The Battle of the Lipari Islands or Lipara (Lipara harbour, 260 BC) was the first encounter between the fleets of Carthage and the Roman Republic, fought during the First Punic War. The Carthaginian victory was a result of an ambush, rather than an actual battle. The First Punic War was fought between Carthage and the Roman Republic from 264 to 241 BC. It was the first of three major wars between the two powers for supremacy in the Mediterranean Sea. ... Centuries: 4th century BC - 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC Decades: 310s BC 300s BC 290s BC 280s BC 270s BC - 260s BC - 250s BC 240s BC 230s BC 220s BC 210s BC Years: 265 BC 264 BC 263 BC 262 BC 261 BC - 260 BC - 259 BC 258 BC... Sicilian disambiguates here; see also Sicilian language or Sicilian Defence. ... Casus belli is a Latin expression from the international law theory of Jus ad bellum. ... A map of the central Mediterranean Sea, showing the location of Carthage (near modern Tunis). ... See also Roman Republic (18th century) and Roman Republic (19th century). ... Hannibal Gisco (lived 3rd century BC) was a Carthaginian military commander in charge of both land armies and fleets during the First Punic War. ... Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Asina (lived 3rd century BC) was a Roman politician involved in the First Punic War. ... The First Punic War was fought between Carthage and the Roman Republic from 264 to 241 BC. It was the first of three major wars between the two powers for supremacy in the Mediterranean Sea. ... The battle of Agrigentum (Sicily, 261 BC) was the first pitched battle of the First Punic War and the first large-scale military confrontation between Carthaginians and the Republic of Rome. ... The battle of Mylae (offshore Mylae Sicily, 260 BC) was the first real naval battle between the fleets of Carthage and the Roman Republic, fought during the First Punic War. ... The Battle of Sulci was a naval battle fought in 258 BC between the Roman and Carthagenian navys of the coast near the town of Sulci. ... The Battle of Tyndaris is a naval battle of the First Punic War, which took place off Tyndaris (modern Tindari) in 257 BC. Tyndaris was a Sicilian town founded as a Greek colony in 396 BC located on the high ground overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea in the Gulf of Patti. ... Battle of Cape Ecnomus Conflict First Punic War Date 256 BC Place Offshore Cape Ecnomus, in Sicily Result Roman victory The battle of Cape Ecnomus (offshore Cape Ecnomus, southern coast of Sicily, 256 BC) was a naval battle between the fleets of Carthage and the Roman Republic, fought during the... The Battle of Adys was fought in 256 BC between Carthaginians and a Roman army led by Marcus Atilius Regulus. ... The Battle of Panormus was fought in 251 BC between Romans led by L. Caecilius Metellus and Carthaginians led by Hasdrubal. ... Battle of Drepana Conflict First Punic War Date 249 BC Place Offshore Drepana, in Sicily Result Carthaginian victory The battle of Drepana or Drepanum (offshore modern Trapani, western coast of Sicily, 249 BC) was the a naval battle between the fleets of Carthage and the Roman Republic, fought during the... The battle of the Aegates Islands or Aegusa (offshore western coast of Sicily, 10 March 241 BC) was the final naval battle between the fleets of Carthage and the Roman Republic, during the First Punic War. ... Centuries: 4th century BC - 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC Decades: 310s BC 300s BC 290s BC 280s BC 270s BC - 260s BC - 250s BC 240s BC 230s BC 220s BC 210s BC Years: 265 BC 264 BC 263 BC 262 BC 261 BC - 260 BC - 259 BC 258 BC... A map of the central Mediterranean Sea, showing the location of Carthage (near modern Tunis). ... See also Roman Republic (18th century) and Roman Republic (19th century). ... The First Punic War was fought between Carthage and the Roman Republic from 264 to 241 BC. It was the first of three major wars between the two powers for supremacy in the Mediterranean Sea. ...

After the land successes in Sicily showed by the conquest of Agrigentum, the Romans felt confident to build and equip a fleet that allowed them to control the Mediterranean Sea. The Republic ordered, built and drilled the crew of a fleet of about 150 quinqueremes and triremes in a record two months. The patrician Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio (the year's senior consul) was given the command of the first 17 ships produced and sailed to Messana to prepare the fleet's arrival and the crossing to Sicily. The battle of Agrigentum (Sicily, 261 BC) was the first pitched battle of the First Punic War and the first large-scale military confrontation between Carthaginians and the Republic of Rome. ... Satellite image The Mediterranean Sea is a part of the Atlantic Ocean almost completely enclosed by land, on the north by Europe, on the south by Africa, and on the east by Asia. ... A quinquireme was a galley, a warship propelled by oars, developed from the earlier trireme. ... A Greek trireme A Roman trireme Triremes were ancient war galleys with three rows of oars on each side. ... Patricians were originally the elite caste in ancient Rome. ... Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Asina (lived 3rd century BC) was a Roman politician involved in the First Punic War. ... For modern, semi-diplomatic or colonial consuls, see Consul (representative). ... Map of Italy showing Messina in the northeast point of Sicily Messina is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, Italy and the capital of the province of Messina. ...

While Scipio was on the strait, he received a piece of information that assured that the garrison of Lipara was willing to defect to the Roman side. What happened next is usually described as a treacherous act of the Carthaginians, but the sources do not give much detail and are usually pro-Roman. The consul did not resist the temptation of conquering an important city without a fight and sailed to Lipara. As the Romans entered the harbour with their brand new ships, a part of the Carthaginian fleet, commanded by Hannibal Gisco (the general defeated in Agrigentum) and Boodes, was waiting to ambush. Boodes lead about 20 ships to block the Romans inside the harbour. Scipio and his men offered little resistance. The inexperienced crews panicked and fled and the consul himself was captured. His ingenuity earned him the pejorative cognomen Asina, which means donkey in Latin. Hannibal Gisco (lived 3rd century BC) was a Carthaginian military commander in charge of both land armies and fleets during the First Punic War. ... ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ...

The Lipara incident did not put an end to the First Punic War, or Scipio Asina's career. Shortly afterwards, the junior consul avenged the humiliation by winning the battle of MylaeGaius Duilius in front of the rest of the fleet,. The battle of Mylae (offshore Mylae Sicily, 260 BC) was the first real naval battle between the fleets of Carthage and the Roman Republic, fought during the First Punic War. ... Gaius Duilius (lived 3rd century BC) was a Roman politician involved in the First Punic War. ...

References

• The Fall of Carthage, by Adrian Goldsworthy, Cassel