Battle of Catana ( 397 BC ) The Battle of Catana took place in the summer of 397 BC . The Greek fleet under Leptines , the brother of Dionysius I of Syracuse , engaged the Carthaginian fleet under Mago near the city of Catana in Sicily . While the Greek army under Dionysius was present near the city of Catana during the battle , the Carthaginian army under Himilco was away in the interior of Sicily , making a detour around the erupting Mt . Etna . The Carthaginian fleet crushed the Greek fleet in the battle , which ultimately led to the siege of Syracuse by the Carthaginians later in 397 BC . Background . Carthage had invaded Sicily in 406 BC in retaliation of Greek raids on Phoenician lands . The expedition , first commanded by Hannibal Mago , and , after the battle of Akragas , by his kinsman Himilco , had managed to capture and sack the cities of Akragas , Gela and Camarina by the summer of 405 . These defeats had caused political turmoil in Syracuse , and had ultimately brought Dionysius I of Syracuse to power as tyrant . Himilco and Dionysius signed a peace treaty to end the conflict in 405 BC , which had left Carthage in direct or indirect control of 3 / 5th of Sicily . The Sicel s and the cities of Messina and Leontini were left independent while Dionysius was acknowledged as the ruler of Syracuse by Carthage . Dionysius in Charge . Between 405 BC and 398 BC , Dionysius set about securing his political position and increasing the military might of Syracuse . He broke the treaty in 404 BC by starting a war with the Sicels . While Carthage did nothing , Dionysius was put in a difficult position by a revolt in his army , which managed to besiege Dionysius in Syracuse . Fortune and incompetence of his enemies had helped Dionysius to ultimately emerge triumphant from this crisis . Dionysius then enlarged his territory by conquering and sacking the cities of Naxos and Catana , and annexing Leontini . He hired mercenaries and enlarged his fleet building 200 new ships . The city of Syracuse was fortified , with Dionysius making the island of Ortygia ( where the original city of Syracuse stood ) into a fortress and encompassing the whole of Epipolae Platue by massive walls . He hired workmen to create new weapons like the Catapult and new ships like the Quinquereme . In 398 BC , Dionysius attacked the Phoenician city of Motya in Western Sicily with an army of 80 , 000 infantry and 3 , 000 cavalry , along with a fleet of 200 warships and 500 transports carrying his supplies and war machines . The Sicilian Greeks and Sikans under Carthaginian dominion took this opportunity to rebel , and by the time Dionysius besieged Motya , only 5 cities remained in league ( Segesta , Entella , Panormus and Solus among them ) with Carthage . Lacking a standing army , Carthage could only send a fleet of 100 triremes under Himilco to Sicily . The city of Motya stands on an island in the middle of a lagoon , so Dionysius had to build a mole to reach the city walls . While the Greeks were thus occupied , Himilco managed to surprise the Greek fleet and trap them on the lagoon north of Motya . Most of the Greek ships were beached , and Himilco had destroyed the transports at anchor near Lilybaeum before sailing to Motya . Dionysius managed to hold the Carthaginian fleet off by catapult fire , while his men built a wooden road of planks on the isthmus north of Motya and dragged 80 triremes to the open sea . Himilco , outnumbered and outmaneuvered , was compelled to sail away . Dionysius then assaulted Motya after the mole was finished , the city fell after fierce resistance , and was thoroughly sacked . After garrisoning the city , Dionysius left 120 ships under his brother Leptines at Eryx , put Segesta under siege and retired to Syracuse for the winter . Road to Catana . Himilco , elected king by the Carthaginians , led the army raised by Carthage , probably 50 , 000 men along with 400 triremes and 600 transports to Sicily . The Greek fleet under Leptines of Syracuse failed to stop the Punic armada , only managing to sink 50 transports . The Carthaginians landed at Panormus , then made their way to Eryx , which was occupied through treachery . Himilco next stormed Motya , where the mostly Sicel garrison under Biton was easily overcome . The Carthaginians then lifted the siege of Segesta , and Dionysius retired to Syracuse instead of offering battle in Western Sicily against a superior army . Himilco returned to Panormus , garrisoned the Carthaginian territories , and then sailed to Lipara with 300 warships and 300 transports . After collecting 30 talents of silver as tribute from Lipara , Himilco sailed to Cape Pelorum and landed his army . The army of Messene marched north from the city to the cape to confront the Carthaginians . Himilco sent 200 ships filled with picked soldiers and rowers to Messene , which was easily captured and sacked . The Greeks then disbursed to the fortresses in the countryside . Himilco spent some time trying to reduce the forts , but gave up the time consuming endeavor . Prelude to Catana . Himilco chose not to set up