Larus (supposedly died 207 BC) was a leader of Cantabrian

mercenaries A mercenary, sometimes also known as a soldier of fortune or hired gun, is a private individual, particularly a soldier, that joins a military conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any ...

in the Carthaginian army during the

Second Punic War The Second Punic War (218 to 201 BC) was the second of three wars fought between Carthage and Rome, the two main powers of the western Mediterranean in the 3rd century BC. For 17 years the two states struggled for supremacy, primarily in Ital ...

, according to

Silius Italicus Tiberius Catius Asconius Silius Italicus (, c. 26 – c. 101 AD) was a Roman senator, orator and epic poet of the Silver Age of Latin literature. His only surviving work is the 17-book ''Punica'', an epic poem about the Second Punic War and the l ...

's poem '' Punica''.

Biography

Larus is mentioned only by Silius in his poem, where he is noted as the only outstanding man in the battle in Celtiberia that pitted Punic generals

Mago Barca Mago Barca ( xpu, 𐤌𐤂‬𐤍 𐤁𐤓𐤒‬, ; 243–203BC) was a Barcid Carthaginian who played an important role in the Second Punic War, leading forces of Carthage against the Roman Republic in Iberia and northern and central Italy. M ...

and Hanno against their Roman homologue Marcus Junius Silanus. Some authors have doubted of the existence of Larus, noting in Silius the intention to embellish his chronicle of the war with epic heroes and duels in the style of

ancient Greek literature Ancient Greek literature is literature written in the Ancient Greek language from the earliest texts until the time of the Byzantine Empire. The earliest surviving works of ancient Greek literature, dating back to the early Archaic Greece, Archa ...

. However, others have doubted this approach, pointing out that his role in the battle is too notable to be entirely fictitious. Assuming his historicity, Larus would have been active in 207 BC. After the Battle of the Metaurus, where

Hasdrubal Barca Hasdrubal Barca (245– 22June 207BC), a latinization of ʿAzrubaʿal ( xpu, 𐤏𐤆𐤓𐤁𐤏𐤋 ) son of Hamilcar Barca, was a Carthaginian general in the Second Punic War. He was the brother of Hannibal and Mago Barca. Youth and Iberi ...

and his newly hired Spanish mercenaries were defeated by

Gaius Claudius Nero Gaius Claudius Nero (c. 247 BCc. 189 BC) was a Roman general active during the Second Punic War against the invading Carthaginian force, led by Hannibal Barca. During a military career that began as legate in 214 BC, he was propraetor in 211 ...

and

Marcus Livius Salinator Marcus Livius Salinator (254 – c. 191 BC) was a Roman general and politician who fought in the Second Punic War, most notably during the Battle of the Metaurus. Born in 254 BC, Livius was elected consul of the Roman Republic with Lucius Aemiliu ...

, Hanno and Mago would have started another recruitment campaign in

Hispania Hispania ( la, Hispānia , ; nearly identically pronounced in Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, and Italian) was the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula and its provinces. Under the Roman Republic, Hispania was divided into two provinces: His ...

in order to replace Hasdrubal's army. Among their mercenaries it was Larus, leading a contingent of the Cantabrian youth armed with

battle axe A battle axe (also battle-axe, battle ax, or battle-ax) is an axe specifically designed for combat. Battle axes were specialized versions of utility axes. Many were suitable for use in one hand, while others were larger and were deployed two-h ...

s and caetras as per their custom. Larus was described as a man of immense stature and martial skill, embodying the Celtic warrior ideal, who went to war wielding a double-headed axe (''bipennis'') with a single hand. He was also known as a fearsome unarmed fighter.

, '' Punica'', 16, 46-65 Larus's first and only deployment started when the Roman forces attacked the Carthaginian positions. Believing themselves safe from attacks, Mago and Hanno had divided their camp and relaxed their defense, which encumbered their capacity of reaction. Their army was quickly routed except by Larus and his battalion, who mounted a fierce counterattack. Even when all his men were slain, Larus remained standing and doing battle, killing so many soldiers by himself alone that the Roman infantry began avoiding him in terror. Only Lucius Cornelius Scipio engaged him, fighting him in a singles duel and ultimately killing Larus after severing his arm. With the Cantabrian dead, the Punics were defeated and Hanno was captured. In his text, Silius speaks as well about another mercenary named Larus, who was compared to a

gorgon A Gorgon ( /ˈɡɔːrɡən/; plural: Gorgons, Ancient Greek: Γοργών/Γοργώ ''Gorgṓn/Gorgṓ'') is a creature in Greek mythology. Gorgons occur in the earliest examples of Greek literature. While descriptions of Gorgons vary, the te ...

for his frightening appearance. However, this was not the same as the Cantabrian Larus, but a Gaul soldier of the same name.

References

{{reflist 207 BC Ancient mercenaries Carthaginian commanders of the Second Punic War Celtic warriors People whose existence is disputed Year of birth unknown

Biography

See also

References