[pirate787]

You're painting Carthage a little bit as a victim, when it was initially a power the equal of Rome. The Punic Wars were brutal for both nations. The sack of Carthage came only after Carthage, led by Hannibal, conducted a 15 year campaign of conquest and terror across Italy. The Romans' relentless adaptation to building a navy, even in the face of unimaginable losses, is remarkable and speaks to a cultural adaptation and perseverance that was a driving force of their success.