Greek - Punic Wars The Greek - Punic Wars or , less properly , the Sicilian Wars , were a series of conflicts fought between the Carthaginians and the Greeks , led by Syracusans , over control of Sicily and the western Mediterranean between 600 BC and 265 BC . They were the longest lasting wars of classical antiquity . Carthage ' s economic success , and its dependence on shipping to conduct most of its trade ( for the empire ' s southern border was surrounded by desert ) , led to the creation of a powerful navy to discourage both pirates and rival nations . They had inherited their naval strength and experience from their forebears , the Phoenicians , but had increased it because , unlike the Phoenicians , the Punic s did not want to rely on a foreign nation ' s aid . This , coupled with its success and growing hegemony , brought Carthage into increasing conflict with the Greeks , the other major power contending for control of the central Mediterranean . The Greeks , like the Phoenicians , were expert sailors who had established thriving colonies throughout the Mediterranean . These two rivals fought their wars on the island of Sicily , which lay close to Carthage . From their earliest days , both the Greeks and Phoenicians had been attracted to the large island , establishing a large number of colonies and trading posts along its coasts . Small battles had been fought between these settlements for centuries . No Carthaginian records of the war exist today , because when the city was destroyed in 146 BC by the Romans , the books from Carthage ' s library were distributed among the nearby African tribes , and none remain on the topic of Carthaginian history . As a result most of what we know about the Sicilian Wars comes from Greek historians . Background . The Phoenicians had planted trading posts all over the coast of Sicily after 900 BC , but had never penetrated far inland . They had traded with the Elymian , Sicani and Siculi communities and had ultimately withdrawn without resistance to Motya , Panormus and Solus in the Western part of the island when the Greek colonists arrived after 750 BC . These Phoenician cities remained independent until becoming part of the Carthaginian hegemony some time after 540 BC . Carthaginian hegemony . Carthage created her hegemony in part to resist Greek encroachments in the established Phoenician sphere of influence . Phoenicians initially ( 750 - 650 BC ) did not resist the Greek colonists , but after the Greeks had reached Iberia sometime after 638 BC , Carthage emerged as the leader of Phoenician resistance . During the 6th century BC , mostly under the leadership of the Magonid dynasty , Carthage established an empire which would commercially dominate the Western Mediterranean until the 1st century BC . The Phoenicians in Sicily and the Elymians had united to defeat the Greeks of Selinus and Rhodes near Lilybaeum in 580 BC , the first such recorded incident in Sicily . The next known Greek incursion took place 70 years later . Greater Greece outside mainland Greece . The Greek - colonized zone encompassing Sicily and Southern Italy came to be known as Magna Grecia . The Greeks living in this area behaved pretty much like the mainland Greeks , expanding their political and commercial domain at the expense of their neighbors while keeping the feud between the Ionians and the Dorians alive . In Sicily , the Ionian Greeks on the whole had friendly relations with native Sicilians and the Phoenicians , but the Dorian Greek colonies were comparatively more aggressive , expanding inland from the coast at the expense of the natives to expand their domain . Conflicts among the Greek colonies and between the natives and Greeks had erupted , but these were mostly localized affairs . Trade also flourished between the natives , the Greeks and the Phoenicians , and the Greek colonies became prosperous . This prosperity enabled some of the Greek cities to start to expand their territories again , ultimately leading to the events known as the First Sicilian War . Carthage joins the fight . The Carthaginian Malchus is said to have " conquered all Sicily " and sent captured booty to Tyre some time after 540 BC , which probably meant that Motya , Panormus and Solus had fallen under Carthaginian control . The growth of Selinus and Himera during this period indicates the Carthaginians and Greeks did not confront one another at this time . Thirty years later Prince Dorieus , having lost the Spartan throne , showed up to colonize Eryx – after being expelled from Libya by Carthage in 511 BC following a three - year struggle . Carthage aided Segesta to defeat the expedition of Dorieus in 510 