The war which followed (the so-called first Punic War) lasted twentyfour years. It was fought out on the high seas and in the beginning it seemed that the experienced Carthaginian navy would defeat the newly created Roman fleet. Following their ancient tactics, the Carthaginian ships would either ram the enemy vessels or by a bold attack from the side they would break their oars and would then kill the sailors of the helpless vessel with their arrows and with fire balls. But Roman engineers invented a new craft which carried a boarding bridge across which the Roman infantrymen stormed the hostile ship. Then there was a sudden end to Carthaginian victories. At the battle of Mylae their fleet was badly defeated. Carthage was obliged to sue for peace, and Sicily became part of the Roman domains.
随之而来的战争一共持续了24年，这就是历史上著名的第一次布匿战争。先是海上的短兵相接。初看起来，训练有素的迦太基海军将毫不费力地摧毁新建不久的罗马舰队。依照沿用已久的海战法，迦太基战船要么猛撞敌人的船只，要么从敌舰的侧面发动猛攻，折断对方的船浆，尔后用密如疾雨的弓箭和火球杀死对方那些惊慌失措、逃生无路的水手。不过，罗马的工程师发明了一种携带吊桥的战船，能够让精于肉搏的罗马士兵顺吊桥冲上对方的船只，迅速地杀死迦太基弓箭手。这样，迦太基海战胜利的好日子就突然到头了。在米拉战役中，罗马人重挫了迦太基舰队。迦太基人被迫求和，西西里就此归人了罗马帝国的版图。
Twenty-three years later new trouble arose. Rome (in quest of copper) had taken the island of Sardinia. Carthage (in quest of silver) thereupon occupied all of southern Spain. This made Carthage a direct neighbour of the Romans. The latter did not like this at all and they ordered their troops to cross the Pyrenees and watch the Carthaginian army of occupation.
23年后，两国又发生了新的争端。罗马为开发铜矿占据了撒丁岛，迦太基为寻找白银占领了整个西班牙南部。两大强权突然变成了邻居。罗马人可不喜欢与迦太基人为邻，他们派军队越过比利牛斯山，去监视迦太基军队的一举一动。
The stage was set for the second outbreak between the two rivals. Once more a Greek colony was the pretext for a war. The Carthaginians were besieging Saguntum on the east coast of Spain. The Saguntians appealed to Rome and Rome, as usual, was willing to help.
战争的舞台已经布置就绪，就差一个小火星来点燃两国之间的第二次战争了。一个孤悬海外的希腊殖民地再度成为战争的导火索。迦太基人围困了西班牙东海岸的萨贡特，于是萨贡特人向罗马求救。与往常一样，罗马人向来是乐于助人的。