Carthage has conquered most of the old Phoenician colonies—e.g., Hadrumetum, Utica and Kerkouane—subjugated some of the Libyan tribes, and taken control of parts of the North African coast from modern Morocco to the borders of Cyrenaica by the end of the sixth century BC.

It is also fighting wars in defense of Punic colonies and commerce, however, only the details of her struggle against the Greeks have survived—which often makes Carthage seem "obsessed with Sicily".

The island of Sicily, lying at Carthage's doorstep, becomes the arena on which this conflict plays out.

From their earliest days, both the Greeks and Phoenicians have been attracted to the large island, establishing a large number of colonies and trading posts along its coasts.

Small battles have been fought between these settlements for centuries.

Carthage has had to contest with at least three Greek incursions, including those in 580 BCE, in 510 BCE, and a war in which the city of Heraclea was destroyed.

Gelo, ruler of Gela and Syracuse, had fought in the last war and had secured terms for the Greeks.