Further Operations in Sicily
Having in this unlooked-for manner made good their
maritime hopes the Romans were doubly encouraged in their enthusiasm for the war.
For
the present they put in upon the coast of
Sicily,
raised the siege of Segesta when it was reduced to the last extremity, and on their way
back from Segesta carried the town Macella
by assault.
But Hamilcar, the commander of
the Carthaginian land forces happened, after
the naval battle, to be informed as he lay encamped near
Panormus that the allies were engaged in a dispute with the
Romans about the post of honour in the battles: and ascertaining that the allies were encamped by themselves between
Paropus and Himeraean Thermae, he made a sudden attack in
force as they were in the act of moving camp and killed almost
four thousand of them.
After this action Hannibal sailed across to
Carthage with such ships
as he had left; and thence before very long
crossed to
Sardinia, with a reinforcement of ships, and accompanied by some of those whose reputation as naval commanders stood high. But before very long he was blockaded
in a certain harbour by the Romans, and lost a large number
of ships; and was thereupon summarily arrested by the surviving Carthaginians and crucified. This came about because
the first thing the Romans did upon getting a navy was to try
to become masters of
Sardinia.
During the next year the Roman legions in
Sicily did nothing worthy of mention. In the
next, after the arrival of the new Consuls, Aulus Atilius
and Gaius Sulpicius, they started to attack
Panormus because the Carthaginian forces were
wintering there.
B. C. 258. Coss. A. Atilius, Calatinus, C. Sulpicius, Paterculus. |
The Consuls advanced close
up to the city with their whole force, and drew
up in order of battle. But the enemy refusing
to come out to meet them, they marched away and attacked
the town of Hippana.
Hippana and Myttistratum. |
This they carried by
assault: but though they also took Myttistratum it was only after it had stood a
lengthened siege owing to the strength of its situation. It
was at this time, too, that they recovered Camarina, which
had revolted a short time previously.
They
threw up works against it, and captured it after
making a breach in its walls. They treated
Henna, and sundry
other strong places which had been in the hands of the Carthaginians, in the same way; and when they had finished these
operations they undertook to lay siege to
Lipara.
