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Rome's First Punic War
The First Punic War (264-241 B.C.) opened with Roman troops coming into Sicily to aid the
local Greek cities against Carthage, who had moved into a strategic city of northern Sicily known as Messina. Rome had somewhat of a naval fleet, and surprisingly enough she had won her
first victory in the Sea off the coast of Sicily, then Rome suffered the loss
of most of her fleet in a storm, which allowed the Carthaginian warships to
plunder the coasts of Italy. The Roman treasury was soon empty, but money was
raised for a new fleet of 200 ships which were equipped with special unsuspecting
military advantages which finally forced the Carthaginians to sue for peace
despite the successes of their great general, Hamilcar Barca. Rome imposed a hard peace. Sicily and the surrounding islands became
Roman, and an indemnity of about three and a half million dollars was to be paid
by Carthage. As an aftermath of the war, the mercenaries of Carthage turned on
her and almost destroyed her. Rome meanwhile annexed the neighboring islands
of Sardinia and Corsica.
Illyrian and Gallic Invasions
It was obvious that the Carthaginian-Roman struggle was not over, yet Rome had
problems elsewhere, in the northwest. Across the Adriatic, above the state of Epirus, a barbarous people formed the state of Illyria. Illyrian piracy against the
Italian cities caused Rome to send an expedition to punish them. Illyrian
warfare brought Rome into conflict with Macedonia, the remnant of what once had been
the Hellenistic kingdom of Macedonia and Greece.
Here, too, Rome proved victorious. While these campaigns were being carried
out, a new Gallic invasion swept over the Alps into northern Italy. In a
desperate battle, Rome annihilated the invader and once more secured her northern
frontier, adding to the territory under her control provinces extending all the way
to the Alps.
The History of Rome - Part One 743 - 136 B.C. © Bible History Online (http://www.bible-history.com) |