The interest of the Punic wars (as they are called from the word
_Punicus_, the Latin equivalent of Phœnician, and, in a limited sense,
Carthaginian) is great and enduring. These wars were fought out to
determine which of the two races, the Indo-Germanic, or Aryan, or the
Semitic, should have the dominion of the world. On the one side--the
Aryan--was the genius for war, government, and legislation; on the
other--the Semitic--the spirit of industry, navigation and commerce. The
skill and valor, the determination and resource, displayed on both
sides, have caused these wars of Rome and Carthage to remain most
vividly impressed upon the memories of men.