The 1st Punic War 264 - 241 BC

First Punic War 264 - 241 BC: Carthage was a city in North Africa. It was very similar to a Greek city-state by 300BC. It was a wealthy city-state that made most of its money from trade. Carthaginian merchants went from one end of the Mediterranean to the other. The city's fleet was huge, and its army was one of the best in the ancient world. These merchants traded in the western Mediterranean where only Greeks traded …

…and of course Sicily. Both Rome and Carthage, kept fleets ranging from 100-200 ships and armies of 50,000-70,000 men. Rome made many mistakes; one of the biggest problems that they faced was that they elected new generals every year. Finally, in 241 BC, Carthage exhausted more than beaten, asks for peace and is forced to accept Rome's harsh terms. The treaty was very unfair to the Carthaginians. They had to accept these terms or die out.