Mamertines

The Mamertines (Mamertini "sons of Mars") were mercenaries of Italian origin who had been hired from their home in Campania by Agathocles, Tyrant of Syracuse and self-proclaimed King of Sicily. After Syracuse lost the Third Sicilian War, the city of Messana was ceded to Carthage in 307 BC. When Agathocles died in 289 BC he left many of his mercenaries idle and unemployed in Sicily. Most of them returned home but some liking the climate and the prospect of adventure on a foreign island remained. They played a major role in the lead up to the First Punic War.

In 280 BC, the Mamertines appealed to King Pyrrhus of Epirus for help. During this time, Rome began expanding into Magna Graecia, and the city states there also appealed for help. This action sparked the Pyrrhic War. Pyrrhus was proclaimed king of Sicily and began his fight against the Carthaginians, in which he scored several great victories. Pyrrhus, though a great commander, mistreated the Sicilians, who quit supporting Pyrrhus. After a few great victories, Pyrrhus abandoned his Sicilian campaign and returned whence he had come, to the states of Southern Italy. Pyrrhus fought one last campaign on the Italian mainland, but eventually returned to Epirus after the Battle of Beneventum (275 BC).