Editing Punic Wars (section)

====Sicily, 264–257 BC====
[[File:Sicilia - prima guerra punica key en.svg|left|thumb|upright=1.35|alt=A relief map of Sicily showing the main cities at the time of the First Punic War|{{center|Sicily, the main theatre of the First Punic War}}]]

The spark that ignited the First Punic War in 264 BC was the issue of control of the independent Sicilian city-state of Messana (modern Messina),{{sfn|Goldsworthy|2006|pp=74–75}}{{sfn|Warmington|1993|p=168}} with the Romans gaining control of the city and a foothold on Sicily at the [[battle of Messana]].{{sfn|Bagnall|1999|pp=52–53}} They then pressed Syracuse, the only substantial independent power on the island, into allying with them{{sfn|Ameling|2015|p=56}}{{sfn|Barceló|2015|p=368}} and laid siege to Carthage's main base, Agrigentum (modern [[Agrigento]]) on the south coast.{{sfn|Miles|2011|p=179}} A Carthaginian army of 50,000 infantry, 6,000 cavalry and 60 elephants attempted to lift the siege in 262{{spaces}}BC, but was badly defeated at the [[battle of Agrigentum]]. Carthaginian garrison escaped during the night after the battle and the Romans seized the city and its inhabitants, selling 25,000 of them [[Slavery in ancient Rome|into slavery]].{{sfn|Miles|2011|pp=179–180}}

After this the land war on Sicily reached a stalemate as the Carthaginians focused on defending their well-fortified towns and cities; these were mostly on the coast and so could be supplied and reinforced without the Romans being able to use their superior army to interfere.{{sfn|Bagnall|1999|pp=64–66}}{{sfn|Goldsworthy|2006|p=97}} The focus of the war shifted to the sea, where the Romans had less experience. On the few occasions they had previously felt the need for a naval presence greater than anti-piracy squadrons they had relied on their Latin or Greek allies for larger warships.{{sfn|Miles|2011|p=179}}{{sfn|Bagnall|1999|p=66}}{{sfn|Goldsworthy|2006|pp=91–92, 97}} But the Romans did have extensive commercial maritime experience and access to a large pool of experienced sailors and [[shipwright]]s enabling them to rapidly build a navy to challenge Carthage's,{{sfn|Harris|2017|pp=24–26}}{{sfn|Potter|2014|pp=64–65}}{{sfn|Miles|2011|pp=180–181}} Using this navy and the corvus the Romans won a major victory at the [[battle of Mylae]] in 260{{spaces}}BC.{{sfn|Goldsworthy|2006|pp=109–110}}{{sfn|Bagnall|1999|p=65}}{{sfn|Lazenby|1996|pp=73–74}} A Carthaginian base on Corsica was seized, but an attack on Sardinia was repulsed; the base on Corsica was then lost.{{sfn|Bagnall|1999|pp=63–65}} In 258{{spaces}}BC a Roman fleet defeated a smaller Carthaginian fleet at the [[battle of Sulci]] off the western coast of Sardinia.{{sfn|Bagnall|1999|p=65}}