Hamilcar Barca

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Hamilcar Barca (ca. 270 – 228 BC) was a Carthaginian general and statesman, leader of the Barcid family, and father of Hannibal, Hasdrubal, Hanno and Mago. He also had a son-in-law Hasdrubal the Fair, to whom he gave his daughter in marriage and who followed him at the head of the army.

The name Hamilcar (Punic-Phoenician חמילקרת or אחימלקרת aḥmlqrt, "Melqart is my brother") was a common name for Carthaginian men. The name Barca may come from Barak which means "lightning" in the Punic language. or it may come from the Canaanite-Hebrew word meaning "blessing."

1 Military accomplishments
2 Legends
3 Hamilcar in Literature
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Military accomplishments

He distinguished himself during the First Punic War in 247 BC, when he took over the chief command in Sicily at a time when the island was almost completely in the hands of the Romans. Landing suddenly on the north-west of the island with a small mercenary force he seized a strong position on Mount Ercte (Monte Pellegrino, near Palermo), and not only maintained himself against all attacks, but carried his raids as far as the coast of south Italy.

In 244 BC he transferred his army to a similar position on the slopes of Mt. Eryx (Monte San Giuliano), from which he was able to lend support to the besieged garrison in the neighbouring town of Drepanum (Trapani). By a provision of the peace of 241 BC Hamilcar's unbeaten force was allowed to depart from Sicily without any token of submission.

Upon returning to Carthage, his troops, which had been kept together only by his personal authority and by the promise of good pay, broke out into open mutiny when their rewards were withheld by Hamilcar's opponents among the governing aristocracy, starting the conflict later named the Mercenary War. The serious danger into which Carthage was brought by the failure of the aristocratic generals was averted by Hamilcar, whom the government in this crisis could not but reinstate. By the power of his personal influence among the mercenaries and the surrounding African peoples, and by superior strategy, he speedily crushed the revolt (237 BC).

After this success Hamilcar enjoyed such influence among the popular and patriotic party that his opponents could not prevent him being raised to a virtual dictatorship. After recruiting and training a new army in some Numidian forays, he led on his own responsibility an expedition into Hispania (236 BC), where he hoped to gain a new empire to compensate Carthage for the loss of Sicily and Sardinia, and to serve as a base for a campaign of vengeance against the Romans.

In eight years by force of arms and diplomacy he secured an extensive territory in Hispania, but his premature death in battle (228 BC) prevented him from completing the conquest. Hamilcar stood out far above the Carthaginians of his age in military and diplomatic skill and in strength of patriotism; in these qualities he was surpassed only by his son Hannibal, whom he had imbued with his own deep hatred of Rome and trained to be his successor in the conflict.

He is sometimes confused with Hamilcar, another Carthaginian general.

[edit] Legends

He allegedly founded the city of Barcino (currently named Barcelona) while he was on Hispania^[1].

[edit] Hamilcar in Literature

Salammbo, by Gustave Flaubert
Pride of Carthage, by David Anthony Durham
The cat of the titular protagonist of The Crime of Sylvestre Bonnard, by Anatole France, begins the book with a cat named Hamilcar, and ends it with a kitten named Hannibal.