STRUGGLE OF TITANS

The major nations (500 BC) of Europe/Africa, centered around the western end of the Mediterranean, were the Etruscans, the Greeks, and the Carthaginians. Conflict between these peoples tended to be a way of life. The Battle of Himera (480 BC), saw the Greek forces of Gelon, King of Syracuse, and Theron, tyrant of Agrigentum, defeat the Carthaginian force of Hamilcar the Magonid, ending a Carthaginian bid to restore the deposed tyrant of Himera. The battle led to the crippling of Carthage's power in Sicily for many decades. The Battle of Veii (396 BC), after Rome had suffered severe defeats against the Etruscans, was won by the Romans in their attack on the Etruscan city of Veii, digging the soft ground below the walls and infiltrating through the city's sewage system. Not interested in capitulation terms, but in Veii's complete destruction, the Romans slaughtered the entire adult male population and made slaves of all the women and children. This capture of Veii and its surrounding territories marked the first major expansion of Rome. Rome increased its territory by seventy percent, and became the most powerful nation of the central peninsula.