Marsala is a town in western Sicily. People think the town is famous for two things:
the landing of Giuseppe Garibaldi in 1860 and for its dessert wine Marsala. Let me tell you
the rest of the story. Marsala is built on the ruins of the ancient Carthaginian city of
Lilybaeum. Nearby is the archaeological site of the island of Motya an ancient Phoenician town
The Carthaginian army landed in Lilybaeum in 409 bc and camped nearby intending to strike Selinunte
in 397 bc, the nearby Phoenician colony of Motya was destroyed by Dionysus of Syracuse.
The survivors of the attack founded a town nearby on the site of modern day Marsala and called it
Lilybaeum. Himilco wisely built the port and the defensive stronghold of Lilybaeum in 396 bc as
a replacement for Motya. As a Carthaginian center for trade it flourished and provided a vital link
with Carthage on the north African coast and as well as their other interests in Sardinia.
Lilybaeum had strong walls and the vital advantage of three linked harbors. Lilybaeum
was under siege many times but never conquered never by Pyrrhus of Epirus nor by the Romans
in the end Lilybaeum was the only Sicilian city which did not fall to Pyrrhus of Epirus
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During the first Punic war the western Phoenicians
landed at Lilybaeum in 265 to 264 bc and marched to Messina for the opening battle
in 250 bc, the Romans sent a large naval fleet and army contingent to Lilybaeum. They would confront
the Carthaginian stronghold and attempt to capture its strategically valuable port.
The Carthaginians threw in all their reserves from north Africa in a desperate defense of the port
fearing they would be wiped clean from the island of Sicily. Rome and Carthage fought
across the island of Sicily from 264 bc and the Romans only made very slow progress
by 250 bc. The Carthaginians retained only two locations Lilybaeum which is modern Marsala
and Drepana which is modern Trapani. The siege of Lilybaeum in 250 bc lasted for
nine years and still no Roman victory. Carthage continued to support Lilybaeum from the sea
and the Romans had to watch helplessly and could not stop the supplies arriving.
Gallic mercenaries plotted against the city but their plans were uncovered by Alexon
and the Carthaginian commander Himilco. The Romans realized they had no other option than
settle in for a very long siege. The Romans were in siege of Lilybaeum with a hundred thousand men
but this quickly deteriorated into a stalemate
in the battles of Drepana the Romans tried and failed to blockade Trapani in 249 bc.
The battle of Phintias in 249 bc near modern day Licata pitched the fleets of Carthage
and Rome together again. The Carthaginian fleet beat back the Roman fleet near Phintias.
Carthalo the Carthaginian leader retired to avoid an oncoming storm
the Roman fleet put out to sea and disregarded the weather and were almost completely wiped out
this strategically devastating defeat meant that Carthage dominated the seas
unchallenged until 242 bc. The Romans returned with a new fleet
and immediately began to impede Carthaginian reinforcements to Sicily again. The Carthaginians
re-engaged the Romans at the battle of Aegates in 241 bc. Finally the Romans won.
The Carthaginians accepted peace terms and the war ended after more than 20 years.
The Carthaginians retained Lilybaeum but had to withdraw their troops from the island of Sicily
they realized the game was up and evacuated the city very soon afterwards. In 241 bc
Marsala belonged to the Romans and was at the time one of the most important cities in Sicily
in 218 bc, the battle of Lilybaeum resumed. A naval clash ensued between Carthage
and Rome again. Carthage made an audacious attempt to re-establish a base on the Sicilian mainland
the Roman Marcus Amellius was warned by Hierro of Syracuse
and managed to intercept the far more numerous Carthaginian ships and despite the odds he won
he even captured a number of Carthaginian ships. The city of Marsala was at its peak during this
period. Lilybaeum besieged in 43 bc by Sextus Pompeius and 38 bc by Lepidus caused the walls
to be extended further. The city suffered raids by Vandals in the 5th century a.d and fell to
Justinian's Byzantine empire in the 6th century. Lilybaeum suffered from disease attacks by pirates
and was largely abandoned to its fate by rulers in Constantinople. The city was dying Arabic, Berbers
arrived in the 8th century reinvigorating commerce and the town began to flourish again
Lilybaeum was renamed to Marsa Allāh god's harbour. Greek mythology refers to ancient Marsala
Butes was a single Argonaut who was unable to resist the Sirens and ended up in the water.
Fortunately for him, Aphrodite came to his rescue and took him to Lilybaeum. Norman Angevin and Aragonese forces
overwhelmed the region in the 11th century. Marsala's wealth flourished due to trade
and its excellent maritime links. This period of recovery was sharply stopped by Emperor Charles v
who ordered the harbour of Punta Alga to be blocked in order to deter Saracen raiding parties
Marsala its trade its economy quickly collapsed. English merchants including John Woodhouse
discovered the local wines and helped develop Marsala wine in the 18th century
this caused a dramatic economic expansion in the area including the development of
Margitello harbor. A defining moment in the city's history was in 1860 when Giuseppe
Garibaldi landed with his troops at Marsala to begin the campaign to reunify Italy and Sicily, il Risorgimento
In 1943 as a prelude to the allied invasion of Sicily a huge aerial bombardment devastated
Marsala's Baroque city center. Newspapers claimed at the time Marsala wiped off the
map. Archaeological studies have found parts of Lilybaeum dating back to the 2nd century bc
Several fragments of the city walls and floors and walls of public and private buildings are visible
numerous excavations across Marsala under the modern city have revealed
a variety of mosaic floors in and under townhouses. The Baglio Anselmi Archaeological Museum
has a Carthaginian ship recovered from the local seabed dating from the era of the first Punic war
Marsala boasted three entrance gates dating from the Norman era and these
were rebuilt in the 17th and 18th centuries Porta Mazara Mazara Gate
Porta di Mare ("Sea Gate") (was renamed to Porta Garibaldi), and Porta Nuova ("New Gate“.)
The city demolished the city walls in 1887 to permit further expansion
this included unfortunately the demolition of Porta Trapani nicknamed Porticella
What can you do in Marsala? Well Marsala cathedral is dedicated to Saint Thomas Beckett
you can attend the Stagnone Lagoon Natural Reserve the Phoenicians began making salt in this area a
long time ago this still continues today you can visit the small
former Carthaginian island of Motya you can attend a wine tour of course(!)