17:32 So now the Romans have a navy and it's time to put it to the test.

17:37 But how does one wage ancient naval warfare?

17:40 Easy!

17:40 (bell dings) All of the ships had giant bronze rams on the front,

17:43 so all you had to do was out-maneuver the enemy and give them the jimmies.

17:47 Easy as pie.

17:49 And so the aggressive Romans set out for some good old fashioned jimmy-giving.

17:54 The Consul Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio set out for the town of Lipara,

17:58 believing the garrison there wanted to join the Romans.

18:01 As he entered the harbor, however,

18:03 he found himself trapped by a Carthaginian fleet and, in the following skirmish,

18:08 he was completely outmatched.

18:11 The Romans may have had a brand new fleet,

18:13 but when it came to engaging in actual combat, their inexperience showed.

18:18 There was just something better about the Carthaginian ships.

18:21 The Carthaginian rowers had nicer abs.

18:24 The entire Carthaginian Empire had been built on expert seamanship.

18:29 So when it came to water,

18:31 the Carthaginians were better and the Romans were wetter.

18:35 In their initial skirmish, the Romans were beaten so badly that the Consul,

18:40 Scipio, was given a nickname, Asina.

18:43 And if you're wondering what that means, just drop the -ina.

18:46 (donkey hee-haws) So what were the Romans to do?

18:49 How could they possibly stand up to this Carthaginian superpower?

18:53 Well, there's something you gotta understand about the Romans.

18:58 Back when they found that Carthaginian ship and copied its design,

19:01 that wasn't a one-off thing.

19:03 Copying their enemies was as Roman as punishing murderers

19:07 by sewing them into a leather pouch with a monkey,

19:09 snake, and rooster and then throwing them into a river,

19:12 which is a thing they did.

19:13 Wait, what was I talking about?

19:15 Oh yeah, copying their enemies.

19:17 Many of the most famous Roman inventions were actually borrowed.

19:21 Aqueducts, chariot racing, their gods.

19:24 Even in warfare, the Romans would get pierced

19:27 by a Sabine javelin and they'd be like,

19:29 "Wow!" They'd get hacked to bits by an Iberian sword and they'd be like,

19:34 "Wow!" And they'd copy the designs for themselves.

19:37 However, they wouldn't just copy it.

19:39 They would advance it, finding ways to adapt it as perfectly as possible.

19:45 And in the case of naval warfare,

19:47 the Romans realized if they wanted to beat the Carthaginians at their own game,

19:51 they would have to adapt.

19:53 The Romans excelled at combat on land, not on water.

19:57 "But what if," they said,

19:59 "We could somehow turn a sea battle into a land battle?" Sounds crazy, right?

20:05 Well, they made a couple of tweaks

20:08 to their warship and—- [Carthaginian General] Look, here they come again!

20:12 They must love getting their asses kicked!

20:14 [Carthaginian] Uh, sir, almost that tall thing sticking out of their ships?

20:18 [Carthaginian General] (laughs) They really are idiots!

20:23 Look at that thing!

20:24 That'll make them blow over!

20:26 I mean, look at...

20:28 (laughs) Bob, get your camera out!

20:34 (laughs) Take a picture of it.

20:39 I mean, how stupid can you be?

20:41 Let's just add a big wooden tower to our ship

20:44 that'll weigh us down and blow us over in the wind!

20:49 I mean, what does that thing even do?

20:51 (ship crunches) (men yell)- [OverSimplified] The Romans had

20:57 built a big swinging spiked gangway called the Corvus.

21:01 So when the Carthaginian ships approached to ram them,

21:03 the Romans would just slam them.

21:06 The Carthaginians tried going around.

21:08 No problem.

21:09 The Corvus could swivel.

21:11 Try going behind, the Romans would huddle to the coastline.

21:14 It was foolproof.

21:16 (Romans cheer) Those big sexy Carthaginian

21:18 rowing muscles could flex all they want,

21:21 but they were no match for the Roman mind.

21:24 So ladies, you see?

21:26 What really matters is what's on the inside.

21:30 Please go out with me.

21:31 And with that, the Romans,

21:33 who had only just recently began dabbling in the art of naval combat,

21:37 thanks to their ingenious Corvus,

21:39 had just managed to outclass the Mediterranean seafaring superpower.

21:44 The Carthaginians were stunned.

21:46 And the general in charge of the defeated Carthaginian fleet?

21:50 Well, you better believe that's a crucifixion.

21:54 (kids cheer) With their newfound control of the seas,

21:58 the Romans could now more easily blockade

22:00 coastal cities and supply their legions on land.

22:03 Surely the Romans were now free to unleash their aggression all over the island.

22:09 [Roman General] Haha!

22:10 Hey Carthaginians!

22:11 What are you gonna do now that we're free to rampage across the island?

22:15 [Carthaginian General] We're gonna go inside these walls and close this gate.

22:20 [Roman General] Oh, come on guys.

22:21 Stop messing around.

22:22 Come out so we can kill you!

22:23 [Carthaginian General] No.

