Editing First Punic War (section)

==Conclusion==
{{Main|Siege of Drepana|Siege of Lilybaeum (250 BC)|Battle of the Aegates|l3=Battle of the Aegates Islands}}
[[File:CILI(2)p47fgtXXFastitriumphales.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1|alt=a stone slab, densely engraved with Latin text|{{center|A fragment of the [[Fasti Triumphales]], listing all of the Roman [[Roman triumph|triumphators]] of the war.}}]]

By 248&nbsp;BC the Carthaginians held only two cities on Sicily: Lilybaeum and [[Drepana]]; these were well-fortified and situated on the west coast, where they 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|pp=94–95}} When [[Hamilcar Barca]]{{#tag:ref|Hamilcar Barca was the father of [[Hannibal]].{{sfn|Lazenby|1996|p=165}}|group=note}} took command of the Carthaginians on Sicily in 247&nbsp;BC he was only given a small army and the Carthaginian fleet was gradually withdrawn. Hostilities between Roman and Carthaginian forces declined to small-scale land operations, which suited the Carthaginian strategy. Hamilcar employed [[combined arms]] tactics in a [[Fabian strategy]] from his base at [[Eryx (Sicily)|Eryx]], north of Drepana. This [[guerrilla warfare]] kept the Roman legions pinned down and preserved Carthage's foothold in Sicily.{{sfn|Lazenby|1996|p=144}}{{sfn|Bagnall|1999|pp=92–94}}{{sfn|Goldsworthy|2006|p=95}}

After more than 20 years of war, both states were financially and demographically exhausted.{{sfn|Bringmann|2007|p=127}} Evidence of Carthage's financial situation includes their request for a 2,000 talent loan{{#tag:ref|2,000 talents was approximately {{convert|51|lt|kg|disp=flip|abbr=off}} of silver.{{sfn|Lazenby|1996|p=158}}|group=note}} from [[Ptolemaic Egypt]], which was refused.{{sfn|Bagnall|1999|p=92}} Rome was also close to [[Sovereign default|bankruptcy]] and the number of adult male citizens, who provided the manpower for the navy and the legions, had declined by 17 percent since the start of the war.{{sfn|Bagnall|1999|p=91}} Goldsworthy describes Roman manpower losses as "appalling".{{sfn|Goldsworthy|2006|p=131}}

In late 243&nbsp;BC, realizing they would not capture Drepana and Lilybaeum unless they could extend their blockade to the sea, the Senate decided to build a new fleet.{{sfn|Miles|2011|p=195}} With the state's coffers exhausted, the Senate approached Rome's wealthiest citizens for loans to finance the construction of one ship each, repayable from the [[War reparations|reparations]] to be imposed on Carthage once the war was won. The result was a fleet of approximately 200 quinqueremes, built, equipped, and crewed without government expense.{{sfn|Lazenby|1996|p=150}} The Romans modelled the ships of their new fleet on a captured blockade runner with especially good qualities.{{sfn|Miles|2011|p=195}} By now, the Romans were experienced at shipbuilding, and with a proven vessel as a model produced high-quality quinqueremes.{{sfn|Goldsworthy|2006|p=124}} Importantly, the {{lang|la|corvus}} was abandoned,{{sfn|Miles|2011|p=195}} which improved the ships' speed and handling but forced a change in tactics on the Romans; they would need to be superior sailors, rather than superior soldiers, to beat the Carthaginians.{{sfn|Lazenby|1996|p=150}}{{sfn|Casson|1991|p=150}}{{sfn|Bagnall|1999|p=95}}

The Carthaginians raised a larger fleet which they intended to use to run supplies into Sicily. It would then embark much of the Carthaginian army stationed there to use as marines. It was intercepted by the Roman fleet under [[Gaius Lutatius Catulus]] and [[Quintus Valerius Falto]], and in the hard-fought Battle of the Aegates Islands the better-trained Romans defeated the undermanned and ill-trained Carthaginian fleet.{{sfn|Miles|2011|p=196}}{{sfn|Bagnall|1999|p=96}} After achieving this decisive victory, the Romans continued their land operations in Sicily against Lilybaeum and Drepana.{{sfn|Goldsworthy|2006|pp=125–126}} The Carthaginian Senate was reluctant to allocate the resources necessary to have another fleet built and manned.{{sfn|Bagnall|1999|p=97}} Instead, it ordered Hamilcar to negotiate a peace treaty with the Romans, which he left up to his subordinate [[Gisco (died 239 BC)|Gisco]].{{sfn|Bagnall|1999|p=97}}{{sfn|Lazenby|1996|p=157}} The [[Treaty of Lutatius]] was signed and brought the First Punic War to its end: Carthage evacuated Sicily, handed over all prisoners taken during the war, and paid an [[indemnity]] of 3,200 talents{{#tag:ref|3,200 talents was approximately {{convert|81|lt|kg|disp=flip|abbr=off}} of silver.{{sfn|Lazenby|1996|p=158}}|group=note}} over ten years.{{sfn|Miles|2011|p=196}}