What was the Siege of Aspis (255 BC)?

Introduction The Siege of Aspis or Clupea was fought in 255 BC between Carthage and the Roman Republic. It was the first fighting on African land during the First Punic War. Background After defeating the Carthaginian navy sent to stop them from reaching Africa at the battle of Cape Ecnomus, the Romans landed close to… Read More

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What was the Battle of Sulci (258 BC)?

Introduction The Battle of Sulci, part of the First Punic War, was a naval battle fought in 258 BC between the Roman and Carthaginian navies on the coast near the town of Sulci, Sardinia. It was a Roman victory, obtained by consul Gaius Sulpicius Paterculus. The Carthaginian fleet was largely sunk, and the rest of… Read More

What was the Battle of Tyndaris (257 BC)?

Introduction The Battle of Tyndaris was a naval battle of the First Punic War that took place off Tyndaris (modern Tindari) in 257 BC. Tyndaris was a Sicilian town founded as a Greek colony in 396 BC located on the high ground overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea in the Gulf of Patti. Hiero II, the tyrant… Read More

What was the Battle of Mylae (260 BC)?

Introduction The Battle of Mylae took place in 260 BC during the First Punic War and was the first real naval battle between Carthage and the Roman Republic. This battle was key in the Roman victory of Mylae (present-day Milazzo) as well as Sicily itself. It also marked Rome’s first naval triumph and also the… Read More

What was the Battle of Lipari Islands (260 BC)?

Introduction The Battle of the Lipari Islands or Battle of Lipara was a naval encounter fought in 260 BC during the First Punic War. A squadron of 20 Carthaginian ships commanded by Boödes surprised 17 Roman ships under the senior consul for the year Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio in Lipara Harbour. The inexperienced Romans made a… Read More

What was the Mercenary War (241-238)?

Introduction The Mercenary War, also known as the Truceless War, was a mutiny by troops employed by Carthage at the end of the First Punic War (264 to 241 BC), backed by an uprising of African settlements revolting against Carthaginian control. It lasted from 241 to late 238 or early 237 BC and ended with… Read More

What was the Battle of the Aegates (241 BC)?

Introduction The Battle of the Aegates was a naval battle fought on 10 March 241 BC between the fleets of Carthage and Rome during the First Punic War. It took place among the Aegates Islands, off the western coast of the island of Sicily. The Carthaginians were commanded by Hanno, and the Romans were under… Read More