![]() This left Rome free to land a force on Corsica (259) and expel the Carthaginians, but it did not suffice to loosen their grasp on Sicily. At Mylae (Milazzo), off the north Sicilian coast, their admiral Gaius Duilius defeated a Carthaginian squadron of more maneuverable ships by grappling and boarding. In 260 the Romans built their first large fleet of standard battleships. The first years of the war left little doubt that Roman intentions extended beyond the protection of Messana. In 262 they besieged and captured the Carthaginian base at Agrigentum on the south coast of the island. In 263 the Romans advanced with a considerable force into Hieron's territory and induced him to seek peace and alliance with them. Operations began with their joint attack upon Messana, which the Romans easily repelled. This aggression involved Rome in war with Carthage and Syracuse. The Roman commander, nevertheless, persisted in forcing his troops into the city he succeeded in seizing the Carthaginian admiral during a parley and induced him to withdraw. The Carthaginians, arriving first, occupied Messana and effected a reconciliation with Hieron. A band of Campanian mercenaries, the Mamertini, who had forcibly established themselves within the town and were being hard pressed in 264 by Hieron II of Syracuse, applied for help to both Rome and Carthage. The proximate cause of the first outbreak was a crisis in the city of Messana (Messina). ![]()
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