The Punic Wars

One of the most important events in Ancient Rome is The Punic Wars. The Punic Wars were a series of wars conducted between Rome and Carthage between 264 and 146 BC. In 264 BC, the First Punic War erupted on the island of Sicily. The Ancient Greek historian Polybius called it "the longest and most bitterly contested war in history." The action, which was mostly naval in nature, took place primarily in the waters surrounding Sicily in the Mediterranean. The battle arose as a result of Rome's imperial ambitions conflicting with Carthage's ownership claims to the island of Sicily.

Carthage was the leading force in the western Mediterranean at the time, with a vast maritime empire; Rome, on the other hand, was a fast developing state with a great army but a weak navy. The war lasted 23 years and resulted in significant material and human losses on both sides; the Carthaginians were eventually vanquished by the Romans in 241 BC. Carthage paid enormous war reparations to Rome under the conditions of the peace treaty, and Sicily fell under Roman rule, becoming the first Roman province. The conquest of Sicily cemented Rome's standing as a superpower in the Mediterranean and throughout the world. The war's aftermath also provoked a large but ultimately failed, insurrection and uprising within the Carthaginian Empire known as the Mercenary War.