Battle of Leptis Parva

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Battle of Leptis Parva
Part of the
Byzacium, in modern Tunisia
Result Carthaginian victory
Belligerents Carthage Carthage's mutinous army
Rebellious African townsCommanders and leaders Hanno II the Great
Hamilcar Barca Mathos  ExecutedStrength 30,000 20,000Casualties and losses Unknown High

The Battle of Leptis Parva was fought in 238 BC between a

Byzacium (in modern Tunisia). The battle was the final major conflict of the Mercenary War
and resulted in a decisive victory for the Carthaginians.

In 241 BC 20,000 foreign troops who had been employed by Carthage during the

Spendius and Mathos starting the Mercenary War
. They were supported by an uprising of Carthage's oppressed African territories and 70,000 local recruits flocked to join them, bringing supplies and finance. War-weary Carthage fared poorly in the initial engagements of the war, especially under the leadership of Hanno. Hamilcar Barca was given supreme command in 239 BC and slowly turned the tide.

In 238 BC Mathos and the remnants of the rebel army left the area around Carthage and marched 160 km (100 mi) south to the wealthy port city of Leptis Parva. Hanno reconciled with Hamilcar and with a larger Carthaginian army they pursued the rebels, harrying their march. After three months of manoeuvres, in which the rebels consistently came off worst, battle was given and the rebels were completely defeated. The remaining rebellious cities rapidly surrendered or were captured by the Carthaginians, ending the war.

Background

A map showing the major movements of both sides during the war
Main manoeuvres during the war

In 241 BC 20,000 foreign troops who had been employed by

Spendius and Matho starting the Mercenary War. They were supported by an uprising of Carthage's oppressed dependent territories and 70,000 Africans flocked to join them, bringing supplies and finance.[2][3][4]

War-weary Carthage fared poorly in the initial engagements of the war, especially under the generalship of

Battle of the Bagradas River[8][9] Hamilcar was given joint command of the army. Hamilcar and Hanno were political opponents and had different approaches to fighting the war, so there was no military cooperation between them.[10] Hamilcar campaigned successfully, initially demonstrating leniency in an attempt to woo the rebels over. To ensure a great hatred between the armies, and so prevent their men being tempted to desert to the Carthaginians, in 240 BC Spendius tortured 700 Carthaginian prisoners to death, and henceforth the war was pursued with great brutality.[11][12] Hamilcar was given supreme command in 239 BC.[13][14]

Meanwhile, the rebels under Mathos had blockaded the Carthaginian-supporting cities of

Byzacium region and had risen against Carthage earlier in the war.[18] The historian Dexter Hoyos speculates that the rebels may have been hoping to leave the area by sea.[20]

Battle

A small, white statuette of an elephant with a mahout
Roman statuette of a war elephant recovered from Herculaneum

The Carthaginian Senate encouraged reconciliation between Hanno and Hamilcar, and they agreed to serve together. The pair marched after the rebels with an army totalling perhaps 25,000[21] including every Carthaginian citizen of military age.[22] On this occasion Hanno and Hamilcar cooperated well together and harassed the rebels on their march.[23] The rebels were forced into a succession of unsuccessful skirmishes in Byzacium as the Carthaginians attempted to wear them down.[23] Mathos, rather than wait to be besieged, decided to meet the Carthaginians in open battle in mid- to late 238 BC.[24] As the rebels were by now in extremis Mathos called in every available man, stripping all rebel-held towns of garrisons.[23] As the rebels' situation had worsened, they had increasingly suffered from desertions.[21] Few of the original mutineers remained, after the previous three years of fierce campaigning, to participate in this battle; most of the rebel army was made up of indigenous North Africans.[25] The Carthaginian army on the other hand, was steadily reinforced and had grown to over 30,000 men and a large number of war elephants.[note 2][21]

Battle was given eight to ten weeks after the two armies arrived in Byzacium, although the location is not known.

set piece battle, with no subtleties of manoeuvre – Mathos was not a proficient general and the Carthaginians were so superior that they felt no need for stratagems.[25] Hamilcar was the senior Carthaginian commander and he ensured that the rebels were crushed, with few losses to the Carthaginians.[31][25] In a change of policy, prisoners were taken, which probably helped to ensure that there was no desperate last stand. Captives were sold into slavery.[32] Mathos was also captured, and he was dragged through the streets of Carthage and tortured to death by its inhabitants.[22]

Aftermath

Most of the towns and cities which had not already come to terms with Carthage now did so, with the exceptions of Utica and Hippo, whose inhabitants feared vengeance for their massacre of Carthaginians. They attempted to hold out, but Polybius says that they too "quickly" surrendered, probably in late 238 or very early 237 BC.

Saguntum in eastern Iberia, providing the spark which ignited the Second Punic War.[35][36]

Notes, citations and sources

Notes

  1. ^ Hamilcar Barca was the father of Hannibal[7]
  2. ^ North Africa had indigenous African forest elephants at the time.[26][27] These were typically about 2.5-metre-high (8 ft) at the shoulder, and should not be confused with the larger African bush elephant.[28] The sources are not clear as to whether they carried towers containing fighting men.[29]

Citations

  1. ^ Goldsworthy 2006, p. 133.
  2. ^ Bagnall 1999, pp. 112–114.
  3. ^ Goldsworthy 2006, pp. 133–134.
  4. ^ Hoyos 2000, p. 371.
  5. ^ Eckstein 2017, p. 6.
  6. ^ a b Bagnall 1999, p. 115.
  7. ^ Goldsworthy 2006, p. 147.
  8. ^ Scullard 2006, p. 567.
  9. ^ Miles 2011, p. 207.
  10. ^ Miles 2011, p. 209.
  11. ^ Miles 2011, p. 208.
  12. ^ Eckstein 2017, p. 7.
  13. ^ a b Hoyos 2000, p. 374.
  14. ^ Bagnall 1999, p. 119.
  15. ^ Warmington 1993, p. 188.
  16. ^ Bagnall 1999, pp. 121–122.
  17. ^ Hoyos 2007, pp. 146–150.
  18. ^ a b Bagnall 1999, p. 122.
  19. ^ Hoyos 2007, pp. 220–223.
  20. ^ Hoyos 2007, p. 237.
  21. ^ a b c Hoyos 2007, p. 240.
  22. ^ a b Miles 2011, p. 211.
  23. ^ a b c Hoyos 2007, p. 239.
  24. ^ Hoyos 2000, p. 380.
  25. ^ a b c d Hoyos 2007, p. 241.
  26. ^ Bagnall 1999, p. 9.
  27. ^ Lazenby 1996, p. 27.
  28. ^ Miles 2011, p. 240.
  29. ^ Sabin 1996, p. 70, n. 76.
  30. ^ Eckstein 2017, p. 8.
  31. ^ Scullard 2006, p. 568.
  32. ^ Hoyos 2007, pp. 241–242.
  33. ^ Hoyos 2000, p. 377.
  34. ^ Hoyos 2015, p. 210.
  35. ^ Collins 1998, p. 13.
  36. ^ Goldsworthy 2006, pp. 152–155.

Sources

  • Bagnall, Nigel (1999). The Punic Wars: Rome, Carthage and the Struggle for the Mediterranean. London: Pimlico. .