In Sicily, at the beginning of the First Punic War, Rome was able to rely on the sole support of Messana. Yet, only one year later, and without any decisive Roman victory, the cities of Eastern Sicily and Segesta, followed by the King of Syracuse Hieron II, joined forces with the Romans. Their alliance lasted for the whole of the conflict, making the war for Sicily into a war of Sicily.
What prompted the Sicilian cities to support Rome?
With the aid of modern international relations theories, this book answers the question. It reconstructs how Sicily contributed to the Roman war effort, in the making of quinqueremes, in the training of sailors, in the logistics of the fleet, in supplying siege machines, in controlling and defending the territory and in providing intelligence