BC – Greek survivors then founded Heraclea Minoa . Sicilian Greeks ( probably the cities of Akragas , Gela and Selinus ) fought an undated war of revenge against Carthage , which led to the destruction of Minoa and a treaty which brought economic benefits for the Greeks . An appeal for aid to avenge the death of Dorieus was ignored by mainland Greece , even by the brother of Dorieus Leonidas of Sparta , famous for his role at Thermopylae in 480 BC . This episode possibly demonstrated the futility of opposing Carthage by single Greek cities or the unreliability of aid from mainland Greece , a situation that would change with the rise of the Greek tyrants in Sicily . Two Greeks from Gela , Cleander and Gelo , had been involved in this war and they would become the catalysts of the events that followed . Sicilian Greek tyrants . While the events in western Sicily played out and Carthage remained engaged in Sardinia , most of the Greek colonies in Sicily fell under the rule of tyrants . The tyrants of Gela , Akragas and Rhegion , successfully expanded their respective dominions at the expense of native Sicilians and other Greek cities between 505 and 480 BC , with the Doric city of Gela being the most successful . Dorian Greeks become dominant in Sicily . Cleander ( 505 - 498 BC ) and his brother Hippocrates ( 498 - 491 ) of Gela successfully took over both Ionian and Dorian Greek territory , and by 490 BC , Zankle , Leontini , Catana , Naxos , besides neighboring Sicel lands and Camarina had fallen under Gelan control . Gelo , successor of Hippocrates , captured Syracuse in 485 BC and made the city his capital . By using ethnic cleansing , deportation and enslavement , Gelo transformed the former Ionian cities into Dorian ones and made Syracuse the dominant power in Sicily . Meanwhile Akragas had successfully taken over Sikan and Sicel lands under the tyrant Theron ( 488 - 472 BC ) . To forestall any conflicts between Akragas and Syracuse , Gelo and Theron married into each other ' s families , creating a united front against the Sicels and Ionian Greeks of Sicily . The major part of the resources and manpower of Greek Sicily was thus concentrated in the hands of these two aggressive tyrants , a threat to all other Sicilian powers . Ionian Greeks call on Carthage . To counter this Doric threat , Anaxilas of Rhegion from Italy , who had captured Zankle from Gelo in 490 BC , allied himself with Terrilus , the tyrant of Himera , and married his daughter . Himera and Rhegion next became allies of Carthage , the nearest foreign power strong enough to provide support . Selinus , a Doric city whose territory bordered Theron ' s domain , also became a Carthaginian ally – perhaps the fear of Theron and the destruction of Megara Hyblaea ( mother city of Selinus ) by Gelo in 483 BC , had played a part in this decision . Thus , three blocs of power were delicately balanced in Sicily by 483 BC – Ionians dominating the north , Carthage the west , Dorians the east and south . The Sicels and Sikans , sandwiched in the middle , remained passive , but the Elmyians joined the Carthaginian alliance . The First Sicilian War ( 480 BC ) . Carthage responded to the call for aid by Terrilus , tyrant of Himera , after Theron deposed him in 483 BC to set up an expedition to Sicily . Carthage could not ignore this imminent threat because the Gelo - Theron alliance was about to take over the whole of Sicily , and Hamilcar was a guest friend of Terrilus . Carthage may have also chosen this time to attack because a Persian fleet attacked mainland Greece in the same year . The theory that there was an alliance with Persia is disputed , because Carthage neither liked foreign involvement in their wars , nor wanted to contribute to foreign wars , unless they had strong reasons to do so . But because control of Sicily was a valuable prize for Carthage and because Carthage fielded its largest military force to date , under the leadership of the general Hamilcar , Carthage was eager for war . Traditional accounts give Hamilcar ' s army a strength of 300 , 000 men ; this number seems unlikely because , even at its peak , the Carthaginian Empire would have only been able to muster a force of about 50 , 000 to 100 , 000 men . If Carthage had allied with Persia , they might have supplied Carthage mercenaries and aid , which the Persians undoubtedly had , but there is no evidence to support this cooperation between the Carthaginians and the Persians . En route to Sicily , however , the Punic fleet suffered losses , possibly severe , due to poor weather . After landing at Ziz , the Punic name for Panormus , modern - day Palermo , Hamilcar was then decisively