Mamertines of Messana
E538379
The Mamertines of Messana were a band of Campanian mercenaries who seized and controlled the city of Messana in Sicily, playing a pivotal role in triggering the First Punic War between Rome and Carthage.
Observed surface forms (2)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Mamertine occupation | 1 |
| Mamertines | 1 |
Statements (46)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
ancient mercenary group
ⓘ
historical people ⓘ |
| activeDuring | 3rd century BC ⓘ |
| appealedForAidTo |
Carthage
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Rome NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| basedIn | Messana NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| causeOf |
Roman intervention in Sicily
ⓘ
conflict between Rome and Carthage over Messana ⓘ |
| conflictWith | Syracuse NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| controlled | Messana NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| countryOfOrigin | Campania NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| enemyOf | Hieron II of Syracuse NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| engagedIn | raiding in northeastern Sicily ⓘ |
| ethnicOrigin | Campanian ⓘ |
| eventuallySubordinatedTo | Rome NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| geopoliticalSignificance | control point between Italy and Sicily ⓘ |
| governedAs | military oligarchy ⓘ |
| historicalPeriod | Hellenistic period NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| knownFor |
seizing Messana
ⓘ
triggering the First Punic War ⓘ |
| languageOfName | Oscan ⓘ |
| locatedIn | Sicily ⓘ |
| militaryRole | mercenaries ⓘ |
| namedAfter | Mars NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| nameMeaning | sons of Mars NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| notableEvent |
invitation of Roman garrison into Messana
ⓘ
occupation of Messana ⓘ |
| occupation | soldiers ⓘ |
| opposedBy |
Carthaginian forces
ⓘ
Hieron II NERFINISHED ⓘ Roman forces (later dominance) ⓘ |
| originallyServed | Agathocles of Syracuse NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| partOf | wider phenomenon of Italic mercenaries in the Hellenistic world ⓘ |
| politicalAlignment | shifting between Carthage and Rome ⓘ |
| politicalStatus | ruling military group in Messana ⓘ |
| regionOfActivity |
Strait of Messina
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
northeastern Sicily ⓘ |
| relatedTo | Campanian mercenaries in Greek Sicily ⓘ |
| religiousAssociation | cult of Mars NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| roleIn | First Punic War NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| seized | Messana NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| seizedCityIn | early 3rd century BC ⓘ |
| sourceMentionedIn |
Diodorus Siculus
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Polybius NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| strategicImportance | control of the Strait of Messina ⓘ |
| usedAs | pretext for Roman expansion into Sicily ⓘ |
Referenced by (3)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
Mamertines
this entity surface form:
Mamertine occupation