22:24 [Roman General] Oh, come on!

22:26 [Carthaginian General] No.

22:28 [Roman General] Oh no!

22:29 [OverSimplified] To counter the new Romans supremacy,

22:31 the Carthaginians decided to engage in a defensive war of attrition,

22:35 forcing the Romans to engage in siege after lengthy siege.

22:38 The war in Sicily became a long, hard, back and forth slug.

22:43 One by one, cities slowly fell as the Romans gained ground.

22:47 Occasionally, the Carthaginians countered and even pushed them back,

22:51 only for the Romans to rebound again.

22:53 And whenever a city did finally fall,

22:55 the Romans could delight in slaughtering the entire

22:59 population and selling any survivors into slavery,

23:02 which was pretty standard procedure at the time.

23:04 In general, the campaign on land was

23:07 progressing much slower than the Romans had hoped.

23:09 And quite frankly, they were getting sick of it.

23:12 So in 256 BC, they decided that something had to change.

23:18 [Marcus] Hey everyone,

23:19 my name's Marcus Atilius Regulus and I'll be one of your Consuls for this year.

23:23 Look as I'm sure you all know, Sicily's being a bit of a drag.

23:27 Sure, I could go and spend my entire year as Consul besieging one single city,

23:31 but they'll never make a naked statue of me for that.

23:34 So here's the new plan.

23:36 I'm gonna skip Sicily entirely, take my army,

23:39 and go right for the heart of Carthage itself.

23:42 I'll slaughter the men, enslave all the women and children,

23:45 and when I return, you'll all build 1,000 naked statues of me.

23:50 (crowd cheers)- [Jim] Marcus, that woman and children stuff.

23:56 That seems pretty evil and barbaric.

23:58 [Marcus] No, Jim, it's perfectly normal in the ancient world.

24:01 Sometimes we even chop their pets in half.

24:03 (crowd cheers)- [Carthaginian General] Okay guys,

24:06 looks like the Romans are coming straight for us this time.

24:09 And what will they do when they get here?

24:10 They'll kill us all.

24:12 (crowd gasps) They'll massacre each and every last one of us.

24:14 They may even chop our pets in half.

24:17 [Rob] That's barbaric!

24:18 [Carthaginian General] No, Rob, it's actually pretty normal for the time.

24:20 We'd do the same to them.

24:22 [Mary] Who will protect us?

24:23 [Carthaginian General] Funny you should ask, Mary.

24:25 That's kind of why I called this meeting.

24:27 Who will protect us?

24:29 Protect our families, our homes, our children?

24:35 You guys?

24:36 Ha, don't make me laugh.

24:40 Why, you're just a bunch of stupid and weak farmers.

24:45 Simple-minded buffoons, cowards, fools.

24:50 Rob here thinks enslaving women and children is barbaric.

24:54 You're a snowflake, Rob.

24:56 Yes, you are.

24:58 The fact is if the Romans manage to land on African soil,

25:03 we're all gonna die a terrifying, hideous, unspeakably painful death.

25:16 [Rob] Is that the end of that speech?

25:19 [Carthaginian General] Yes.

25:20 (crowd screams)- [OverSimplified] The Carthaginians had

25:25 to stop the Romans from ever

25:27 landing in Africa because they believed that would be the end.

25:30 So as the Romans were building an invasion fleet

25:32 the size of which the world had never seen before,

25:35 the Carthaginians were preparing an even bigger one to stop them.

25:39 And in 256 BC, as the Roman invasion fleet made its way south,

25:44 the stage was set for a humongous battle that saw 680 warships,

25:50 around 300,000 men, fighting to decide the course of the war.

25:55 To this day, the Battle of Cape Ecnomus

25:57 remains possibly the largest naval battle in human history,

26:02 all the way back in ancient times.

26:04 So the next time your granddad tells you

26:06 about the time he sank a Japanese aircraft carrier, kick him in the nuts.

26:10 The Romans had a lot riding on this battle.

26:12 They weren't just sending their warships, but transports as well,

26:16 full of supplies and horses for their invasion of Africa.

26:19 They therefore formed a protective wedge-like

26:21 formation to punch through the long, thin Carthaginian line.

26:25 The Carthaginian generals, however,

26:27 desperate to prevent the Romans from reaching Africa, had a plan of their own.

26:32 As the Roman fleet approached, the Carthaginian center feigned a retreat

26:37 luring the Romans in so their outstretched

26:39 flanks could envelop them and get around the Roman Corvus, a clever plan.

26:45 But with such a huge battle and so many ships crowded together,

26:49 the Carthaginians struggled to maneuver as hoped and in the chaos,

26:54 three separate battles emerged across the huge battle space.

26:58 With the number of ships limiting their ability to maneuver,

27:01 the Carthaginians became sitting ducks and all

27:04 the Romans had to do was start swinging.

27:07 The Roman center came out on top and were

27:09 then able to turn around and rescue their pinned-down flanks.

27:13 The battle of Cape Ecnomus was a Roman victory.

27:20 (epic music)