defeated by Gelo at the Battle of Himera , which was said to have occurred on the same day as the Battle of Salamis . Hamilcar was either killed during the battle or committed suicide in shame . The loss caused changes in the political and economic landscape of Carthage , the old government of entrenched nobility was ousted , replaced by the Carthaginian Republic . The king still remained , but he had very little power and most power was entrusted to the Council of Elders . Carthage paid 2 , 000 talents as reparations to the Greeks , and did not intervene in Sicily for 70 years . In Sicily , Carthage lost no territory and the Greeks gained none . Syracuse did not attack Rhegion or Selinus , allies of Carthage . The booty from the war helped to fund a public building program in Sicily , Greek culture flourishing as a result . Trading activity saw the prosperity of the Greek cities increase and the wealth of Akragas began to rival that of Sybaris . Gelo died in 478 BC and , within the next 20 years , the Greek tyrants were overthrown and the Syracuse - Akragas alliance fragmented into 11 feuding commonwealths under oligarchs and democracies . Their bickering and future expansionist policies led to the Second Sicilian war . The Second Sicilian War ( 410 BC – 340 BC ) . While the Greeks cities in Sicily bickered and prospered for 70 years after Himera , Carthage had conquered the northern fertile half of modern day Tunisia , and strengthened and founded new colonies in North Africa , such as Leptis and Oea , modern Tripoli . Carthage had also sponsored the journey of Mago Barca ( not to be confused with Mago Barca , Hannibal Barca ' s brother ) across the Sahara Desert to Cyrenaica , and Hanno the Navigator ' s journey down the African coast . However , the Iberian colonies had seceded in that year with the help of the Iberians , cutting off Carthage ' s major supply of silver and copper . In Sicily , Dorian - Greek Selinus and Ionian - Greek ( former Elymian ) Segesta renewed their rivalry . Selinus encroached on Segestan land and defeated the Segestians in 416 BC . Carthage turned down their plea for help , but Athens responded to the Segestan plea and the Sicilian Expedition sent by Athens was destroyed in 413 BC by the joint effort of the Sicilian cities with Spartan aid . Selinus again defeated Segesta in 411 BC . This time Segesta submitted to Carthage , and a Carthaginian relief force sent by Hannibal Mago helped Segesta defeat Selinus in 410 BC . Carthage sought to end the matter diplomatically while assembling a larger force . After a round of diplomacy involving Carthage , Segesta , Selinus and Syracuse failed to bring about a reconciliation between Segesta and Selinus , Hannibal Mago set out for Sicily with a larger force . He succeeded in capturing Selinus after winning the Battle of Selinus , then destroyed Himera after winning the Second Battle of Himera despite Syracusan intervention . Hannibal did not press on to attack Akragas or Syracuse , but returned triumphantly to Carthage with the spoils of war in 409 BC . While Syracuse and Akragas , the strongest and richest cities of Sicily , took no action against Carthage , the renegade Syracusan general Hermocrates raised a small army and raided Punic territory from his base Selinus . He managed to defeat the forces of Motya and Panormus before losing his life in a coup attempt in Syracuse . In retaliation Hannibal Mago led a second Carthaginian expedition in 406 BC . This time , however , the Carthaginians met with fierce resistance and ill - fortune . During the Siege of Akragas the Carthaginian forces were ravaged by plague , and Hannibal Mago himself succumbed to it . Himilco , his successor , captured and sacked Akragas , then captured the city of Gela , sacked Camarina and repeatedly defeated the army of Dionysius I , the new tyrant of Syracuse . The plague struck the Carthaginian army again , and Himilco agreed to a peace treaty that left the Carthaginians in control of all the recent conquests , with Selinus , Thermae , Akragas , Gela and Camarina as tributary vassals . Carthaginian power was at its peak in Sicily . By 398 BC , Dionysius had consolidated his strength and broke the peace treaty , commencing the Siege of Motya and capturing the city . Himilco responded decisively , leading an expedition which not only reclaimed Motya , but also captured Messina . Finally , he laid siege to Syracuse itself after decisively defeating the Greeks in the naval Battle of Catana . The siege met with great success throughout 397 BC , but in 396 BC plague again ravaged the Carthaginian forces , and they collapsed . Carthage lost her new Greek conquests but