Hamilkar (First Punic War)

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Hamilkar , Punic Ḥmlk (brother Melqart ), was a Carthaginian general who fought against the Romans in the first half of the First Punic War with varying success .

Hamilkar is to be distinguished from Hamilkar Barkas , Hannibal's father , although ancient authors confused him with him. Hamilcar first appears in the sources when he got rid of his unreliable Celtic mercenaries in Sicily , whom he betrayed to the consul Titus Otacilius Crassus . In the following years he operated successfully against the Romans by retaking several cities. Hamilkar had Drepana expanded into a naval port . In 257 BC He took part in the naval battle of Tyndaris . In the following year he was responsible for the defeat in the sea battle of Eknomos , which enabled the Roman fleet under Marcus Atilius Regulus to land in Africa.

Thereupon Hamilcar was called back to Carthage and took over command against the Romans who landed in Africa, to whom he was defeated in the Battle of Adys . Then he submitted to the command of the Spartan mercenary leader Xanthippos . After his victory over Regulus in the Battle of Tunes , Hamilcar had to take action against insurgent Numidian and Moorish tribes, where he displayed the greatest cruelty. No further information is known about him. He was the father of two sons: Hannibal, who lived in 250 BC. BC brought a Carthaginian army to Lilybaion , and Hanno, who belonged to the peace delegation to Regulus.

literature

  • Klaus Geus: Prosopography of the literarily attested Carthaginians . Leuven 1994, pp. 46-49.

Remarks

  1. ^ Pedro Barceló: Hannibal . Munich 1998, p. 13.
  2. ↑ Werner Huss: Carthage . Munich 1995, p. 103.
  3. ↑ Cicero , De officiis 3.99; Johannes Zonaras , World History 8.10.
  4. ↑ Diodor , Weltgeschichte 23,9,4.
personal data
SURNAME Hamilcar
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Carthaginian general
DATE OF BIRTH 4th century BC BC or 3rd century BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH after 255 BC Chr.