Carthage was one of the great ancient civilizations, and at its peak, the wealthy Carthaginian empire dominated the Mediterranean against the likes of Greece and Rome, with commercial enterprises and influence stretching from Spain to Turkey. In fact, at several points in history, it had a very real chance of replacing the fledgling Roman empire or the failing Greek poleis (city-states) altogether as master of the Mediterranean.

Although Carthage by far preferred to exert economic pressure and influence before resorting to direct military power (and even went so far as to rely primarily on mercenary armies paid with its vast wealth for much of its history, it nonetheless produced a number of outstanding generals, from the likes of Hanno Magnus to the great bogeyman of Roman nightmares himself: Hannibal.

However, the Carthaginians’ foreign policy had one fatal flaw: they had a knack over the centuries of picking the worst enemies to fight. The first serious clash of civilizations Carthage faced was against Greece, which rapidly became hostile when the Carthaginians began pushing to spread their influence towards the colonies known as Magna Graecia (“Great Greece”). Those colonies had been established in southern Italy and Sicily by several Greek poleis, and these territories would become a casus belli for the First Punic War.

Certain foreign policy decisions led to continuing enmity between Carthage and the burgeoning power of Rome, and what followed was a series of wars which turned from a battle for Mediterranean hegemony into an all-out struggle for survival. Although the Romans gained the upper hand in the wake of the First Punic War, the Carthaginians brought the Romans to their knees for over a decade during the Second Punic War. Of course, they were led in Italy by the legendary Hannibal Barca, who maintained his army near Rome for nearly 15 years, but never attempted to march on Rome.

One overlooked figure in the Punic Wars is Hamilcar Barca, who is now best remembered for being Hannibal’s father. However, before Hannibal marched out of Spain, it was Hamilcar who had positioned forces there, and he was already a significant historical figure in his own right. Indeed, had it not been for his death, his legacy likely would have been more important than that of his illustrious son, who is now remembered as one of history’s greatest generals.