1-Acest articol este copiat !
2-Istoria ramane pasiunea mea nr-1.
"A robin red-breast in a cage, puts all of Heaven in a rage. Think to yourself that every day is your last. The hour to which you do not look forward will come as a welcome surprise. As for me, when you want a good laugh, you will find me in fine state... fat and sleek, a true hog of Epicurus's herd."
214 BC saw wave after wave of Celtiberian tribes abandon Carthage following recent reverses at Ebro River at Ibera. The Scipios continued to build up their support base, while Hasdrubal looked to used Punic gold to rebuild his own Iberian army. Carthage’s situation in the Second Punic War deteriorated further the following year, with the Numidian king and ally Syphax declaring for Rome. Numidia (modern Tunisia and part of Morocco) was a powerful kingdom, and the source of Hannibal’s vaunted cavalry – though given the technological limitations at the time, there was obviously no way to strip him of his horse, even if they had wished to support their king rather than their general. Rome dispatched advisors and veterans to Numidia to help train the forces of Syphax and embolden him to make war on Carthage. A pro-Carthaginian movement erupted in Sardinia in 213 BC, but this was quickly quelled by the Romans, who still maintained naval supremacy.
In Sicily, a large Carthaginian army landed under the command of Himilco landed to support Syracuse. His 20,000 infantry and 3,000 cavalry swiftly overran tracts of the island, including the old Punic stronghold of Agrigentum, and harried the legions under Marcellus which were besieging Syracuse. The change in fortune saw numerous towns now either expel or massacre their Roman garrisons as it appeared Carthage was on the cusp of regaining the island that it had occupied for centuries before the First Punic War. Rome responded violently to these, with atrocities including the sack of Enna after a dispute escalated over who should have the town key – the Romans, or the townspeople. A heated confrontation erupted when a townsman threw a fig at a military tribune, who then lit the fuse that saw the legionaries tear through the city and turn it to rubble. As with most sacks of cities, men, children and the elderly were all killed indiscriminately, and in brutal ways, while women were horrifically raped and murdered, the streets left slick with blood. It has long been a tragedy of war that the greatest price is often paid by those lowly civilians who have so little say in how it is run.
Despite Himilco’s success, he failed to resupply the beleaguered Syracuse, and were soon hamstrung by plague. It is oft forgotten that disease can be a soldier’s greatest enemy, even in modern times – malaria killed more US soldiers in Vietnam than the Vietcong did. When disease set in, the cramped conditions of a military camp could make its effects devastating. In an age of superstition and omens, it could also cripple morale and been interpreted as a punishment from the gods, particularly impacting a state like Carthage that relied on mercenary armies.
In 212 BC, the Roman siege of Syracuse finally bore fruit. A naval blockade had failed due to the contraptions of Archimedes, and thus the city had kept supplied by sea despite the legions being encamped outside the walls. An eagle-eyed legionary saw that one section of the wall was lower than appeared, and thus when the Syracusians had a festival, the legionaries approached near daybreak, scaled the low wall and opened the gates. The sack of Syracuse that followed would have been another horrific scene of war, a magnified version of Enna on a much larger scale. Greeks awoke with throbbing heads from their handovers to the confused sound of trumpets, which they did not use, only to realise that the legions were already within the city. Many rushed to their homes for their families, being cut down on the way as they made a desperate last stand. The legionaries hunted through houses in search of plunder and women, and in such a bitter war, mercy was in short supply. Several districts of the city were captured, though a number of citizens managed to secure themselves inside the citadel. Orders had been given before entering the city for Archimedes to be spared so Rome could benefit from his genius, but when he haughtily dismissed the man entering his room assuming he was a rude apprentice interrupting, and not realising that he was in fact a legionary, he was cut down. Syracuse final capitulated fully in Autumn 212 BC, ending 500 years of independence.
In Italy, Fabius the Delayer was able to overrun the Punic ally of Arpi in 213 BC, returning a defector to the Roman fold and building on the capture of Casilinum a year earlier. Rome had been holding regular riads to harass Capua, the main city which had defected, and in 212 BC the Consuls Appius Claudius and Fulvius Flaccus moved to besiege the city with eight legions. Two years before had seen a Roman success against Hannibal’s adjutant Hanno, whereby two ‘slave legions’ – promised their freedom upon victory – augmented the existing couple of legions to annihilate a force of 18,000 at the Battle of Beneventum, preventing Hannibal from successfully campaigning in Campania. Now Hanno moved to relieve Capua, but after his foragers were attacked he was forced to retire, and the citizens then sought aid directly from Hannibal.
Hannibal sent 2,000 Numidian cavalry to reinforce the city, and while the Romans called on Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus to support the siege, he was ambushed on route and killed, his death causing the dispersal of his army. The Numidians raided the Roman camp and won numerous skirmishes while Hannibal camped east of the city, proffering battle three days later. The Battle of Capua was a long, drawn-out affair, but again the Numidians showed their superiority to the Roman horse. Seeing cavalry approach from the south, both armies retired to their camps. The Romans decided to split their armies and withdraw from Capua, lifting the siege. Flaccus moved towards Cumae, and Claudius to Lucania, with Hannibal in pursuit. Having lifted the siege, Hannibal then moved to besiege Brundisium, though this allowed the legions to resume the siege of Capua in his absence. Neither side had gained advantage, but now Hannibal had two more Roman armies in his sights.
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