History glossary
Punic
a term connected with Carthage's Phoenician-derived language, culture, and western Mediterranean world.
- Category
- People and culture
- Region
- Western Mediterranean
- Date range
- especially 3rd-2nd centuries BCE
What it means
Punic comes from the Latin word Romans used for Phoenicians. In this story it refers mainly to Carthage's Phoenician-derived language, institutions, trade networks, colonies, armies, and wider western Mediterranean influence.
Related terms
Stories using this term
The Roman Republic
From the expulsion of Rome’s kings to the rise of Augustus, the Roman Republic built a powerful mixed constitution, expanded across the Mediterranean, and ultimately collapsed into civil war and one-man rule.
The Punic Wars: The Story of Rome, Carthage and Hannibal
From rivalry over Sicily to Hannibal's invasion, Zama, and the destruction of Carthage, the Punic Wars made Rome the dominant power of the Mediterranean and changed the Republic forever.
