The+First+Punic+War

The first punic War arose in 264 BCE in Sicily. Initially, Carthage was not in dispute with anyone. They were simply off handling their own business, not expecting the dispute they'd be brought into. The Syracusan tyrant Hiero II was wreaking havoc against a smaller mercenary group called the Mamertines. Carthage was asked, by the Mamertines, to assist them in their struggle against Hiero. Once the Syracusans learned that the Mamertines sought aid from Carthage, they made the decision to seek help from the Romans. By doing so, these two great powers were pitted against each other. War was unavoidable, and the First Punic War began. The forces of Carthage and Rome proved to be equally matched; their battle being compared to "a conflict between an elephant and a whale, which could go on forever."[8] At one particular point in time, it seemed as if Carthage would lose the fight. Rome was said to have had a secret weapon, called a corvus, which was a bridge that would connect their ships to the ships of Carthage allowing the battle to take place on the ground. "In 260, at Mylae, their consul Gaius Duillius defeated admiral Hannibal, and won Rome's first naval victory ever."[9] Though this seemed to be the turning point of the battle, the war did not cease there. Carthage continued to fight. After a drawn out conflict between the two mighty forces, "In 241, a new Roman fleet, commanded by Gaius Lutatius Catulus, overcame the last Carthaginian ships, commanded by Hanno, near the Aegatian islands in the far west."[10] Near the end of battle Hamilcar Barca arose as outstanding general and lead the comeback of the Carthaginians. His son, Hannibal, would soon do the same in the second punic war. The battle concluded with the signing of a peace treaty between Carthage and Rome that required the Carthaginians to give Sicily to the Romans. The First Punic War was the longest of the three, but it was not as bloody or as costly as The Second Punic War.
 * The First Punic War (264-241 BCE):[[image:first_punic_war.gif align="right" link="http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/42/1042-004-EA22DC08.gif"]]**

Sources:(Jona Lendering, "Carthage", [])