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Battle of Eryx (Sicily) used by Marquis de Folard to illustrate Polybios' Histories. The First Punic War (264-241 BC) was the first of three wars fought between Carthage and the Roman Republic. For more than 20 years, the two powers struggled for supremacy, primarily on the Mediterranean island of Sicily and its surrounding waters, and also in North Africa. Carthage began the war as the great sea-power of the western Mediterranean, while Rome had but a small fleet of fighting ships. In 248 BC, Carthage sent general Hamilcar Barca to Sicily. His landing at Heirkte (near Panormus) drew the Romans away to defend that port city and resupply point and gave Drepana some breathing room. Subsequent guerilla warfare kept the Roman legions pinned down and preserved Carthage's toehold in Sicily, although Roman forces which bypassed Hamilcar forced him to relocate to Eryx, to better defend Drepana. Over the course of the war, Rome built up a powerful navy, developed new naval tactics, and strategically used their navy, army, and local political alliances on Sicily in order to achieve a victory that expelled the Carthaginians from Sicily. The First Punic War ended with a treaty between Rome and Carthage.
