A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

HAMPSICORA. HANNIBA;L.'331
any authority fiom Carthage; and, on the cornm- action, and Hampsicora, who had made his escape
plaints of the Romans, the Carthaginian govern- from the field of battle, on learning the death of
ment passed sentence against him of banishment and his son, put an end to his own life. These events
confiscation of his property. (Liv. xxxi. 19.) occurred in the summer of B. C. 215. (Liv. xxiii.
14. Surnamed the Samnite, on what account we 32, 40, 41.) [E. H. B.]
know not. He was one of the leaders of the demo- HA'NNIBAL ('Avvltas).'Many persons of
cratic partyat Carthage during the dissensions which this name occur in the history of Carthage, whom
divided' that state after the close of the second it is not always easy to distinguish from one anPunic war; and one of those who instigated Car- other, on account of the absence of family names,
thalo to attack the troops of Masinissa. [CAR- and even of patronymics, among the Carthaginians,
THALO, No. 3.] At a subsequent period (B. C. 151), The name itself signifies, according to Gesenius
the democratic party having expelled from the city (Ling. Phoen. Monum. p. 407), "the grace or fathose who were considered to favour Masinissa, veur of Baal;" the final syllable bal, of such
that monarch sent his two sons, Gulussa and Mi- common occurrence in Punic names, always having
cipsa, to demand the restoration of the exiles; but reference to this tutelary deity of the Phoenicians.
the two princes were refused admission within the 1. A son of Hasdrubal, and grandson of Mago,
gates; and as they were retiring, Hamilcar attacked mentioned only by Justin (xix. 2), according to
them, and killed many of the followers of Gulussa, whom this Hannibal, together with his brothers,
who himself escaped with difficulty. This outrage Hasdrubal and Sappho, carried on successful wars
was one of the immediate causes of the war with against the Africans, Numidians, and Mauritanians,
Masinissa, which ultimately led to the third Punic and was one of those mainly instrumental in estabwar. It is probable that Hamilcar, though not lishing the dominion of Carthage on the continent
mentioned by name, was included in the proscrip- of Africa.
tion of Hasdrubal, Carthalo, and the other leaders 2. Son of Gisco, and grandson of the Hamilcar
of the war party, by which the Carthaginians sought who was killed at Himera B. C. 480. [HAMILCAR,
to appease'the anger of Rome, when the danger of No. ].] He was one of the suffetes, or chief mawar with that power became imminent. (Appian, gistrates, of Carthage at the time that the SegesPun. 68, 70, 74.) tans, after the defeat of the great Athenian ex15.' One of the five ambassadors sent by the pedition to Sicily, implored the assistance of the
Carthaginians to Rome at the beginning of the third Carthaginians, to protect them against the SelinunPunic war, B. C. 149. They were furnished with tines. The senate of-Carthage, having determined
full powers to act as they deemed best, in order to to avail themselves of the opportunity of extending
avert the impending danger; and finding, on their their power and influence in Sicily, Hannibal was
arrival at Rome, that the senate had already passed appointed to conduct the war: a small force was
a decree for war, and would no longer enter into sent off immediately to the support of the Segesnegotiation, they determined on offering unqualified tans, and Hannibal, having spent the winter in
submission. This declaration was favourably re- assembling a large body of mercenaries from Spain
ceived, but 300 hostages were required, as a proof and Africa, landed at Lilybaeum the following
of the sincerity of their countrymen, and, with spring (B. c. 409), with an anmy, according to the
this demand, the ambassadors returned to Carthage. lowest statement, of not less than 100,000 men;
(Polyb. xxxvi. 1, 2.) His arms were first directed against Selinus, which,
16. There is a Carthaginian author, of the name though one of the most powerful and opulent cities
of Hamilcar, mentioned (together with Mago) by of Sicily, appears to have been ill prepared for deColumella (xii. 4) as having written on the details fence, and Hannibal pressed his attacks with such
of husbandry; but nothing more is known con- vigour, that he made himself master of the city,
cerning him. [E. H. B.] after a siege of only nine days: the place was given
HAMMO'NIUS. [AMMoNIUS.] up to plunder, and, with the exception of some of
HAMMO'NIUS, C. AVIA'NUS, a freedman the temples, almost utterly destroyed. From hence
of M. Aemilius Avianus, whom Cicero recom- Hannibal proceeded to lay siege to Himera, into
mended, in B. C. 46, to Ser. Sulpicius, governor of which place Diocles had thrown himself, at the
Achaia. (Cic. ad Fam. xiii. 21, 27.) head of a body of Syracusans and other auxiliaries;
HAMPSICORA, a Sardinian chief, who, after but the latter, after an unsuccessful combat, in
the battle of Cannae (B. C; 216), entered into secret which many of his troops had fallen, became
negotiations with the Carthaginians, inviting them alarmed for the safety of Syracuse itself, and withto send over a force to Sardinia, to recover that drew, with the forces under his command, and a
important island from the dominion of Rome. His part of the citizens of Himera, leaving the rest to
overtures were eagerly listened to, and Hasdrubal, their fate. The remnant thus left were unable to
surnamed the Bald, dispatched with a fleet and defend their walls, and the city fell the next day
army, to support the intended revolt. But before into the power of Hannibal, who, after having
the arrival of Hasdrubal, and while Hampsicora abandoned it to be plundered by his soldiers, razed
himself was engaged in levying troops in the in- it to the ground, and sacrificed all the prisoners
terior of the island, his son Hiostus rashly allowed that had fallen into his hands, 3000 in number,
limself to be led into an engagement with the upon the field of battle, where his grandfather HaRoman praetor, T. Manlius, in which he was de- milcar had perished. After these successes, he
feated, and his forces dispersed. The arrival of returned in triumph to Carthage. (Diod. xiii. 43,
Hasdrubal for a moment changed the face of af- 44, 54-62; Xen. Hell. i. 1. ~ 37.)
fairs, but lie and Hampsicora having advanced with It appears that Hannibal must have been at
their united forces against Caralis, the capital of the this time already a man of advanced age, and he
Roman province, they were met by Manlius, when seems to have been disposed to rest content with
a decisive battle took place, in which the Romans the glory: he had gained in this expedition, so that
were completely vict6rious. Hiostus fell in the when, three years afterwards (B. C. 406), the Car.