| Capture of Malta | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theSecond Punic War | |||||||||
 Naval operations around Sicily in 218 BC | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Roman Republic | Carthage | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Tiberius Sempronius Longus | Hamilcar, son of Gisco (POW) | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| c. 26,000 | c. 2,000 | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Light | c. 2,000 captured and enslaved | ||||||||
 | |||||||||
Thecapture of Malta was the successful invasion of theCarthaginian island ofMalta (then known as Maleth, Melite or Melita) by forces of theRoman Republic led byTiberius Sempronius Longus in the early stages of theSecond Punic War in 218 BC.
Malta had been Carthaginian territory since 480 BC.[1] During theFirst Punic War, the island suffered a devastating raid by a Roman army underGaius Atilius Regulus in 257 BC, but it remained under Carthaginian rule.[2]
When theSecond Punic War broke out in 218 BC, a Carthaginian force of around 2,000 men under the command of Hamilcar, son of Gisco[a] garrisoned the Maltese Islands.[4] Despite the Carthaginian defeat at theBattle of Lilybaeum, the Romans were concerned that a Carthaginian-led revolt might break out in Sicily.[5] In order to prevent this, Malta – Carthage's nearest base to Sicily – had to be captured.[5]
Roman ConsulTiberius Sempronius Longus had over 26,000 men under his command,[5] and he sailed his fleet fromLilybaeum in order to capture Malta. Vastly outnumbered, Hamilcar surrendered the main cityMaleth and his garrison to the Romans, without much of a fight. The fleet returned to Lilybaeum after a few days, where those who had been captured (with the exception of the nobles) were sold as slaves.[6]
The main source about the invasion is an account byLivy.[6] The role of the Maltese inhabitants during the invasion is unclear, and some historians suggest that they might have turned over the Carthaginian garrison to the Romans.[6] The islands were in no position to resist the invasion, and surrendering without a fight was beneficial for the population since it spared the islands from destruction whilst also increasing the possibility for future economic gain.[7]
Archaeological evidence suggests a significant demographic continuity between the periods of Carthaginian and Roman rule of Malta.[8] The Maltese Islands were given some degree of autonomy under Roman rule, possibly as a reward for the islanders' shift of allegiance.[9]
