Why did war break out again between Rome and Carthage in 218 BC, and who was to blame?
The causes of the Second Punic War: the legacy of the First Punic War and the loss of Sicily and Sardinia, Carthaginian expansion in Spain under the Barcids, the siege of Saguntum, and the debate over whether Rome or Carthage was responsible, studied through Polybius and Livy.
An OCR GCSE Ancient History answer on the causes of the Second Punic War, covering the legacy of the First Punic War and the loss of Sicily and Sardinia, Carthaginian expansion in Spain under the Barcids, the siege of Saguntum and the outbreak of war in 218 BC, and the debate over whether Rome or Carthage was responsible, studied through Polybius and Livy.
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What this dot point is asking
The Roman depth study Hannibal and the Second Punic War opens with the causes of the war that broke out in 218 BC. You need the background (the First Punic War, the loss of Sicily and Sardinia, Carthaginian expansion in Spain, the siege of Saguntum) and you must engage the central debate: who was responsible, Rome or Carthage? As a depth study, expect source-utility questions on Polybius and Livy, the two great sources for the war.
The answer
The legacy of the First Punic War
Carthaginian expansion in Spain
A treaty fixed the river Ebro as the boundary between the Carthaginian and Roman spheres, but Rome also took the city of Saguntum, south of the Ebro, under its protection, sowing the seeds of conflict.
The siege of Saguntum
Who was responsible?
The strongest answers distinguish long-term causes from the trigger and reach a judgement, rather than simply blaming one side.
Examples in context
A model answer separates long-term causes from the immediate trigger and judges responsibility, rather than just narrating the road to war.
Try this
Q1. What was the immediate trigger of the Second Punic War? [Knowledge recall]
- Cue. Hannibal's siege and capture of Saguntum (219 BC), a Spanish city allied to Rome, after which Rome declared war in 218 BC.
Q2. Explain why the seizure of Sardinia was important for the causes of the war. [Short explanation]
- Cue. Because Rome had taken Sardinia from a weakened Carthage after the First Punic War, breaking the peace in Carthaginian eyes; Polybius names this resentment as a deep cause of Carthaginian anger that helped drive the Barcids towards renewed war.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of OCR exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
OCR J198/02 201910 marksExplain why war broke out between Rome and Carthage in 218 BC. [10-mark depth-study explanation question]Show worked answer →
A depth-study explanation question (AO1 and AO2) on causation.
Knowledge. Carthage had lost Sicily and then Sardinia after the First Punic War and built a new empire in Spain under the Barcids; the immediate trigger was Hannibal's siege of Saguntum, a city allied to Rome.
Explanation. Reward developed reasons: long-term Carthaginian resentment at the harsh peace and the seizure of Sardinia, the rivalry over Spain and the Ebro treaty, and the immediate flashpoint of Saguntum, which Rome treated as an act of war.
Top band. Distinguish long-term causes (resentment, Spanish rivalry) from the trigger (Saguntum) and judge how far Rome or Carthage was responsible.
OCR J198/02 20218 marksStudy Polybius Book 3 on the causes of the war. How useful is this source for understanding who was responsible? [8-mark depth-study source-utility question]Show worked answer →
A depth-study source-utility question (AO3). Judge usefulness through content and provenance.
Content. Polybius analyses the causes, distinguishing the deepest cause (Carthaginian anger, especially of the Barcids) from the pretexts and the beginning; draw out his careful distinctions.
Provenance. Polybius is a Greek historian writing a few decades later, with access to good sources and a serious analytical method, but with connections to the Roman Scipios that may colour his view; he is invaluable but not neutral.
Judgement. Conclude that he is highly useful as a careful near-contemporary analysis of causation, but his Roman connections must be weighed; judge value for the specific enquiry.
Related dot points
- Hannibal's march from Spain and the crossing of the Alps in 218 BC, the use of war elephants and the hardships of the crossing, and his first great victories at the Trebia and Lake Trasimene, studied through Polybius and Livy.
An OCR GCSE Ancient History answer on Hannibal's invasion of Italy, covering the march from Spain and the crossing of the Alps in 218 BC, the war elephants and the hardships of the crossing, and his first great victories at the Trebia and Lake Trasimene, studied through Polybius and Livy.
- The Battle of Cannae in 216 BC and Hannibal's double envelopment, the crisis it caused for Rome, the Fabian strategy of delay, and why Hannibal could not capture Rome or win the war in Italy despite his victories, studied through Polybius and Livy.
An OCR GCSE Ancient History answer on the Battle of Cannae in 216 BC and the war in Italy, covering Hannibal's double envelopment, the crisis it caused for Rome, the Fabian strategy of delay, and why Hannibal could not capture Rome or win the war despite his victories, studied through Polybius and Livy.
- The Roman recovery and the defeat of Hannibal: Scipio's campaigns in Spain and his invasion of Africa, the recall of Hannibal from Italy, the Battle of Zama in 202 BC, the peace terms of 201 BC, and why Rome eventually won, studied through Polybius and Livy.
An OCR GCSE Ancient History answer on the Roman recovery and the defeat of Hannibal, covering Scipio's campaigns in Spain and his invasion of Africa, the recall of Hannibal from Italy, the Battle of Zama in 202 BC, the peace terms of 201 BC, and why Rome eventually won the Second Punic War, studied through Polybius and Livy.
- The prescribed sources for the Hannibal depth study: Polybius as the careful near-contemporary Greek historian (and his Scipionic connections), Livy as the later, fuller and more dramatic Roman narrative, and how to weigh a near-contemporary analytical source against a later patriotic one.
An OCR GCSE Ancient History guide to the prescribed sources for the Hannibal and the Second Punic War depth study, explaining how to use Polybius as the careful near-contemporary Greek historian (and his Scipionic connections), Livy as the later, fuller and more dramatic Roman narrative, and how to weigh a near-contemporary analytical source against a later patriotic one.
- The AO3 source skills: making supported inferences from a source, comparing two sources, and judging how useful a source is for a stated enquiry using content, provenance (nature, origin and purpose) and contextual knowledge, rather than labelling a source reliable or biased.
An OCR GCSE Ancient History skills guide to the AO3 source questions, explaining how to make supported inferences, compare two sources, and judge how useful a source is for a stated enquiry using content, provenance and contextual knowledge, with a method that transfers across the Greek and Roman options.
Sources & how we know this
- OCR GCSE (9-1) Ancient History J198 specification — OCR (2017)
- Polybius, Histories, Book 3 — Perseus Digital Library