Hamilcar Barca
Carthaginian general and father of Hannibal
Max Karl Baldamus · via Wikipedia: Hamilcar Barca · Public domain
Quick Facts
- Born
- c. 275 BC
- Birthplace
- Carthage
- Died
- 228 BC (aged 46–47)
- Place of death
- Iberia
- Term
- 247 – 228 BC; 19 years
- Successor
- Hasdrubal the Fair
- Children
- Hannibal
- Hasdrubal
- Mago
- three daughters (names unknown)
- Family
- Barcid Family
Facts from the source article.
Life and work
Upon taking command, he punished rebellious mercenaries by murdering some at night and drowning others at sea.[3] He seized a strong position on Mount Ercte and carried out seaborne raids from Catana to Cumae.[4] He refused to surrender Roman deserters or disarm his soldiers during the treaty talks.[5] After the peace, Hamilcar retired to private life in Carthage.[6]
Hamilcar later trapped about 40,000 rebels in a valley and slaughtered them after they ran out of food.[7][8] Following the Roman naval triumph at the Aegates Islands in 241 BC, Carthaginian leadership authorized Hamilcar to begin peace discussions.[9][10] At the Battle of the Macar River, Hamilcar's tactical skill resulted in 8,000 enemy dead and 2,000 taken prisoner.[11]
What the cited sources add
The Dictionary of African Biography notes that Hamilcar had three daughters and his son Hannibal was born in the same year he received the Sicilian command.[1][12]
References
- Wikipedia, "Hamilcar Barca" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Roth, "Dictionary of African Biography", Oxford University Press, 2012, p. 14; Lancel, Serge, Hannibal, p. 8 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Hamilcar Barca" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Baker, G.P, Hannibal, p. 54 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Hamilcar Barca" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Polybius 1.56.2; Zonaras 8.16 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Hamilcar Barca" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Polybius 1.56.3; Lazenby, John F., First Punic War, p. 147 ; Claudio Vacanti, Operazione Heirkte: Monte Pellegrino e la campagna di Amilcare Barca in Sicilia (247-244 a.C.) (<ab; Diodorus Siculus 24.10; Caspari 1911, p. 877; Polybius, 1.56.9–10 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Hamilcar Barca" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Diodorus Siculus 24.13, Cornelius Nepos, Hamilcar, 1.5; Polybius, 1.20.6–14 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Hamilcar Barca" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Polybius 1.66.1, 68.12, Zonaras 8.17 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Hamilcar Barca" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Polybius 1.85.7 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Hamilcar Barca" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Polybius 1.85.6 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Hamilcar Barca" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Polybius 1.59.9–10; Polybius 1.59.9–12 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Hamilcar Barca" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Diodorus Siculus 24.13, Polybius 1.66.1 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Hamilcar Barca" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Polybius 1.76.4–5 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Open Library record, ISBN 9780195382075 ("Dictionary of African Biography"). CC0 (metadata); book content not read. openlibrary.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Hamilcar Barca (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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