The First Punic War started in 264 B.C., and was considered as the most devastating conflict on earth up to that time. The war lasted for twenty-three years between Rome and Carthage. In 265 B.C., a band of pirates, also known as the Sons of Mars, had controlled Messina. They had killed all the men and enslaved all the women and children. King Hiero of Syracuse had began a military expedition against Messina. Some of the Sons of Mars asked Carthage for help. The Carthaginian Council was too happy to respond because it saw a chance to control the Strait of Messina. From there the situation rapidly became more complicated. The Romans worried about Carthage's control over large stretches of the western and southern Sicilian coasts, which the Romans had seen as a threat to security. The Carthaginians had broken a long-standing agreement between Rome and Carthage by interfering in Messina's troubles.
The Romans felt confident at first, until the troops suffered from hunger and lack of proper equipment. The Romans concluded that the only way to force the Carthaginians out of Sicily was to build their own fleets. Immediately, the Romans faced a problem, which was the lack of knowledge of warships. But because the Romans were able to capture a Carthaginian quinquereme, Roman engineers dismantled the vessel and an army of carpenters , using the design as a model, build 140 warships within sixty days.
The Roman fleet was impressive because each ship had three hundred oarsmen, who could propel the vessel ti a speed of twelve miles per hour, which was fast enough to overtake an enemy ship or cause serious damage. The Roman commanders reasoned that having plenty of warships was not enough to ensure victory, since the Carthaginians were experienced in naval tactics.
After Roman's victory at Mylae, they engaged the Carthaginians in several more sea battles. Finally, in 256 B.C., near Cape Ecnomus in south-central Sicily, the enemies clashed in the greatest naval battle of all ancient times. The Roman force had 330 huge warships and 140,000 men, compared to the Carthaginians, who had 350 ships and 150,000 men. The Romans won, sinking 30 Carthaginian ships and capturing more than 60 others. Roman legislators made the terms on the treaty harsher, reducing the payment period in ten years and increasing the penalty to thirty-two hundred talents. In addition, the Carthaginians were forbidden to sail its quinqueremes into any Roman waters and were in no position to argue and accepted the terms.
The Romans felt confident at first, until the troops suffered from hunger and lack of proper equipment. The Romans concluded that the only way to force the Carthaginians out of Sicily was to build their own fleets. Immediately, the Romans faced a problem, which was the lack of knowledge of warships. But because the Romans were able to capture a Carthaginian quinquereme, Roman engineers dismantled the vessel and an army of carpenters , using the design as a model, build 140 warships within sixty days.
The Roman fleet was impressive because each ship had three hundred oarsmen, who could propel the vessel ti a speed of twelve miles per hour, which was fast enough to overtake an enemy ship or cause serious damage. The Roman commanders reasoned that having plenty of warships was not enough to ensure victory, since the Carthaginians were experienced in naval tactics.
After Roman's victory at Mylae, they engaged the Carthaginians in several more sea battles. Finally, in 256 B.C., near Cape Ecnomus in south-central Sicily, the enemies clashed in the greatest naval battle of all ancient times. The Roman force had 330 huge warships and 140,000 men, compared to the Carthaginians, who had 350 ships and 150,000 men. The Romans won, sinking 30 Carthaginian ships and capturing more than 60 others. Roman legislators made the terms on the treaty harsher, reducing the payment period in ten years and increasing the penalty to thirty-two hundred talents. In addition, the Carthaginians were forbidden to sail its quinqueremes into any Roman waters and were in no position to argue and accepted the terms.