During the first millennium BC the Phoenicians began exploring the western Mediterranean coastline for places they could use as staging posts on the trade route from Phoenicia to Spain, a source of silver and tin. Typically, they either built their settlements on rocky promontories that enabled them to shelter their ships and to develop harbours on both sides, or on offshore islands that could be easily defended.
Tradition dates the foundation of Gades (=Cadiz) in Spain to 1110 BC, and Utica (halfway between Tyre and Gades) in North Africa to 1101 BC, but no Phoenician artefact earlier than the eighth century BC has yet been found in the west. Carthage was probably founded in the late ninth century BC (traditionally 841 BC), not far north from modern Tunis, by Phoenician settlers from Tyre. She maintained close links with her mother-city, but eventually outgrew her. As a primarily commercial city, Carthage had close connections with the older Phoenician colonies in Cyprus (Citium), Sicily (Motya), North Africa (Urica), Sardinia (Sulcis, Tharros), and southern Spain (Almunecar).
Carthaginian expansion in Sicily brought her into conflict with the western Greeks, who defeated a Carthaginian army under Hamilcar (1) (r.510-480 BC), at the Battle of Himera in 480 BC. The Greeks continued to fight under such men as Timoleon of Syracuse (c.77; r.343-337 BC), who was victorious against Hamilcar (2) at the Battle of the Crimissus River in 339 BC, and Agathocles of Syracuse (72; r.317-289 BC) who led an invasion of Africa in 310 BC. By 277 BC Carthage had lost all of Sicily aside from Lilybaeum to Pyrrhus, but her position improved rapidly after his departure.
After the Romans recaptured Rhegium in 270 BC the Mamertines at Messana came under pressure from Hieron II of Syracuse (c.93; r.270-215 BC), and the defeat at his hands at the Longanus River in c.265 BC led some to appeal to Carthage and others to appeal to Rome. The Carthaginians installed a garrison. When the consul 04Claudius Caudex arrived with an advance party in 264 BC the Mamertines ordered the Carthaginians to leave. Their commander Hanno (4) complied (he had no orders to fight the Romans) and returned home where he was executed for cowardice. A Carthaginian army was sent under Hanno (5) (fl.264-256 BC) son of Hannibal, to join Hieron and put Messana under siege. Hanno garrisoned Agrigentum and encamped at Messana. Hieron camped south of the town, while the Punic fleet anchored to the north.
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