base at Messene , which would have given him control over the strait and a harbor that could house his entire fleet , and also put him in a position to hinder naval traffic between Italy and Sicily . Himilco probably was not confident about holding the city this far away from Carthage . Furthermore , majority of the Greeks of Messana were holed up in the hill fortresses nearby , and reducing them required time , which in turn would enable Dionysius to strengthen himself for the coming battle . The ultimate Carthaginian goal was the defeat of Syracuse , Messana was just a sideshow . Bringing reinforcements from Carthage would be time consuming as Carthage had no standing army and would need time to raise fresh mercenaries , while dividing the field army to guard Messana would decrease his striking power against Dionysius . Himilco on the other hand could not entirely ignore the hostile Greek fortresses in his rear , as they might cause problems once he left the site . His solution was simple and ingenious at the same time , something that is termed indirect approach . Tauromenium Founded . Himilco marched south , Himilco chose to plant a city at Mt . Taurus , where some Sicels had already settled , and populated it with allied Sicels and fortified the place , and in doing so killed several birds with a single stone . The city was near enough to block any Greek movements from Messana but was far enough away to fall victim to a surprise attack , and it could serve as a future base of operations . Furthermore , all the Sicels hated Dionysius and except those from Assorus , they now abandoned the Greeks and either joined Himilco or went to their respective homes , decreasing the strength of Dionysius without Carthaginians striking a single blow . Epaminondas in 370 BC used the same strategy when he rebuilt Messene and founded Megalopolis in Spartan territory after failing to take Sparta by force , and decreased their territory and manpower successfully . Himilco had managed to detached allies away from Dionysius and at the same time gained allies to block any activity by the still hostile Greeks of Messese in his rear . The Carthaginians resumed marching south along the coast , while the Punic fleet sailed alongside . However , a severe eruption of Mt . Etna made the path north of Naxos impassable , so Himilco had to risk dividing his forces , while the army under Himilco marched to detour around Mt . Etna , Mago with the fleet sailed on to Catana along the coast , where he was to meet up with Carthaginian army . While Himilco was capturing Messene and building Tauromenium , Dionysius was busy strengthening his forces . He freed all the slaves in Syracuse to man 60 additional ships , provisioned the fortresses at Syracuse and Leontini with soldiers and supplies , and hired 1 , 000 mercenaries from Greece . His next move was to persuade the Campanian mercenaries at Catana to move to Aetna . When he received news that Himilco had been forced to march inland due to the eruption of Mt . Etna , and the Punic fleet was sailing for Catana , He took his army and fleet to Catana to defeat the Carthaginians in detail . The Greek army numbered 30 , 000 foot and 3000 horse , while the fleet had 180 ships , mostly made of Quinqueremes . Opposing Forces . Himilco had led the Carthaginian force of 50 , 000 men along with 400 triremes and 600 transports to Sicily in 397 BC . The Carthaginians were joined by 30 , 000 Sicilians ( Sicels , Sikans and Elymians ) , but it is not known what forces Himilco left behind to guard Western Sicily when he sailed to Lipara with 300 triremes and 300 transports . After the Carthaginian forces split up , Mago took command of 200 triremes and 300 transports as the Punic fleet sailed to Catana . Dionysius had mustered an army of 40 , 000 foot and 3 , 000 horsemen , from both citizens and mercenaries ( at least 10 , 000 , if not more ) for attacking Motya in 398 BC , perhaps along with 40 , 000 Greek , Sicel and Sikan volunteers . At Catana in 397 BC Dionysius commanded 30 , 000 foot and 3 , 000 horse , which included Sicels and Sicilian Greek contingents , while part of the army was guarding Syracuse and Leontini . Leptines commanded the fleet , which was made of 180 Quinqueremes and triremes . Punic Navy . Carthaginians favored light , maneuverable crafts and they carried an extra sail for speed but fewer number of soldiers than their Greek counterparts . Carthaginian forces had encountered Syracusan Quinqueremes at Motya and are credited with inventing the Quadriremes , but it is not known if these ship types were present at Catana in 397 BC . Mago , the Carthaginian admiral , had installed rams on his transports to augment the striking power of his fleet . Greek Navy . Dionysius had launched a massive building program between 404 - 398 BC . Syracuse built 200 new ships and refitted 110 old ones , many being quadrireme and quinqueremes . Leptines had commanded a fleet of 200 warships and 500 transports to Motya in 398 BC , while the Carthaginians had destroyed a large number of ships at Syracuse and Motya . The