HISTORY 341 



vain solicited its assistance in his invasion of Greece. It 

 had acquired extensive dominions across the sea, having 

 obtained possession of both Corsica and Sardinia, and a 

 large part of Sicily, long before Rome had acquired 

 any transmarine territory. In the last-named island, 

 Carthage had to maintain frequent contests with the 

 Greek inhabitants, whom Pyrrhus aided during a certain 

 interval in his contest with Home, before mentioned. 



Roman soldiers were Roman citizens, but Carthage 

 relied mainly on the aid of mercenary troops hired in 

 Spain, and even in Gaul, as well as in Africa. 



Sicilian disputes involved Rome in a contest with 

 Carthage for the sake of protecting certain Italians who 

 had taken possession of Mycenae. Thus arose the frst 

 Punic ivar, which lasted from 264-241 B.C., when 

 Carthage sued for peace and yielded up her Sicilian 

 territories to Rome. Thus it was that Rome acquired 

 her first foreign dominion her first province which 

 consisted of all Sicily save what belonged to Heiron, the 

 Greek king of Syracuse. 



Thereafter Rome added to her dominions the Cartha- 

 genian islands, Corsica and Sardinia, while Carthage 

 was acquiring large dominions in Spain through the 

 military genius of Hannibal, son of Hamilcar. At last 

 he took the city of Saguntum, which Rome claimed as 

 her ally, and so began the second Punic war, which lasted 

 from 218-202 B.C. During it, Hannibal made his 

 celebrated march across the Alps, defeated the Romans 

 at the battle of Cannae, and raised several of Rome's 

 allies in revolt against her. But the Romans meanwhile 

 conquered not only the Syracuse kingdom in Sicily, but 

 also the Spanish dominions of Carthage ; while, finally, 

 a naval battle was gained, under the Roman commander 

 Scipio, th result of which was that Carthage had to 



