As for the First Punic War, it was caused when a harmless dispute over Messana occurred, a port city in Sicily controlling the Straits, in 264. When Carthage was invited in by one side, Rome felt it had to do something in return. The Roman force caused the Carthaginian fleet to withdraw from the port. After a series of battles, in which both sides' armies increasingly became stronger and larger, no side could easily win. Many of the big battles were at sea, since Carthage had an outstanding navy. During the war, which lasted twenty years, Rome made some huge mistakes which cost them. After every important battle won by Rome, the advantage was diminished by unintelligent generals or a hesitant and fearful Senate. At last, Rome had fended off the Carthaginians in 241. However, Hannibal would not settle for anything less than victory.
The Battle of Saguntum, which provoked the Second Punic War, started when the Saguntians travelled to Carthage to remind Hannibal of their pact to not cross the river Ebro. When the Saguntians, who were allies with the Romans, were on the journey back, they killed a number of the Taressian settlers who just happened to be allies of Carthage. The effect of this mistake was that Carthage declared war on Saguntum. After Hannibal and Hasdrubal had edged off the Romans, the empire was crushed. As a result, the Romans declared war on Carthage.
Hannibal accepted another war. Hannibal's first move occurred a year before the actual war. He gave his troops, stationed in Spain, the winter off. Getting his soldiers ready for the war was a very lengthy task. Hannibal wasn't quite sure which path he would take to enter Rome. Finally, the decisions were made. Hannibal would take 90,000 of his best foot-soldiers, 12,000 horses, and 37 elephants. At last, the time had come to set off to Rome. Although Hannibal was not certain of his route, he used the stars to help guide him. It was soon that Hannibal would have to overcome an obstacle; getting his men and his 37 elephants across the mountains. Another problem was keeping his men on their feet. Since they were volunteering to fight, they had to be satisfied or else they would not fight. Hannibal also wasn't sure if the tribes along the way would give him trouble. As it turned out, they did. Hannibal had lost about 20,000 troops to battle and had not even reached Rome yet. As Hannibal knocked off tribes one by one, he followed a path through Spain and finally to the Alps.
Beyond the Alps was Rome. Just as Hannibal had reached the Alps, the Second Punic War got underway. The Second Punic War lasted 16 years and was a very bloody war. Each side lost a great number of soldiers in a war in which no one was really victorious. Hannibal lasted to the very end oh the war, where he lost the Battle of Zama.