During what period did Rome become the dominant power in the Mediterranean?

Persian Wars

After the Punic wars

Explanation:

The Punic Wars are wars waged between Rome and Carthage for dominance in the Mediterranean.

In the First Punic War land and sea fighting took place in Sicily. The Romans built their first naval fleet and defeated the Carthaginians by using assault ships mounted on ships in the battles near Milazzo. After the Romans lost almost their entire fleet they built a new, decisively defeated Carthage. With peace, the Romans gained all of Sicily, and Carthage had to pay them war compensation.

The Second Punic War was triggered by the great commercial boom of Carthage and its conquests in Spain and the aggressive policies of the Barkas family, which took power in Carthage. The Carthaginian leader Hannibal crossed the Alps, penetrated Italy and badly defeated the Romans near Lake Trazimen and Cannae But when he returned to Africa, he was defeated by Scipion African in a decisive battle near Zama. The conditions of peace that were then concluded were very unfavorable for Carthage: it had to renounce Spain, the Mediterranean islands and Numidia, and pledge to burn all its warships (except 10), not to wage wars without the permission of Rome, and to pay Rome war damages.

The third Punic war was triggered by disputes between King of Numida and Carthage. At the persistent request of Cato Elder to destroy Carthage the Roman Senate decided to wage war and immediately besieged Carthage from land and from the sea. After 3 years The Romans conquered, looted and destroyed Carthage, and symbolically plowed a furrow at the site of the city, and killed or sold the inhabitants to slaves. Part of the Carthage territory in Africa was organized as a Roman province, and the rest was distributed to their allies.