History of the First Punic War

The Punic wars were 3 wars fought between Carthage and Rome. the word "Punic", in Latin means Carthaginian. In 264, Rome was just a small republic in the Mediterranean sea. Carthage however, was a super power with much influence through the Mediterranean. Rome was quickly expanding in Italy, but lacked the naval power of the Carthaginians. The first Punic war started over a quarrel in the Sicilian city of Messana, which is located in the north-east corner of the island.

Half of the city was Carthaginian, the other half Roman. A Carthaginian fleet was invited by one side of the city, and Rome retaliated by sending an expeditionary fleet there. Carthage got upset and sent a larger fleet towards Messana. Rome assembled an army to go to Sicily, the Carthaginians countered Rome's move and had an army of 50,000. Despite the numbers, Rome won many victories in Sicily, though neither side ever had a victory good enough to make a turning point in the war.

The first Punic war went on for 20 years and ended in 241BC with Carthage on the losing side. Carthage itself was not conquered how ever. The Romans put an indemnity on Carthage by making them give up claims to Sicily which gave Rome a new income and a new province. Rome became a super power in the Mediterranean, Rome also learned how to wage war on a massive scale. Much things were learned from the first Punic war for Rome. Although trade wasn't in Rome's interest at the moment, Sicily was. Sicily was a port city that had access to the Adriatic as well as Greece,Asia Minor, and most of the Mediterranean.