67 Facts About Hamilcar Barca

Hamilcar Barca kept his army intact and led a successful guerrilla war against the Romans in Sicily.

Hamilcar Barca retired to Carthage after the peace treaty in 241BC, following the defeat of Carthage.

Hamilcar Barca commanded the Carthaginian expedition to Spain in 237BC, and for eight years expanded the territory of Carthage in Spain before dying in battle in 228 BC.

Hamilcar Barca is the latinization of Hamilkas, the hellenized form of the common Semitic Phoenician-Carthaginian masculine given name or, meaning "Melqart's brother".

Lance Serge states that Hamilcar Barca's family was part of the landed aristocracy of Carthage.

Hamilcar Barca was a young man of 28 when he received the Sicilian command in 247 BC.

The Carthaginians had gained command of the sea after their victories in 249 BC, but they only held two cities in Sicily: Lilybaeum and Drepanum by the time Hamilcar Barca took up command.

Hamilcar Barca was in command of a mercenary army composed of multiple nationalities and his ability to successfully lead this force demonstrates his skill as field commander.

Hamilcar Barca employed combined arms tactics, like Alexander and Pyrrhus, and his strategy was similar to the one employed by Quintus Fabius Maximus in the Second Punic War, ironically against Hannibal, the eldest son of Hamilcar Barca, in Italy during 217 BC.

The difference was that Fabius commanded a numerically superior army to his opponent, had no supply problems, and had room to manoeuvre, while Hamilcar Barca was mostly static, had a far smaller army than the Romans and was dependent on seaborne supplies from Carthage.

Hamilcar Barca, upon taking command in the summer of 247 BC, punished the rebellious mercenaries by murdering some of them at night and drowning the rest at sea, and dismissing many to different parts of northern Africa.

Hamilcar Barca probably fought an inconclusive battle at Drepanum, but there is cause to doubt this.

Hamilcar Barca next raided Locri in Bruttium and the area around Brindisi in 247 BC.

Hamilcar Barca set about improving the spirit of the army, and succeeded in creating a highly disciplined and versatile force.

However, if Hamilcar Barca had hoped to recapture Panormus, he failed in his strategy.

In 244 BC, Hamilcar Barca transferred his army at night by sea to a similar position on the slopes of Mt.

Hamilcar Barca seized the town of Eryx, captured by the Romans in 249 BC, after destroying the Roman garrison, and positioned his army between the Roman forces stationed at the summit and their camp at the base of the mountain.

Hamilcar Barca continued his activities unhindered from his position for another two years, being supplied by road from Drepana, although Carthaginian ships had been withdrawn from Sicily by this time and no naval raids were launched.

Hamilcar Barca had to promise considerable rewards to keep the morale of his army up, which was to produce near fatal problems for Carthage later on.

Hamilcar Barca in turn nominated Gisco, the Carthaginian commander of Lilybaeum, to conduct the talks.

Carthage often hauled defeated generals and admirals before the Tribunal of 100 and had them crucified, so Hamilcar Barca probably distanced himself from the possibility of prosecution if the Roman terms turned out to be harsh enough for Carthaginian authorities to seek a scapegoat.

Hamilcar Barca refused the demand to surrender Roman deserters or disarm Carthaginian soldiers, despite being threatened by Lutatius to have the Punic army pass under the yoke.

Hamilcar Barca gathered the Carthaginian soldiers from Drepana and Eryx at Lilybaeum, surrendered his command, returned to Carthage and retired to private life, leaving Gisco and the Carthaginian government to pay off his soldiers.

Hamilcar Barca observed that wind blowing from a certain direction uncovered a sandbar at the river mouth that was fordable and, under cover of night, the Punic army left Carthage and crossed the river.

Hamilcar Barca aimed to attack the small rebel band holding the bridge, but Spendius led the rebel force besieging Utica to confront Hamilcar Barca.

The Carthaginian army was caught in a pincer movement; Hamilcar Barca pretended to retreat, and Spendius likely attempted to trap the outnumbered Carthaginians against the river with his two forces, pinning them with one and out-flanking them with the other.

Hamilcar Barca had managed to train his new recruits in some drill and basic battlefield maneuvers before they left Carthage.

Hamilcar Barca unleashed his trap as the disorderly rebels closed on his formation.

Hamilcar Barca occupied the bridge, then established control over the surrounding region.

Hamilcar Barca's victory opened communication with Utica, and gave Hamilcar Barca the chance to bring nearby towns under Carthaginian control by force or negotiations.

Hamilcar Barca made no attempt to join Hanno near Utica.

Hamilcar Barca exited the valley and, after a hard-fought battle, defeated the army of Spendius.

Hamilcar Barca killed his prisoners and announced a policy of equal measure toward future rebel prisoners, thus ending any chance of desertion from the rebel army and the truceless war began in earnest.

