How the Punic Wars Changed Rome and CarthageThe Punic Wars were a series of wars that destroyed an empire. All three wars were fought between Rome and Carthage. The First Punic War began in 264 BC with a land dispute in Sicily. These wars had a major effect, showing that Rome was a dominant force. These wars also gave Rome lands stretching from Italy to the eastern coast of Spain and across North Africa to Carthage, Tunisia. This gave Rome much more power and resources. The First Punic War began because of a land dispute in Sicily. The dispute was not even between Carthage and Rome. The problem was between Syracuse and Messina. While Carthage supported Syracuse and Rome supported Messina, which was most likely the cause of Rome bordering Messina and Carthage bordering Syracuse. The alliances led to conflict between Rome and Carthage. Both empires had major military power behind them. The differences between them were that Rome had a main land force and kept a weak navy while Carthage had a strong navy but their land force consisted of mercenaries who fought only to get paid. "The Roman navy was traditionally considered less important, although the ships were vital for transporting supplies and troops, they did not develop an offensive naval capability." (“Ancient military history”). There were many battles during the three Punic Wars. The first battle took place during the First Punic War. The Battle of Messana was the battle that truly started the wars. Messina is located in Messina and borders the northeastern tip of Sicily. The Romans won that day, giving them a hold in Sicily. The Siege of Lilybaea was a battle in Sicily in which Rome attacked Lilybaea. The siege, however, failed. "The latter period saw the middle of paper, long and unsuccessful. The main thing Rome wanted in the first war was lands in Sicily, but they realized that Carthage was a force they needed to defeat to remain the one of the most powerful empires of the time The two empires did not have big problems before the conflict between Messina and Syracuse. After the wars, Rome led a vast campaign across Gaul and many countries extending to. the east. They were finally destroyed in the 1400s. They began to collapse in on themselves. The great superpower Rome finally fell. Ancient Military History. Hannibal: Rome's Worst Nightmare. Canada: Franklin Watts, 2009. Crabben, Jan van der. "Encyclopedia of Ancient History." world edition. 2011.