From the "Tragic Historical Figures" Folder

I've been reading about the Punic Wars lately. Well, reading and watching historical documentaries. The first Punic War has produced what I consider oneof the most tragic of all historical figures - Hamilcar Barca.

The first Punic War was a war between Carthage and Rome from 264 to 241 BC. The conflict was called the "Punic War" because Rome's name for Carthaginians was Punici.

In a nutshell, the war started over control of Sicily. Sicily was hometo the Mamertines and was under attack by Hiero II. The Mamertines requested aid from both Carthage and Rome simultaneously.

Carthage responded to the Mamertines pleas first. Supposedly, the Romans became worried about Carthage's spread of power torwards the Italian penninsula. Rome reacts to this worry by forming an alliance with the Mamertines. Eventually this lead to Rome and Carthage struggling over control of Sicily.

Rome had significant successes over Carthage during the first Punic War. A simplified vertical timeline for the war looks like this (it is not complete -I'm not a historian!)

• 262BC - Battle of Agrigentum - Rome takes Sicilian city Agrigentum.
  
• 256BC - Battle of Cape Ecnomus - Rome wins a large naval battle off the southerncoast of Sicily.
  
• 256BC - Battle Of Adys - Rome wins and sues for peace. Romes conditions forpeace were too much for the Carthegenians to bare, so they decide to continuethe fight.
  
• ~256BC - Carthage hires Xanthippus (Greek or Spartan mercenary). He trains theCarthegenian army.
  
• 256BC - Battle of Tunis. Xanthippus leads the Carthegenians to victory over theRomans.
  
• ~249BC - Hamilcar Barca sent to Sicily by Carthage. Hamilcar takes control ofmost of inland Sicily. Hamilcar remained undefeated in Sicily.
  
• 241BC - Battle of the Aegates Islands. Decisive Roman battle that put an end tothe first Punic War.
  

After Rome defeated Carthage, Hamilcar became worried about the Cartheginian wayof life. He knew that once a society submitted to Roman law they were assimilated. Hamilcar feared losing the Cartheginian way oflife.

Being an extreme patriot, Hamilcar traveled to Hispania in 236BC to found a new base for him to build his military might. The plan was to build an army inSpain, hopefully hidden from Roman eyes (at least for a bit), and invade Italy, waging war against the hated Romans. With the Romans out of the picture, Carthage was free to continue being Carthage.

Before Hamilcar was able to exact his revenge on Rome, he was killed by Spanish rebels in 228BC. Before his death, Hamilcar had his son Hannibal make a vow to never be a friend to Rome. Supposedly Hannibal replies, ""I swear so soon asage will permit...I will use fire and steel to arrest the destiny of Rome."

In 219 BC Hannibal invaded Saguntum, a Roman protected city in Spain. This started the Second Punic Wars.

Hannibal was so successful at fighting the Romans that they eventually stopped fighting him. Instead of engaging him, they would use Fabian Tactics.

Fabian tactics are essential `harrasment' of the enemy, but keeping him at bay.
Quintus Fabius Maximus created Fabian Tactics. However, he never won a major victory over Hannibal, so the Roman senate removed him from command. His successor lead Rome to their biggest defeat in history at the Battle of Cannae.

At the Battle of Cannae the Romans brought:

• 75,000 heavy infantry
• 20,000 light infantry
• 5,000 cavalry
  

Hannibal brought:

• 30,000 heavy infantry
• 6,000 light infantry
• 8,000 cavalry
  

Approximately 50-60 thousand Romans died. Hannibal lost 16,700 men. One of the effects of this loss was Rome in total chaos. This put the `fear of Hannibal' intoevery Roman's mind. He became the ubiquitous `boogey-man' of the Romans.

Eventually Hannibal is defeated in Africa by Scipio Africanus. The last page in Carthage's history is Scipio's grand son, Scipio Aemilianus, attacking Carthage. The hatred forCarthage and the Barca family name is so intense that the entire city is razed. Roman soldiers went from house to house, slaughtering the people of Carthage and enslaving any who survived.

So, Hamilcar Barca's quest for maintaining the Carthegenian way of life actually ends up being the reason of Carthage's ultimate destruction. Thats tragic.