Original: Goldsworthy , The Punic Wars , p. 13 The term Punic comes from the Latin word Punicus ( or Poenicus ) , meaning '' Carthaginian '' , with reference the Carthaginians ' Phoenician ancestry .
Simplified: Goldsworthy , The Punic Wars , p. 13 They are known as the Punic Wars because the Latin term for Carthaginian was Punici ( older Poenici , from their Phoenician ancestry ) .