Furthermore, Hamilcar Barca had invited Hanno the Great to join forces and try to end the rebellion as quickly as possible, but the generals failed to cooperate.

Finally, when the Carthaginian Senate was unable to decide between Hamilcar and Hanno, the people's assembly left it to the army to decide on their Commander in Chief, and Hamilcar Barca was elected to sole command.

Hamilcar Barca offered to allow all the rebels to depart freely with a single garment, but retained the right to detain 10 persons.

Hamilcar Barca next moved to confront the army of Matho at Tunis.

Hamilcar Barca divided his army: Hannibal took half of the soldiers and camped to the north of Tunis, while Hamilcar camped to the south, thus hemming in Matho's army in Tunis.

Hamilcar Barca crucified Spendius and other rebel hostages outside Tunis to terrorize Matho, but this backfired when the rebels were able to surprise and defeat Hannibal's army due to their lax discipline.

Hamilcar Barca retreated north near the mouth of the Bagradas River, while Matho crucified his prisoners on the same crosses Hamilcar Barca had used to crucify the rebel leaders, then retreated out of Tunis and moved south.

When Utica and Hippo Acra held out, Hanno and Hamilcar Barca besieged them, eventually receiving their surrender on terms.

Hanno and Hamilcar Barca unleashed reprisals against the Numidian tribes that had sided with the rebels, and the generals probably extended Carthaginian territory in Africa at the same time.

Carthage now began to fit out an expedition to recover Sardinia, with Hamilcar Barca commanding Punic forces.

Hamilcar Barca was blamed by the Carthaginian Leaders for causing the Mercenary War by making unrealistic promises to his soldiers, especially the Celts, during his command in Sicily.

The influence Hamilcar Barca enjoyed among the people and the opposition party enabled him to avoid standing trial.

Furthermore, Hamilcar Barca allied with Hasdrubal the Fair, his future son in law, to restrict the power of the aristocracy, which was led by Hanno the Great, as well as gain immunity from prosecution.

Hamilcar Barca's faction gained enough clout, if not supreme power in Carthage, for Hamilcar Barca to implement his next agenda.

Hamilcar Barca's second was to implement his strategy for preparing Carthage for any future conflict with Rome, or enable Carthage to defend itself against any aggression.

Hamilcar Barca obtained permission from the Carthaginian Senate for recruiting and training a new army, with the immediate goal of securing the African domain of Carthage.

Whatever the case, Hamilcar Barca enjoyed uninterrupted command in Iberia during his stay there.

Hamilcar Barca probably landed at Gades in the summer of 237 BC.

Whatever direct territorial control Carthage had had in the past in Iberia, this had been mostly lost by this time as Hamilcar Barca was "re-establishing Carthaginian authority in Iberia".

Negotiations with the "Tartessian" tribes were successfully concluded, but Hamilcar Barca faced hostility from the Turdetani or Turduli tribe, near the foothills of modern Seville and Cordoba.

Hamilcar Barca defeated the confederates, killed the leaders and several of their soldiers, while he released a number of prisoners and incorporated 3,000 of the enemy into his army.

Hamilcar Barca then fought a 50,000 strong army under a chieftain named Indortes.

Hamilcar Barca besieged Indortes, tortured and crucified him after his surrender but allowed 10,000 of the captured enemy soldiers to go home.

Hamilcar Barca now had the means to pay for his mercenary army and to ship silver ore to Carthage to help pay off the war indemnity.

Hamilcar Barca was in a secure enough position in Iberia to send Hasdrubal the Fair with an army to Africa to quell a Numidian rebellion in 236 BC.

Hamilcar Barca, after subduing Turdetania next moved east from Gades towards Cape Nao.

Hamilcar Barca met fierce resistance from the Iberia tribes, even the friendly Bastetani offered battle.

Hamilcar Barca simply replied that he was fighting to gather enough booty to pay off the war indemnity.

Hamilcar Barca had split his forces in the winter of 228 BC, Hasdrubal the Fair was sent on a separate campaign, while Hamilcar Barca besieged an Iberian town, then sent the bulk of his troops to winter quarters at Akra Leuke.

In eight years, Hamilcar Barca had secured an extensive territory in Hispania by force of arms and diplomacy, but his premature death in battle denied Carthage a complete conquest.

Hamilcar Barca had at least three daughters and at least three sons.

Hamilcar Barca's grandson, Hanno, was an important commander in the army of his son Hannibal.

Hamilcar Barca had three sons, Hannibal, Hasdrubal and Mago, who were all to have distinguished military careers.

Hamilcar Barca is thought to be the best commander of the First Punic War and as a man, Cato placed Hamilcar Barca a cut above most leaders, including most Romans.