retained control over the western territories and the Elymians . No treaty was signed between the belligerents to signal the end of the war . Dionysius soon rebuilt his power and sacked Solus in 396 BC . He was engaged in eastern Sicily during 396 - 393 BC , including the Siege of Tauromenium ( 394 BC ) . At this time , Carthage was occupied in Africa dealing with a rebellion . In 393 BC , Mago , successor of Himilco , led an attack on Messina , but was defeated near Abacaenum by Dionysius . Reinforced by Carthage , Mago led another expedition through central Sicily , but ran into trouble near the River Chrysas . Dionysius also faced difficulties of his own , and a peace treaty was concluded that basically ensured Carthage and Syracuse left each other alone in their respective sphere of influences . Dionysius opened hostilities again in 383 BC . Mago allied with the Italiot league led by Taras and landed in force at Bruttium , forcing Syracuse into a two front war . Details of the first four years of campaigns are sketchy , but in 378 BC Dionysius defeated Mago in Sicily in the Battle of Cabala . Carthage , also faced with rebellions in Africa and Sardinia , sued for peace . Dionysius asked Carthage to evacuate all Sicily , so war was again renewed , and Himilco , son of Mago , destroyed the Syracusan army at the Battle of Cronium in 376 BC . The subsequent peace treaty forced Dionysius to pay 1000 talents as reparations and left Carthage in control of Western Sicily . Dionysius again attacked Punic possessions in 368 BC , and laid siege to Lilybaeum . The defeat of his fleet forced him to call off the war and his death in 367 BC ensured a peace of 22 years between Carthage and Syracuse . Dion of Syracuse made peace with Carthage , and Carthage retained her Sicilian possessions west of the Halcyas and Himeras rivers . Carthage became embroiled in Syracusan politics in 345 BC , and her forces managed to enter the city at the invitation of one of the political contenders . The commander Mago bungled the affair , retreated to Africa and killed himself to escape punishment . Timoleon assumed power in Syracuse in 343 BC and started raiding Carthaginian possessions in Sicily . The Carthaginian expedition to Sicily was destroyed in the Battle of the Crimissus in 341 BC . The following peace treaty left Carthage in control of territories west of the Halcyas river . The Third Sicilian War ( 315 – 307 BC ) . In 315 BC Agathocles , the tyrant of Syracuse , seized the city of Messene , present - day Messina . In 311 BC , he invaded the last Carthaginian holdings on Sicily , which broke the terms of the current peace treaty , and he laid siege to Akragas . Hamilcar , grandson of Hanno the Navigator , successfully led the Carthaginian counterattack . By 310 BC , he controlled almost all of Sicily and had laid siege to Syracuse itself . In desperation , Agathocles secretly led an expedition of 14 , 000 men to the mainland of Africa , hoping to save his rule by leading a counterstrike against Carthage itself . In this , he was successful : Carthage was forced to recall Hamilcar and most of his army from Sicily to face the new and unexpected threat . The two armies met in battle outside Carthage , and the Carthaginian army , under Hanno and Hamilcar , was defeated . Agathocles and his forces laid siege to Carthage , but its impregnable walls repulsed him . Instead , the Greeks contented themselves with occupying Northern Tunisia until they were defeated two years later in 307 BC . Agathocles himself escaped back to Sicily and negotiated a peace treaty with the Carthaginians , which maintained Syracuse as a stronghold of Greek power in Sicily despite its loss of much of its power and of the strategic city of Messene . Aftermath . After Agathocles sued for peace , Carthage enjoyed a brief , unchallenged period of control of Sicily , which ended with the Pyrrhic War . The Sicilian Pyrrhic expedition , second phase of Pyrrhic War ( 280 - 265 BC ) , which ultimately led to the Punic Wars , can be considered the ultimate part of the Greek - Punic wars , though they are not generally considered such . Pyrrhus of Epirus arrived in Sicily to rescue the island from Carthaginians . He conquered Palermo , Eryx and Iaitias but the Lilybaeum siege failed . So he returned in Italy . Rome , despite its close proximity to Sicily , was not involved in the Sicilian Wars of the 5th and 4th centuries BC because of its pre - occupation with its liberation from the Etruscans during the 5th century BC and its conquest of Italy proper during the 4th century BC . However , Rome ' s later involvement in Sicily ended the indecisive warfare on the island .