They were years of hard clashes between Romans and Carthaginians in the Mediterranean.
Sicily is divided into two: Greeks and Carthaginians on the one hand and Romans on the other share the influence on the island and the peace that resulted from the defeat of Pyrrhus is now a distant memory.
The republic, after the death of the Greek tyrant Gerone II, is in decline. Syracuse is divided between opposing factions and is under Roman control. The city resists thanks to the ingenuity of its inventor, Archimedes, who puts his inventions at the service of the Syracuse resistance.
The people all over the island are at the limit of their strength. Aetlius, priest of the temple of Apollo, interpreted the signs from the sky and prepared himself for victory and even more for defeat. Domitia, a slave in the service of Lavinia, tried the road to the west and returned to Carthage, while Salio challenged exile by making alliances with the opposing factions. On the other side, the Roman army defends with courage and honour the positions conquered by Biton.