Mercenary war
A mercenary war is a military conflict within the Carthaginian sphere of influence . He found in the years 241–237 BC After the end of the First Punic War .
With the Lutatius Treaty , Carthage undertook to evacuate the Sicilian positions. The troops, which consisted mainly of mercenaries, were transferred to North Africa. There they should be demobilized and paid out. However, there was a dispute over the amount of the pay owed, which quickly culminated in a war. The North African population, dependent on Carthage, used this to revolt and to side with the mercenaries. Although the majority of the army and the resources of the hinterland of Carthage were no longer available, it was possible to stabilize the empire again under strain of all forces. Hamilkar Barkas made a special contribution to this .
However, the fact that the Sardinian mercenary associations also got rid of the Carthaginian commanders and followed the example of the North African troops became problematic . The Sardinian population, who had previously supplied Carthage with grain, refused to recognize the new masters. The intervention of Carthage was used by Rome as a pretext to declare war on Carthage again. At the same time an offer of peace was made, which included the official cession of Sardinia and an additional payment of 1200 talents of silver. The Carthaginians, exhausted by the previous conflicts, could not afford another conflict with Rome at this moment. They had no choice but to acknowledge this new situation. The provision about Sardinia and the 1200 talents were added to the Lutatius Treaty.
If the Carthaginians originally left the Sicilian possessions relatively voluntarily, the subsequent demands regarding Sardinia and the 4400 talents of silver created considerable additional tension. With a recovery of Carthage, as it actually occurred with the new Iberian possessions, another conflict on the part of the Carthaginians was foreseeable. But the Romans were also well aware of the special interpretation of the treaties. In the fear of one day being held accountable for it, another conflict on the part of the Romans was consequently also foreseeable.
literature
- Klaus Zimmermann : Rome and Carthage. Scientific Book Society, Darmstadt 2005, ISBN 3-534-15496-7 .
- Dexter Hoyos: Truceless War. Carthage's Fight for Survival, 241 to 237 BC (= History of Warfare. Vol. 45). Brill, Leiden et al. 2007, ISBN 978-90-04-16076-7 .
- Polybios : Histories: The Rise of Rome. Edited by Lenelotte Möller. Marixverlag, Wiesbaden 2010, ISBN 978-3-86539-230-5 .