Carthage
Carthage was a rival in the western Mediterranean for the Roman Republic, which wanted to take over the whole region. Carthage was a large obstacle and so in 264 BC, the Romans responded to a plea for help by some rebels in Messina and landed an army in Sicily. That started the First Punic War. The Romans then invaded the Carthaginian areas in Sicily, and the Carthaginian generals could not stop them. Even at sea, the Romans copied the Carthaginian bireme ships, with two oars on each side, and won several major victories on the sea. However, the Romans had not been a sea power, which the Carthaginians had been.