Punicus=Carthaginian

From the earliest days of the Republic, Rome had been on friendly terms with Carthage, a city-state in northern Africa. Since Rome was largely agricultural, and interested mainly in Italy, it had no reason to bother with Carthage, which was largely a sea power. As late as 279 BC the two cities has signed a treaty against Pyrrhus, king of Epirus, whom posed a threat to both. However, Carthage occupied the Sicilian town of Massana in 264 BC, after the Mamertines, a group of mercenaries, appealed to Carthage for help against Hiero II, king of Syracuse (a Sicilian city-state). this bothered Rome, as it was in the northeast corner of Sicily, very near the Greek towns of Italy which fell under Roman protection. Once the problem with Heiro II was solved, the Mamertines appealed to Rome for aid in fighting off the Carthaginians. Although the Senate was reluctant to oppose Carthage, the people pressed for action. So, when Appease Clodus Codex crossed over into Sicily in 264, the First Punic War began.

Both Rome and Carthage had a desire to hold Messana; for Carthage, it would be an ideal port in their continuing dominance of the Mediterranean. For Rome, it would be an outpost in a strengthening land defense policy. Although the two powers had no quarrel before, they also had no shared racial or cultural heritage. Also, it would be inevitable that one nation would dominate.

In the first part of the war, Rome won the alliance of the town Hieron in north-east Sicily. This offensive was led by Claudius and Marcus Valerius Messalla in 263 BC. The Romans won further in 262 BC with the towns of Segesta and Agrigentum. Agregentum was won after a long and costly siege. Since the Carthaginians fought fiercely at every stop, Rome decided that victory could only be achieved by controlling all of Sicily.

In order to control Sicily, Rome would have to win battles at sea; up to this point, Rome had no working navy. Unfortunately for Rome, the Carthaginians were descendants of the Phoenicians, who were masters of the seas. Rome nonetheless built 160 ships equipped with land bridges (corvi) that dropped onto enemy ships. This helped thwart naval skill of the enemy, and allowed Rome to use soldiers in a land battle on a ship. Rome managed to win supremacy of the seas, despite having many of their ships destroyed by storms- Rome had yet to figure out where to harbor ships. The Carthaginian leader, Hamiclar Barca, was cornered in Sicily, and surrendered in 241 BC. Before the next outbreak of war between the two states, Rome became involved with the Gauls in northern Italy, and Hamiclar Barca and Carthage had to quell a revolt of their own mercenaries.

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