The Carthaginians availed themselves of the dissensions between Syracuse and Agrigentum to interfere as mediators, when, in reward for their mediation, they secured an extension of territory to tho river Himera A war broke out between Syracuse and Carthage about B.C. 310, the particulars of which are related under CABT11ACE, vol. col 363. Pyrrhus, son-in-law of Agathoeles, came and drove the Carthaginians out of the island, with the exception of Lilyheum, which he could not take, and he suddenly abandoned Sicily to its own dissensions and the mercy of the Carthaginians.
Syracuse, in this emergency, elected Iliero for its commander, who began by attacking the Ntamertines in Messina. The Mamertines called in the aid of the Carthaginians, who took possession of the citadel. The Mamertines however revolted against their new allies, and called in the Romans to assist them against both Hiero and the Carthaginians. This circumstance led to the first Punic war, at the end of which the Romans succeeded the Cartbaginians in the pos session of the west of Sicily—Hiero II., king of Syracuse, retaining possession of the eastern part as ally of Rome. During the second Punic war the Romans took Syracuse, and became masters of the whole island which they administered as a province under a praetor The oppression of one of its praetors Penes reduced the island almoe to a barren waste, and his robberies stripped the towns of all thei wealth and works of art..
During the wars of the Triumvirate, Sicily was for a time if possession of Sextus Ponmeiue, who was at last defeated and drive, away by Octavian. After his assumption of supreme power, Augustu restored many towns of Sicily which had been devastated during thl late wars ; he sent colonies to Tauromeninm, Catana, Therms Himereuses, Centuripi, Panarmus, Thermos Selinuntim, Heraclea and Syracuse. Finding the extent of this last city too large t( be filled again, ho contented himself with colonising the islam Ortygia, which has constituted ever since the modern town o Syracuse.
Christianity spread early into the island, and a persecution of th( Christians took place under Nero. In the 3rd century of our sera we find registered the names of bishops of Panormne.
About A.D. 440 the Vandals, under Genseric, landed from Africa or the western coast of Sicily and took Lilybieum. Theodoric, the
Gothic king of Italy, added Sicily to his continental dominions. Ir the year 534 Belisariu reconquered Sicily for the emperor Justinian ; and the island continued to be a dependence of the Eastern empire, and was administered by a governor styled Patrician,' who was sent from Constantinople.
About the year A.D. 826, one EDO:mining, a Byzantine officer whc commanded the imperial troops in Sicily, fell in love with a Sicilian maiden of noble birth,cwho was a nun, and took her by force from hot convent. Complaints having been laid before the emperor, Euphemiva was outlawed. He then revolted, and defeated the patrician Photinus, but not being strong enough to withstand the imperial forces, he sailed over to Africa and invited the emir of Kairwan to effect the conqnest of the island. In June 827 the first Saracen expedition landed in Sicily, took Agrigeotnin and Miuoa, Messina in 831, and Panormus in 835. It was not till 878 that the Saracens took Syracuse by storm. Soon after the Saracens of Sicily threw off their depend ence on the emirs of Kairwan ; but it became subject to the fatimide kalif El Mehad in 910. In 945 the fatimide kalif Al bLansur appointed an emir as permanent and hereditary governor of Sicily, who fixed his resdence at Panormns. Under the rule of the noire Sicily enjoyed a more orderly government and comparative tran quillity. Tauromenium, the last bold of the Byzantines, was taken by the Saracens in 962. In 964 Nicephorus Phone) sent a strong armament to recover Sicily. A battle took place neer Romette, in which the Saracens totally defeated the Byzantine army, with the loss of 10,000 men. After this Sicily was governed by a succession of emirs, nominally dependent on the fatimide kalifs. In 1035 a revolt broke out among the Sicilian Saracens against the emir El Achill, who was killed, and his brother El Haman was driven away. In every town the leading Saracens asenmed the local power, and thus Sicily became a prey to anarchy, which favoured the invasion by the Normans.
The Saracens never formed the bulk, nor more than about one sixth, of the population. The Christians enjoyed the free exorcise of their religion, paying a tribute, like other conquered subjects in Mohammedan states ; but they had no political right., and were subject& of the conquering race.