Capture of Malta (218 BC)

Malta had been Carthaginian territory since 480 BC. During the First Punic War, the island suffered a devastating raid by a Roman army under Gaius Atilius Regulus in 257 BC, but it remained under Carthaginian rule. When the Second Punic War broke out in 218 BC, a Carthaginian force of around 2,000 men under the command of Hamilcar, son of Gisco garrisoned the Maltese Islands. Despite the Carthaginian defeat at the Battle of Lilybaeum, the Romans were concerned that a Carthaginian-led revolt might break out in Sicily. In order to prevent this, Malta – Carthage's nearest base to Sicily – had to be captured. ==Capture==

Roman Consul Tiberius Sempronius Longus had over 26,000 men under his command, ==Analysis==

The main source about the invasion is an account by Livy. Archaeological evidence suggests a significant demographic continuity between the periods of Carthaginian and Roman rule of Malta. The Maltese Islands were given some degree of autonomy under Roman rule, possibly as a reward for the islanders' shift of allegiance. ==Notes==