Successor State + Carthage 'What If?' Question

[desert]

I nominate one of us to travel back in time and see all those reforms through, then. Preferably someone who isn't too old and doesn't mind spending the rest of his life 2000 years before his parents were born.

[Subotan]

I nominate Maion, considering he can actually speak the bloody language.

[Tellos Athenaios]

I nominate Maion, considering he can actually speak the bloody language.

I don't think he, or any of us modern beings for that matter, can. For starters Greek has changed quite a bit over time -- beginning with such simple observations as how to pronounce things properly (which can be more or less learned but will leave a rather odd mark), continuing with the fact that modern Greek has been drastically simplified/altered where diclension and conjugation is concerned, the loss of most diacrictics.. to entirely different idiom. No kidding: if he said "Well I'm off to the market" chances are he uses an entirely different verb or failing that the wrong particle (having seen a couple of modern Greek variants to the theme of going to Rome -- i.e. Athens). And then we haven't ventured into the murky waters of obscure dialects, colloquial language (it's one thing to give an RP-100%-pass speech, everyday-language is quite another) and trade/jargon/slang.

It's a bit like trying to speak English with a radomly picked Italian police officer in the middle of Rome -- you are *very* lucky if you find one that actually understands you. (The people who try to sell you stuff are by comparison remarkably proficient, though.)

[Lixus]

Also, could Carthage have won the first Punic War and if so, how would this have impacted future relations with Rome?

Long story short if the Carthaginian polilitcians would have been 100 procent behind Hamiclar Barca (1st punic war) and later on his son Hannibal (2nd Punic war) Rome would have been destoyed. As Hanno was more to blame than Rome for the fall off Carthage, In my opinion.