.
Hiero used all of his forces and surrounded the city, capturing Halaesa & Tyndaris and besieged Messana itself. At this point it looked as though Heiro would have total control of the City.
It was at this time that the Mamertines called to Rome for help but the Romans were too slow and the Mamertines didn't think that they would arrive in time. So the Mamertines turned to Carthage to help. .
The Romans were slow because the Roman senate hesitated sending help, because they thought it was improper to support what was pretty much a robber-state, and because the Senate feared war with a great sea-power, and also because if they interfered they would be in breach of the treaty which had strictly forbidden the Romans to enter into the Sicilian sphere, they were tired of war and a most important factor-they had no fleet.
Carthage expected that this would be the case for the Romans, and encouraged by another faction in Messana, sent the help that the Mamertines required. The Carthaginians arrived, occupied Messana and reconciled with Hiero. Some of the Mamertinesbecame worried about this and so they requested Roman assistance against the Carthaginians. They sent an embassy to Rome, requesting help to remove the Carthaginian garrison basing their request on the fact that they were fellow-countrymen.
The Mamertines were not Greeks, and could be very useful to the Carthagians who were the traditional enemy of all things Greek. But the Mamertines were of Italian origin other hand, and Rome now stood as the very aware and efficient protector of all things Italian. And so The Mamertines offered themselves and their Sicilian city to the Romans. Giving the Romans a huge opportunity to grow and expand.
After the decision that they would assist the Mamertines, The Consul Appius Claudius Caudex, who played an important part in achieving Roman acceptance of Messana's request for aid, moved south to tell the Carthaginians what the Romans had decided.
