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

HANNIBAL. HANNIBAL. 333
besides large supplies' of provisions; after which, Hamilear perished (B. c. 229); and though only
again eluding the Romans, he repaired with his eighteen years old at this time, he had already disfleet to join that of Adherbal at Drepanum. His played so much courage and capacity for war, that
name is not mentioned as taking part in the great he was entrusted byHasdrubal (the son-in-law and
victory of that commander over P. Claudius in the successor of Hamilcar) with the chief command of
following year (249), though it is probable that most of the military enterprises planned by that
he was present, as immediately afterwards we find general. (Diod. Exc. Hoesch. xxv. p. 511; Liv.
him detached, with a force of thirty ships, to Pa- xxi. 4; Appian, Hisp. 6.) Of the details of these
normus, where he seized the Roman magazines of campaigns we know nothing; but it is clear that
corn, and carried them off to Lilybaeum. (Polyb. i. Hannibal thus early gave proof of. that remarkable
44, 46; Diod. Exc. Hoesckel. xxiv. 1; Oros. iv. power over the minds of men, which he afterwards
10.) " displayed in so eminent a degree, and secured to
8. Surnamed the Rhodian, distinguished him- himself the devoted attachment of the army under
self during the siege of Lilybaeum by the skill and his command. The consequence was, that on the
daring with which he contrived to run in and out assassination of Hasdrubal (B. C. 221), the soldiers
of the harbour of that place with his single ship, unanimously proclaimed their youthful leader comand thus keep up the communication of the be- mander-in-chief, and the government at Carthage
sieged with Carthage, in spite of the vigilance of hastened to ratify an appointment which they had
the Roman blockading squadron. At length, how- not, in fact, the power to prevent. (Polyb. iii. 13;
ever, he fell into the hands of the enemy, who Appian, Hisp. 8; Zonar. viii. 21.)
subsequently made use of his galley, of the swift- Hannibal was at this time in the twenty-sixth
ness of which they had had so much experience, as year of his age. There can be no doubt that he
a model after which to construct their own. (Polyb. already looked forward to the invasion and coni. 46, 47; Zonar. viii. 15, who erroneously calls quest of Italy as the goal of his ambition; but it
him Hanno.) was necessary for him first to complete the work
9. A general in the war of the Carthaginians which had been so ably begun by his two predeagainst their revolted mercenaries, B. C. 240-238, cessors, and to establish the Carthaginian power as
who was appointed to succeed Hanno, when the dis- firmly as possible in Spain, before he made that
sensions between that general and Hamilcar Barca country the ba'se of his subsequent operations.
had terminated: in the deposition of the former. This was the work of two campaigns. Immediately
[HANNO, No. 12.] It is probable that the new con- after he had received the command, he turned his
mander, if not distinctly placed in subordination arms against the Olcades, a nation of the interior,
to Hamilcar, was content to follow his directions, who were speedily compelled to submit by the fall
and we hear nothing of him separately until the of their capital city, Althaea. Hannibal levied!
two generals besieged Tunis with their combined large sums of money from them and the neighforces. On this occasion Hamilcar encamped with bouring tribes, after which he returned into winter
a part of the army on one side of the city, Hannibal quarters at New Carthage. The next year (220),
on the other; but the latter was so wanting in he penetrated farther into the country, in order to
vigilance, that Matho, the commander of the be- assail the powerful tribe of the Vaccaeans, and resieged forces, by a sudden sally, broke into his duced their two strong and populous cities of Helcamp, made a great slaughter among his troops, mantica and Arbocala. On his return from this
and carried off Hannibal himself prisoner. The expedition, he was involved in great danger by anext morning the unfortunate general was nailed to sudden attack from the Carpetanians, together'
the same cross on which Spendius, the chief leader with the remaining forces of the Olcades and Vacof the insurgents, had been previously crucified by caeans, but by a dexterous manoeuvre, he placed
Hamilcar. (Polyb. i. 82, 86; Diod. ]Exc. Vat. the river Tagus between himself and the enemy,
xxv. l.) - and the barbarian army was cut to pieces in the
l 0. Son of Hamilcar Barca, and one of the most attempt to force their passage. After these successes
illustrious generals of antiquity. The year of his he again returned to spend the winter at New'
birth is not mentioned by any ancient writer, but Carthage. (Polyb. iii. 13-15; Liv. xxi. 5.)
from the statements concerning his age at the battle Early in the ensuing spring (B. c. 219) Hannibal
of Zama, it appears that he must have been born proceeded to lay siege to Saguntum, a city of:
in. c. 247, the very year in which his father Greek origin, which, though situated to the south:
Hamilcar was first appointed to the command in of the Iberus, and therefore not included under the
Sicily. (Clinton, F. H. vol. iii. pp. 20, 52; but protection of the treaty between Hasdrubal and
compare Niebuhr, Lect. on Rom. list. vol. i. p. the Romans [HASDRUBAL, No. 5], had con158.) He was only nine years old when his cluded an alliance with the latter people. There.
father took him with him into Spain, and it was on could be little doubt, therefore, that an attack upon
this occasion that Hamilcar made him swear upon Saguntum would inevitably bring on a war with
the altar eternal hostility to Rome. The story was Rome; but for this Hannibal was prepared, or
told by Hannibal himself many years afterwards to rather it was unquestionably his real object. The
Antiochus, and is one of the best attested in ancient immediate pretext of his invasion was the same of
history. (Polyb. iii. 11; Liv. xxi. 1, xxxv. 19; which the Romans so often availed themselves, —
Corn. Nep. Ilann. 2; Appian, Hemp. 9; Val. Max. some injuries inflicted by the Saguntines upon one
ix. 3, ext. ~ 3.) Child as -he then was, Hannibal of the neighbouring tribes, who invoked the assistnever forgot his vow, and his whole life was one ance of Hannibal. But the resistance of the city
continual struggle against the power and domina- was long and desperate, and it was not till after a
tion of Rome. He was early trained in arms siege of near eight months, in the course of which
under the eye of his father, and probably accom- Hannibal himself had been severely wounded, that
panied him on most of his campaigns in Spain. We he made himself master of the place. (Polyb. iii.
find him present with him in the battle in which 17.; Liv. xxi.- 6-15; Appian, Hisp. 10-12;:.