After some success on land against the Carthaginians and the surrender of several cities, the Romans imposed a 15-year truce on Hieron of Syracuse, and returned his prisoners to him for ransom. Syracuse retains its territory, and leaves the Carthaginians alone against the Romans.
Despite this setback, Carthage began to regroup troops at Agrigento, but the Romans led by Claudius and Marcus Valerius Messalla took the cities of Segesta and Agrigento in 261 BC. J.-C. after a siege of 7 months. The city is ransacked and the population reduced to slavery.
After these victories in Sicily, the Romans plan to expel the Carthaginians from the island. But Carthage had mastery of the seas and such a project required the construction of a combat navy.
In 260 BC. J.-C., Rome launched on the seas 100 warships equipped with crows being used for them to recreate at sea the situation of a combat on ground and the same year at the time of the first naval combat between the 2 powers, the Romans gained their first victory at sea at the Battle of Mylae.
It was the start of a series of successes at sea for Rome, notably at Ecnome in -256, where Carthage suffered a heavy defeat. At the same time, the Carthaginians regained the advantage in Sicily by inflicting several defeats on the Roman armies and their allies in -259, and in particular at Enna, Camarina and Therma. However, the successes at sea of the Romans isolated the Carthaginian troops in Sicily and from -258, the Romans regained the advantage in Sicily. In -257, a new victory of the Roman fleet at Tyndaris assures the Romans of regaining control of Sicily.