Syracuse defects
Syracuse, Province of SyracuseIt was the long-standing Roman procedure to appoint two men each year, known as consuls, to each lead an army. In 263 BCE both were sent to Sicily with a force of 40,000. Syracuse was again besieged, and with no Carthaginian assistance anticipated, Syracuse rapidly made peace with the Romans: it became a Roman ally, paid an indemnity of 100 talents of silver and, perhaps most importantly, agreed to help supply the Roman army in Sicily.