Question

After the Punic Wars, Rome was the richest and largest city in the Mediterranean world, dominating it with military power that was second to none a) TRUE b) FALSE.

Answer 1

The statement is TRUE: After the Punic Wars, Rome was indeed the richest and largest city in the Mediterranean, dominating the region with unrivaled military power.

Step-by-step explanation:

After the Punic Wars, Rome emerged as the richest and most dominant city in the Mediterranean, asserting its military power across the vast region. The Romans' victory in the Punic Wars greatly expanded their influence, control, and wealth. Rome's control stretched from Spain to Anatolia by 140 BCE, with major powers such as the Ptolemies acknowledging Rome's supremacy in international affairs. As the Punic Wars concluded, Rome's victory over Carthage laid the foundation for a Mediterranean dominion unprecedented at that time. Although they hadn't conquered all the Hellenistic kingdoms, such as the Seleucid and Ptolemaic empires, their territory was vast, making them the most powerful state in the region.

The conflict had begun with the First Punic War over Sicily and concluded with Rome's domination, which marks the beginning of Roman ascendancy in the Mediterranean. Despite the internal social problems following the wars, these internal battles did not diminish Rome's external might as they still dominated the Mediterranean Sea until the end of the Roman Republic and into the Roman Empire.