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Hasdrubal ( xpu, 饜饜饜饜饜饜 , ''士Azruba士al'', "Help of
Baal
Baal (), or Baal,; phn, , ba士l; hbo, , ba士al, ). ( ''ba士al'') was a title and honorific meaning "owner", "lord" in the Northwest Semitic languages spoken in the Levant during antiquity. From its use among people, it came to be applied t ...
") was a
Carthaginian officer in the
Second Punic War. After the
Battle of Ticinus
The battle of Ticinus was fought between the Carthaginian forces of Hannibal and a Roman army under Publius Cornelius Scipio in late November 218 BC as part of the Second Punic War. It took place in the flat country on the right bank of the ...
,
Hannibal led his army east along the
Po River to catch the
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
army. When a convenient place was found to cross the army began building rafts. Hasdrubal supervised the main force's crossing.
Q. Fabius Maximus Verrucosus, who had just been appointed dictator in late 218, planned to cut off Hannibal's route to potential winter quarters. Fabius correctly found the passage through the
Apennines that Hannibal's army was to cross. Hasdrubal worked with army-servants to tie bundles of wood to the horns of cattle. During the night the bundles were lit on fire as the cattle crossed over the mountain. This provided such a distraction that Hannibal was able to lead the main army with all its supplies through the pass without having to fight. In the morning Hannibal sent his Spaniards to retrieve the spearmen who stayed with Hasdrubal to create the distraction. Around 1,000 Romans were killed as the spearmen were retrieved.
At the
Battle of Cannae Hasdrubal led the Spanish and Celtic cavalry on the left (north, near the
Aufidus
The Ofanto (), known in ancient times as Aufidus or Canna, is a river in southern Italy that flows through the regions of Campania, Basilicata, and Apulia, into the Gulf of Manfredonia near Barletta.
Geography
The river's source is on the ...
River) of the Carthaginian army. Hasdrubal was given about 6,500 cavalry as opposed to
Hanno
Hanno may refer to:
People
* Hanno (given name)
:* Hanunu (8th century BC), Philistine king previously rendered by scholars as "Hanno"
*Hanno ( xpu, 饜饜饜 , '; , ''Hann艒n''), common Carthaginian name
:* Hanno the Navigator, Carthagi ...
's 3,500 Numidians. Hasdrubal's force was able to quickly destroy the Roman cavalry (on the south), pass the Roman's infantry rear, and reach the Roman allied cavalry while they were engaged with Hanno's
Numidians
The Numidians were the Berber population of Numidia (Algeria and in smaller parts of Tunisia and Morocco). The Numidians were one of the earliest Berber tribes to trade with Carthaginian settlers. As Carthage grew, the relationship with the Nu ...
. Once the Romans' allied cavalry was destroyed, Hanno and Hasdrubal were able to lead both groups of cavalry into the Roman rear.
See also
*
Other Hasdrubals in Carthaginian history
References
Citations
Bibliography
* .
* .
{{Famous Carthaginians
Carthaginians
People of the Second Punic War
3rd-century BC Punic people