Question: who fought in the punic wars what was the end result

title: Punic Wars
text: The main cause of the Punic Wars was the conflicts of interest between the existing Carthaginian Empire and the expanding Roman Republic . The Romans were initially interested in expansion via Sicily ( which at that time was a cultural melting pot ) , part of which lay under Carthaginian control . At the start of the First Punic War ( 264 - 241 BC ) , Carthage was the dominant power of the Western Mediterranean , with an extensive maritime empire . Rome was a rapidly ascending power in Italy , but it lacked the naval power of Carthage . The Second Punic War ( 218 - 201 BC ) witnessed Hannibal 's crossing of the Alps in 218 BC , followed by a prolonged but ultimately failed campaign of Carthage 's Hannibal in mainland Italy . By the end of the Third Punic War ( 149 - 146 BC ) , after more than a hundred years and the loss of many hundreds of thousands of soldiers from both sides , Rome had conquered Carthage 's empire , completely destroyed the city , and became the most powerful state of the Western Mediterranean . 

Answer: answer: The main cause of the Punic Wars was the conflicts of interest between the existing Carthaginian Empire and the expanding Roman Republic . By the end of the Third Punic War ( 149 - 146 BC ) , after more than a hundred years and the loss of many hundreds of thousands of soldiers from both sides , Rome had conquered Carthage 's empire , completely destroyed the city , and became the most powerful state of the Western Mediterranean .