Middle Roman Republic: Between the First and Second Punic Wars (241-218 BC): Sardinia

The cost of the war and the indemnity meant that Carthage could not pay her twenty thousand mercenaries, who rose in revolt – the ‘Mercenary’, ‘Truceless’ or ‘Libyan’ War (241-238 BC) – and were joined by the Numidians and Libyans. Hanno (7) (fl.224-202 BC), the political opponent of Hamilcar (5), was defeated by the rebels and in a few months only the towns of Carthage, Utica and Hippo held out against them. Carthage appealed to Hamilcar, who succeeded in crushing the revolt but only after ruthless cruelty on both sides. 

Knowledge of the mercenaries’ uprising in Africa spread throughout the Punic world. Sardinia and Corsica had not been mentioned in the treaty of 241 BC, and in 240/239 BC the Punic mercenaries on Sardinia mutinied and murdered their officers. A relief force, also composed of mercenaries, was sent to put down the rebellion but it joined the rebellion instead. Together the mercenaries seized the island, but when they tried to make an alliance with Rome it was refused.

In 238 BC the native population expelled the mercenaries from Sardinia. They fled to Italy and consulted the Senate once more. This time the Romans decided to send an expedition to the island. When the Carthaginians objected, the Romans threatened them with a war they were in no position to fight. Carthage had to accept the Romans’ seizure of Sardinia and pay a further indemnity of twelve hundred talents. Almost simultaneously with the seizure of Sardinia, the Romans engaged in campaigns in Gallia Cisalpina, Liguria and Corsica.

⁰³Sempronius Gracchus (fl.238-215 BC) took possession of the coastal cities of Sardinia. As would often happen, this change of overlords provoked a rebellion. Every year between 336 and 331 BC a consular army was sent to the island. During this period, triumphs were awarded on three occasions.

By 227 BC the Romans felt sufficiently secure in their hold on the islands to declare them a Roman province and appoint praetors to supervise them. This caused further rebellions in Sardinia. In 225 BC an army was sent under ⁰⁵Atilius Regulus and his actions produced relative peace on the island until the outbreak of the Second Punic War in 218 BC.