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

904 MAGO. MAGO.
celebrated harbour called Portus Magonis, or Port held for a considerable time the chief command in
Mahon. Bruttium. Here he is mentioned in B. C. 212 as
Early in the ensuing summer Mago landed in co-operating with Hanno, the son of Bomilcar, in
Liguria, where he surprised the town of Genoa. the siege and capture of Thurii; and not long after
His name quickly gathered around him many of he was enabled by the treachery of the Lucanian
the Ligurian and Gaulish tribes, among others the Flavius to lead the Roman general Tib. Gracchus
Ingaunes, and the spirit of disaffection spread even illto an ambuscade in which he lost his life. [FLAto the Etruscans, so that the Romans were obliged vius, No. 2.] Mago immediately sent his lifeless
to maintain an army in Etruria, as well as one in body, together with the insignia of his rank, to
Cisalpine Gaul, in order to hold him in check. Hannibal. (Liv. xxv. 15, 16; Diod. Evce. Vales.
Whether these forces proved sufficient effectually xxvi. p. 569; Val. Max. i. 6. ~ 8.) In 208 we
to impede his operations, or that he wasted his find him defending the city of Locri against the
time in hostilities against the mountain tribes, in Roman general L. Cincius, who pressed the siege
which at one time we find him engaged, our im- with so much vigour both by land and sea, that
perfect accounts of his proceedings will not enable Mago could with difficulty hold out, when the opus to decide. It is certain that, though repeatedly portune arrival of Hannibal himself compelled the
urged by messages from Carthage to prosecute the Romans to raise the siege with precipitation.
war with vigour, and more than once strengthened (Liv. xxvii. 26, 28; comp. Frontin. Strateg. iv. 7.
with considerable reinforcements, he did not effect ~ 29.) According to Polybius (ix. 25), this Mago
anything of importance, and the alarm at first had been the companion and friend of Hannibal
excited at Rome by his arrival in Liguria gradually from his earliest youth: he was involved by the
died away. Meanwhile, the successes of Scipio in Carthaginians themselves in the same general
Africa compelled the Carthaginians to concentrate charge of avarice with his great commander.
all their forces for the defence of their capital, and 8. A Carthaginian of noble birth, and a near
they at length sent messengers to recal Mago as relation of Hannibal, taken prisoner in Sardinia
well as his brother Hannibal from Italy B. C. 203. B. c. 215. (Liv. xxiii. 41.)
Just before these orders arrived Mago had at length 9. An officer who commanded a body of Carencountered in Cisalpine Gaul the combined forces thaginian cavalry at Capua in B. c. 212, and by a
of the praetor Quinctilius Varus and the proconsul sudden sally threw the Roman army under the two
M. Cornelius. The battle, which was fought in consuls App. Claudius and Fulvius into confusion,
the territory of the Insubrians, was fiercely con- and occasioned them heavy loss. (Liv. xxv. 18.)
tested, but terminated in the complete defeat of the It is probably the same whom we find shortly
Carthaginians, of whom 5000 were slain. Mago afterwards commanding a body of horse under
himself was severely wounded, but effected his Hannibal himself, and taking a prominent part in
retreat to the seacoast among the Ingaunes, where the defeat of the praetor Cn. Fulvius at Herdonen.
he received the pressing summons of the senate to (Id. 21.)
Carthage. He immediately embarked his troops, 1 0. Commander of the garrison of New Carthage
and set sail with them in person, but died of his when that city was attacked by P. Scipio in B. C.
wound before they landed in Africa. (Liv. xxviii. 209. So little had the Carthaginian generals
46; xxix. 4, 5, 13, 36, xxx. 18, 19; Polyb. Frag. thought it necessary to provide for the defence of
Hist. 31; Appian, Itp. 37, Annib. 54, Pun. 9, this important post, that Mago had only 1000
31, 32; Zonar. ix. 11, 13.) Such is the statement regular troops under his orders when the enemy
of Livy and all our other authorities; but Cornelius appeared before the walls. He, however, armed
Nepos, on the contrary, represents him as not only about 2000 more as best he could, and seems to
surviving the battle of Zama, but as remaining at have displayed all the qualities of an able and
Carthage after the banishment of Hannibal, and energetic officer; making a vigorous sally in the
subsequently co-operating with his brother at the first instance, and repulsing the troops of Scipio in
commencement of the war with Antiochus (B. c. their first assault. But all his efforts were in193) in endeavouring to induce the Carthaginians effectual: the Romans scaled the walls where they
to join in hostilities against Rome. According to had been supposed to be guarded by a lagoon, and
the same author, he was banished from Carthage made themselves masters of the town; and Mago,
on this account, and died soon after, being either who had at first retired into the citadel, with the
shipwrecked or assassinated by his slaves. (Corn. intention of holding out there, at length saw that
Nep. Ilann. 7, 8.) It seems probable that the all further resistance was hopeless, and surrendered
circumstances here related refer in fact to some to Scipio.. He himself, with the other more eminent
other person of the name of Mago, whom Nepos of the Carthaginian captives, was sent a prisoner
has confounded with the brother of Hannibal. of war to Rome. (Polyb. x. 8, 12-15, 18, 19.;
6. One of the' chief officers of Hannibal in Italy, Liv. xxvi. 44-46, 51; Appian, Hisp. 19-22.)
whose name is appended to the treaty concluded Eutropius (iii. 15) and Orosius (iv. 18) have conby that general with Philip V., king of Macedonia. founded this Mago with the brother of Hannibal.
(Polyb. vii. 9.) It would seem probable. that he is 11. An officer of cavalry under Hasdrubal, son
-the same who was sent immediately afterwards of Gisco, in the war against Scipio and Masinissa
with Bostar and Gisco to accompany the Macedonian in Africa, B. c. 204. (Appian, Pun. 15.)
ambassadors back to the court of Philip, and obtain 12. One of the Carthaginian ambassadors sent
the ratification of the treaty by that monarch, but to Rome just before the breaking out of the third
~who unfortunately fell into the hands of the Punic war (B. c. 149), to avert the impending hos-,Romans, and were carried prisoners to Rome. tilities by offering unqualified submission. (Polyb..(Liv. xxiii. 34.). Schweighaeuser, on the contrary, xxxvi. 1.)'supposes him to be the same with the following. 13. A Carthaginian, apparently not the same as
7. Surnamed the Samnite (6 ZavYvTr7s), was one the preceding, who, on the return of the embassy
of the chief officers of IHannibal in Italy, where he just spoken of, addressed the Carthaginian senate