Greek fleet had shrunk below 150 warships by 397 BC from attrition and battle losses , and Dionysius , short of cash , had to free slaves to man 60 additional ships , bringing the fleet up to 180 ships at Catana . Dionysius preferred larger and heavier ships , and with the fleet mainly being composed of Quinqueremes , they carried more missile troops and marines than their Carthaginian counterparts . Battle of Catana . The Carthaginian fleet was sailing at a slow pace to give Himilco more time to catch up . The Carthaginian fleet at this time contained 300 triremes and 200 transports . To maximize the fighting potential of the fleet , the Carthaginians had armed the transports , ( which were slower than the warships ) with rams . The Punic fleet arrived at Catana , aware that without their army present , they were vulnerable to the Greek army when they beached their ships at night . If the fleet anchored at sea , they would be vilnarable to bad weather . When the Greeks arrived at Catana , Leptines , the admiral , marshaled his ships and advanced on the Carthaginians . Although the Greek fleet was outnumbered , their ships were larger and heavier , and carried more soldiers and missile troops on board . Dionysius , planning to make full use of his heavier ships and larger missile troop contingent , had ordered Leptines to keep his ships in close order when engaging the Carthaginians . Seeing the Greeks deploy for action , Mago ordered his fleet to sea and started to form up the battle line . Leptines selected 30 of his best ships and charged headlong into the Carthaginian line , while the rest of his fleet struggled to catch up with him . At first Leptines carried all before him in his sudden sally , disabling / sinking many Punic ships in a wild melee . The Carthaginians began to use their advantage in numbers , grappling the Greek ships so they could not maneuver , then boarding them . The battle turned against Leptines , and left without any reinforcements , he had to break combat and escape to the open sea with the survivors of his contingent , leaving the Greek fleet leaderless in the coming battle . As the rest of the Greek fleet came in disorder into the battle scene , the Carthaginians , formed up and ready , turned on them en masse . A fierce battle ensued , with ships exchanging darts , maneuvering to ram their counterparts and grapple each other for boarding . The Greeks were ultimately overwhelmed , their heavier ships and superior missile troops being of little use partly because of their disordered formation . The Carthaginians sent out boats to capture / kill the Greek sailors swimming in the water . Over 20 , 000 soldiers / rowers and 100 ships were lost before the surviving Greek ships could make a break for it . Aftermath . The defeat of the Greeks put Dionysius in a difficult position . With the Greek fleet beaten , Mago had gained the option of making a dash at Syracuse itself , repeating the feat the Carthaginians had pulled off at Messene on Syracuse . On the other hand , if Dionysius could now attack and defeat the army of Himilco , Mago would be compelled to fall back to a secure base . However , Dionysius also had to keep in mind the possibility of political trouble in Syracuse while deciding his strategy . The Greek army was opposed to facing a siege , and at first Dionysius was inclined to seek the Carthaginian army out and measure swords with Himilco . However , his advisers pointed out the threat of Mago and his fleet capturing Syracuse , and Dionysius decided to break camp , leave Catana and march south to Syracuse . At this juncture , Mother Nature intervened for the embattled Greeks , as worsening weather forced Mago to beach his ships , thus making the Punic fleet vulnerable to the Greek army attacks . However , Lady Luck seems to have favored the Carthaginians , because Dionysius commenced his retreat prior to this , with the remnant of his fleet sailing parallel along the coast . This decision to face a siege proved so unpopular among the Sicilian Greek allies that they deserted the army and made for their respective cities . Once there , they manned the countryside castles and awaited the Carthaginians . Himilco arrived at Catana 2 days after the battle with the Carthaginian army , his presence ensuring security of the Punic fleet . Both the Punic army and the navy were accorded a few days rest , during which time Mago repaired his damaged ships and refitted the captured Greek ships . Himilco took the time to negotiate with the Campanians at Aetna , offering them to switch sides . They had given Dionysius hostages and their best troops were still serving with the Greek army , so they chose to stay loyal to the Greek tyrant . The victory at Catana enabled the Carthaginians to proceed and lay siege to Syracuse in 397 BC . It not only reduced the naval power of Syracuse , but it also decreased the strength of the Greeks army by causing other Sicilian Greeks to desert Dionysius . " Offshore from Catania , 200 Carthaginian ships met 180 Syracusan ones , and sank or captured a hundred of them . "