Why did romans fight the punic wars?

The Punic Wars were a series of three wars fought between Rome and Carthage from 264 BC up to 146 BC. In their day, they were some of the greatest wars that ever occurred.  

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 expanding their empire via Sicily (which at that time was a cultural and ethnic melting pot), which was partly under Carthaginian control. At the beginning of the First Punic War (264-241 BC), Carthage was the dominant power in the western Mediterranean and with an extensive fleet. Rome was a rapidly growing power in Italy, but lacked a fleet. Rome conquered Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica. The Second Punic War (218-201 BC) was characterized by the Carthaginian commander Hannibal's campaign through Spain, Gallia and over the Alps in 218 BC, followed by a long but eventually unsuccessful campaign on the Italian mainland. Rome took over Carthage's possessions in Spain. By the end of the Third Punic War (149-146 BC), after more than a hundred years of war and the loss of hundreds of thousands of soldiers on both sides, Rome had conquered Carthage's kingdom, completely destroyed its city, and even became the most powerful power in the western Mediterranean.

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