Carthage Part III: The Expansion into an Empire
Like many city-states of the era, Carthage and their allies needed land to secure not only the trade that facilitated the state’s growth but for border security from other encroaching peoples. For Carthage, these were the tribes of Numidia, Greek colonial cities in Sicily/Southern Italy (Syracuse, Epirus, etc.), and eventually Latins (Rome, Etruscans). While not all of these groups began as enemies to the now imperial Carthaginian prospects, eventually they all became so.
Realizing in the 6th-century B.C.E that the only trade and military rivals present in the region were a collection of Greek trade colonies to the north-east of Carthage, the oligarchical senate of the city demanded the newly formed armies eliminate the competition. Carthage would ally against the greek "invaders" with the Etruscan kings of Northern Italy (an alliance that lasted until the Etruscan kings were expelled from Italy by Rome).
A series of conflicts known as the Sicilian Wars (580-265 B.C.E) would follow suit, many mirroring the same style of warfare present in Greece at the time. The aftermath of these wars would shape not only Carthage but also set the stage for the Mediterranean's future powers. Directly, these early conflicts gave Carthage control of key colonial coastlines of Sicily (2/3rds of the island) and the complete control of Sardinia & Corsica (which are islands off of the Italian subcontinent) from its native tribesmen who had either allied with the Greek city-states or declared war against the Etruscan kings. Taking stock after the Sicilian Wars, military leaders of Carthage observed the resulting casualties that the citizen army had taken. The leadership realizing that it now had more wealth than Punic Citizens began to expand on the already large pool of mercenaries that the Carthaginian armies had relied on.
Seeing this huge mercenary army and highly capable navy, Rome a growing power on the Italian sub-continent saw trouble in sharing borders with this now empirical state that had holdings in Africa, Eastern Spain, and western Sicily. An opportunity to challenge Punic supremacy arose when a band of mercenaries (calling themselves the Mamertines) who Carthage had helped in previous years take the city of Messina (then Messana) in Sicily from the Greek city-state of Syracuse, appealed to Rome for assistance against their new Carthaginian masters. Rome drawing a line in the sand, made a clear decision by siding with the Marmertimes; they would no longer abide by Carthaginian expansion into Italy.
The First Punic War (264-241 B.C.E) lasted 20 years with most of the engagements taking place either in the waters near or on land in Sicily. The now mostly mercenary forces of Carthage while efficient in one-on-one combat, pitched-battles, and holding Carthage’s strong forts in Sicily; could never match the quantity or readiness of the Roman legions deployed during the conflict. After Rome was able to match and disable the navy of Carthage (as well as raid off of Africa's coast) the outcome became clear, Carthage signed a weighted peace with Rome.
