The 1st Punic War Ended

On this day in ancient history - March 10:

Rome fought 3 (Punic) wars with Carthage. The third one started when Rome decided that the people of Carthage had violated terms of the peace treaty by defending itself in a border dispute with its neighbor Numidia. This gave Rome the pretext for attacking and destroying Carthage. Earlier, in the first two Punic Wars, Carthage had not been such a push-over, although it had been in the position of asking for peace both times.

On this day in 241 B.C. the Romans beat the Carthaginians at Aegusa, ending the First Punic War. According to J.F. Lazenby, author of The First Punic War, "To Rome, wars ended when the Republic dictated its terms to a defeated enemy; to Carthage, wars ended with a negotiated settlement." At the end of the First Punic War, Rome won a new province, Sicily, and began to look further.

(This made the Romans empire builders.) Carthage, on the other hand, had to compensate Rome for its heavy losses. Although the tribute was steep, it didn't keep Carthage from continuing as a world-class trading power.

In A.D. 15 A.D., the second Roman emperor, Tiberius became pontifex maximus.