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 130 General History oj Europe for the many victories of their "le- gions," as the divisions of the army were called. Although the Romans had already had long experience in fighting on land, they had now to accustom themselves to fighting on the sea. It took some time for them to learn how to build men-of-war and manage them effectively. But without a sea power they could, of course, make no head- way against Carthage. 201. The Opening of the First Punic War (254 B.C.). The Romans soon realized that the struggle with Carthage could not be avoided. The immediate cause of the outbreak of the First Punic War was the seizure of Messina by a Carthaginian garrison. Messina commanded the strait which separated the island of Sicily from the mainland. This move of the Cartha- ginians seemed to be a sort of insult to the Romans, who now took a memo- rable step. For the first time Roman troops went beyond the mainland of Italy, crossed the narrow strait, and secured a footing in Sicily. The struggle with Carthage had begun (264 B.C.). 202. General Course of the War (264-241 B.C.). The Romans were able to form an alliance with the famous old Greek city of Syracuse and so got possession of the eastern part of Sicily, but the war proved a very long one, lasting nearly a quarter of a century. Five years elapsed before the Romans got their first great fleet of one hundred and twenty A ROMAN SOLDIER The figure of the soldier is carved upon a tombstone, erected in his memory by his brother. His weapons are his spear, which he holds in his extended right hand with point upward, and his heavy short sword, which he wears girded high on his right side. As defensive equipment he has a helmet, a leathern corselet stopping midway between the waist and knees, and a shield