First Battle of Utica
| date | 240 BC Chr. |
|---|---|
| place | Utica in what is now Tunisia |
| output | Carthaginian victory |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
|
Libyan rebels |
|
| Commander | |
|
unknown |
|
| Troop strength | |
| unknown | over a hundred war elephants, several thousand infantrymen |
The First Battle of Utica was a skirmish between Carthaginians and Libyan rebels around 240 BC. Chr.
prehistory
After the First Punic War , mercenaries from North Africa, who were to be demobilized after the war, began to rebel against Carthage over payment disputes. This revolt was soon supported by a large part of the discontented Libyan population as well as by the arch enemy Carthage, Rome .
After various attempts at negotiations had failed, the mercenaries tried to gain a foothold in Libya in order to be able to take military action against Carthage. Most of the Libyan cities let the mercenaries move in, except for Utica , Tunis and Hippacritae . The two mercenary generals Spendius and Mathos quickly defeated these cities and had their troops stationed there.
This was the first military attack on Carthage, which is why Hanno the Great marched from Carthage to Libya with Hamilkar Barkas , Hannibal's father . According to Polybius, his force consisted of more than a hundred war elephants . In 240 BC He arrived at Utica.
procedure
The city walls of Utica were mainly made of wood and were therefore very flammable. In addition, there were only three city gates . Hanno had his army divided into three and set fire to the city in the night. There was a great fire in the city, in which the undisciplined mercenaries streamed headlong out of the city gates and were defeated by the Carthaginian troops after a short battle.
consequences
Hanno and Hamilkar were able to win the battle and recapture Utica. Spendius survived the battle and escaped with a small group of horsemen. The Carthaginians won the first battle against the rebels. In the next two years, a few more battles followed in the area around Utica and Tunis, which often ended in a draw. However, they had little effect on the further course of the war.
swell
- Polybios : Histories : 66 - 75
literature
- Klaus Zimmermann: Rome and Carthage . Knowledge Buchgesellschaft, Darmstadt 2005. ISBN 3-534-15496-7