The fighting, which consisted predominantly of naval warfare, largely took place on the waters of the Mediterranean surrounding Sicily. It was regarded as "the longest and most severely contested war in history" by the Ancient Greek historian Polybius. The First Punic War broke out on the island of Sicily in 264 BC.
The Punic Wars were a series of wars (taking place between 264 and 146 BC) that were fought between the Roman Republic and Ancient Carthage.