After a time the Gauls lived among the Romans and finally became so mixed with them you could hardly tell them apart. They all became Romans, and Rome was then united and strong. The natural result was that Rome conquered all the other tribes or peoples living in Italy. HANNIBAL TRIES TO CONQUER ROME [Illustration: HANNIBAL'S ARMY CROSSING THE ALPS] [Sidenote: =A Phoenician colony=] =279. Carthage the Rival of Rome.= Just as Persia was the rival of Greece, so Carthage was the rival of Rome. Carthage had been settled by the Phoenicians, the traders of the ancient world. Carthage, the richest of their colonies, was just across the Mediterranean from Rome. In the days of her greatest power Carthage was said to have nearly a million people. Rome and Carthage quarreled about the island of Sicily, lying midway between them, and Rome was successful in driving her enemy out of the island. The great Carthaginian general, Hannibal, when only a boy took a solemn oath to carry on war with Rome without ceasing. When he later became a famous general he still remembered his oath against Rome. He gathered a mighty army from all Carthaginian colonies as well as from the homeland. Soldiers came from all parts of Spain and Gaul. From Africa came the finest body of cavalry in the world. The strangest part of the body was a long line of war elephants driven by their riders to trample down the Roman soldiers and to break their solid lines. [Illustration: ROMANS PLOWING THE GROUND WHERE CARTHAGE HAD STOOD] The army came together in Spain and marched over the mighty Alps into Italy. Their march was slow and hard. There were no roads at all through the mountains. The army was often attacked by people living in the mountains who hurled huge stones upon it. After five months the army finally reached the plains of Italy, though hundreds of brave soldiers had been lost. Rome was stirred to her depths. A great army was raised to meet the Carthaginians. But Rome had no general like Hannibal. For fifteen years he remained in Italy, defeating every general sent against him. [Sidenote: =How Hannibal made war=] Hannibal's greatest victory was on the field of Cannae. Rome raised a mighty army, 86,000 men. Hannibal had only 50,000, but he had faith in his veterans, especially in the African horsemen. He arranged his troops so that his center gave way easily. When the Romans thought victory near, Hannibal's heavy troops on each wing attacked them from both sides and his African horsemen struck them in the rear. The Romans lost in killed and wounded 70,000 men. The Romans hit upon the plan of sending an army to attack Carthage. Hannibal had to rush his troops home to save his beloved city. In the great battle of Zama Hannibal was defeated and Carthage fell. [Sidenote: =The fate of Carthage=]