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

332 HANNIBAL.- HANNIBAL.:
thaginians determined on sending another, and a the Romans. (Polyb. i. 17-19; Zonar. viii. 10;
still greater, armament to Sicily, he at first declined Oros. iv. 7.) Hannibal's attention was henceforth
the command, and was only induced to accept it directed principally to carrying on the contest by
by having his cousin Himilco associated with him. sea: with a fleet of sixty ships, he ravaged the
After making great preparations, and assembling coasts of Italy, which were then almost defencean immense force of mercenary troops, Hannibal less; and the next year (B.c. 260), on learning
took the lead, with a squadron of fifty triremes, that the consul, Cn. Cornelius Scipio Asina, had
but was quickly followed by Himilco, with the put to sea with a squadron of seventeen ships, he
main army; and having landed their whole force dispatched Boodes, with twenty gallies, to meet
in safety, they proceeded immediately to invest him at Lipara, where the latter succeeded by a
Agrigentum, at that time one of the wealthiest and stratagem in capturing Scipio, with his whole
most powerful cities in Sicily. But while the two squadron. After this success, Hannibal put to sea
generals were pushing their attacks with the utmost in person, with fifty ships, for the purpose of again
digour on several points at once, a pestilence sud- ravaging the coasts of Italy, but, falling in unexvenly broke out in the camp, to which Hannibal pectedly with the whole Roman fleet, he lost many
himself fell a victim, B. C. 406. (Diod. xiii. 80- of his ships, and with difficulty made his escape to
86.) Sicily with the remainder. Here, however, he joined
3. Father of Hanno, who joined Hieron in the the rest of his fleet, and C. Duilius, having taken
siege of Messana. [HANNO, No. 8.] the command of that of the Romans, almost im4. A CarthagiInian general, who happened to be mediately brought on a general action off Mylae.
stationed with a fleet at Lipara, when Hieron, after Hannibal, well knowing the inexperience and want
gaining a great victory over the Mamertines, was of skill of the Romans in naval warfare, and having
preparing to follow up his advantage, and besiege apparently a superior force, had anticipated an easy
Messana itself. The Carthaginians were at this victory, but the valour of the Romans, together
time hostile to the Mamertines, and, in name at with the strange contrivance of the corvi, or boardleast, friendly to Hieron; but Hannibal was ing bridges, gained them the advantage; the Caralarmed at the prospect of the latter obtaining so thaginians were totally defeated, and not less than
important an accession of power; lie therefore has- fifty of their ships sunk, destroyed, or taken.
tened to the camp of Hieron, and induced him to Hannibal himself was obliged to abandon his own
grant terms to the Mamertines, while he himself ship (a vessel of seven banks of oars, which had
succeeded in introducing a Carthaginian garrison formerly belonged to Pyrrhus), and make his escape
into the city of Messana. (Diod. Exc. Hoeschlel. in a small boat. He hastened to Carthage, where,
xxii. 15. p. 500.) These events must have occurred it is said, he contrived by an ingenious stratagem to
in.270 B. C. (See: Droysen, Hellenismus, vol. ii. escape the punishment so often inflicted by the:
p. 268, not.) It may probably have been this same Carthaginians on their unsuccessful generals. (PoHannibal who is mentioned by Diodorus (Eaxc. lyb. i. 21-23; Zonar. viii. 10, 11; Oros. iv. 7;
Hoeschel. xxiii. 5) as arriving at Xiphonias with a Diod. Exic. Vatic. xxiii. 2; Dion Cass. Frag. Vat.
naval force to the support of Hieron, but too late to 62; Polyaen. vi. 16. ~ 5.) He was, nevertheless,:
prevent that prince from concluding peace with the deprived of his command, but was soon after (apRomans, B. c. 263. parently the very next year, 259) again sent out,
5. Son of Gisco (Zonar. viii. 10), and com- with a considerable fleet, to the defence of Sardinia,
mander of the Carthaginian forces at Agrigentum, Which had been attacked by the Romans under
when it was besieged by the Romans during the L. Scipio. Here he was again unfortunate, and,
first Punic war, B. C. 262. It seems not improbable having lost many of his ships, was seized by his
that. this may be the same person with the pre- own mutinous troops, and put to death. (Polyb.
ceding, but we have no evidence byr which to i. 24; Oros. iv. 8; Zonar. viii. 12. There is some
decide the fact, and the name of Hannibal appears discrepancy between these accounts, and it is not
to have been so common at Carthage, that it can clear whether he perished in the year of Scipio's
by no means be assumed. Hannibal had a con- operations in Sardinia, or in the following consulsiderable army under his command, yet he did not ship of Sulpicius Paterculus, B. C. 258.)
venture to face the Romans in the field, and shut 6. A son of the preceding, was one of the Carhimself up within the walls of Agrigentum. The thaginian officers at Lilybaeum during the siege of
Roman consuls, L. Postumius Megellus and Q. that city by the Romans. He was employed by
Mamilius Vitulus, established their armies in two the general, Himilco, to treat with the disaffected
separate fortified camps, which they united by lines Gaulish mercenaries, and succeeded in inducing
of intrenchment, and thus proceeded to blockade them to remain faithful. (Polyb. i 43.)
the city. Hannibal was soon reduced to great dis- 7. Son of Hamilcar (perhaps the Hamnilcar who
tress, for want of provisions, but held out, in hopes was opposed to Regulus [HAMILCAR, No. 7]), was
of being relieved by Hanno, who had advanced as chosen by the Carthaginians, as a distinguished
far as Heraclea to his support. [HANNO, No. 8.] naval officer and a friend of their admiral, AdherBut the operations of the latter were unsuccessful, bal, to command the squadron destined for the
and when he at length ventured on a decisive relief of Lilybaeum in the 15th year of the first
effort, he was completely defeated. Hereupon Punic War, B. C. 250. That city was at the time
Hannibal, who had himself made an unsuccessful blockaded by the Romans both by sea and land;
attack upon the Roman camp, during their engage- but Hannibal, sailing from Carthage with fifty
ment with Hanno, determined to abandon the town, ships to the small islands of.the Aegusae, lay there
and succeeded, under cover of the night, in forcing awaiting a favourable wind; and no sooner did
his way through the enemy's lines, and making this arise, than he put out to sea, and spreading all:
good his retreat with what troops remained to him sail, stood straight into the harbour of Lilybaeum,
in safety to Panormus. Agrigentum itself was im- before the Romans could collect their ships to op-:
mediately afterwards stormed and plundered by pose him. He thus landed a force of 10,000 men