What was the effect of the first punic war?

Answer 1

The effects of the First Punic War were:

· Rome gained control of Sicily by taking over Carthage's possessions in western Sicily and through an alliance with the Greek city of Syracuse, the most powerful city in Sicily (in eastern and southern Sicily there were Greek cities).

· Under the terms of the peace treaty cartage also had to give up small islands around Sicily and undertake not to attack Syracuse and her allies.

· Carthage had to pay a war indemnity of 30 tons of silver immediately and 66 tons of silver in 10 annual instalments.

· Carthage tried to get her disbanded mercenary soldiers to accept a reduced payment because the war had emptied her coffers. This sparked a revolt which has been called the Mercenary War which Carthage managed to suppress with great difficulty and at a high cost.

· Rome took advantage of Carthage having to deal with the Mercenary War to seize Sardinia and Corsica from Carthage. Carthage lost the hub of her trade in the western Mediterranean.

· Carthage expanded the territories under her control in western Libya and conquered southern Spain to make up for her losses and to gain control of the gold and silver mines is southern Spain to finance both their occupation there and the payment of the indemnity payments to Rome.

· Carthage lost her naval superiority in the western Mediterranean as the Roman fleet became the main naval force there.