Part One: The Rebellion of Hampsicora

By the year 215 BC Hannibal Barca, having invaded Italy, had won three victories over the Roman legions. His third and greatest of these victories was at Cannae in August 216. BC.

As this news spread, towns and cities in Italy (eg Capua) defected over to Hannibal. News was even brought to Carthage that in Sardinia, the Roman army left there was small, that the praetor Aulus Cornelius Mammula was returning to Rome and that a new one would be sent in his place. The news also said that the Sardinians were wearied under the long and severe Roman rule due to heavy taxes and oppressive demands for corn to supply the legions.

According to the Roman historian Livy (who wrote during the rule of Caesar Augustus) the leader of this Sardinian embassy sent to Carthage was Hampsicora, a ma n of wealth and influence. The new Roman Praetor Quintus Mucius Scaevola soon fell ill due to the bad air and water and thus unable to ensure that peace and Roman control continued in the island. T Manlius Torquatus was thus sent to Sardinia with 5000 infantry and 400 cavalry, which later grew to 22,000 infantry and 1200 cavalry. Carthage also sent a fleet to Sardinia under Hasdrubal te Bald but a violent storm drove the ships onto the Balearic Islands, losing time in making repairs.

Torquatus marched his troops from near the port of Carales (modern Cagliari) in the south to the region around Cornus. Hampsicora had set up a camp in that area and Torquatus set his camp nearby. Livy later writes that the Sardinian camp already held at least 3000 men but Hampsicora wanted further aid from the the Sardi Pelliti, the hill and mountain people (especially the tribe called the Ilienses. These people, according to legend and the writings of Pausanias, traced back to the Greek hero Iolaus, nephew and friend of Hercules, who had brought the THespiades, fifty sons of Hercules by the daughters of the King of THespis, to settle and establish a colony in Sardinia)

Hampsicora had left his son Hostus in command at his camp. Livy describes Hostus as having the presumption of youth, as he decided to engage the legions. In the ensuing battle Livy says as many as 3000 Sardinians died,, and about 800 taken prisoner. Hostus fled after the rout, perhaps to the nearby city of Cornus, where the remainder of his army arrived.

THe Romans returned south to Carales, giving Hampsicora, having reunited with his son (Livy does not say if the Ilienses or others joined_ a chance to finally meet with Hasdrubal and his fleet, which had belatedly arrived. THe two armies again met first in several skirmishes and small encounters. Finally, they fought a four-hour pitched battle until Carthaginians and Sardinians were again routed. Torquatus turned their intended flight into a carnage, killing 2000 and capturing 3700, including Hasdrubal.

Hostus was among the slain, but Hampsicora had managed to flee with a few cavalry. Learning of his son’s death, he committed suicide during the night. Afterwards all cities which had gone over to Hampsicora surrendered to the Romans and gave hostages, money and corn..

Part Two: Hannibal Barca’s links to Sardinia

When the origins of the Second Punic War (between Carthage and Rome) are discussed, the usual reason has to do with the Carthaginian expansion in Spain and its possible violation of a treaty signed between Rome and Carthage, centered around the Spanish city of Saguntum.

While that was certainly a factor in Hannibal’s decision, he also makes reference to Sardinia’s loss to Rome. He does this in two different ways.

The first is in a speech given by Hannibal to his troops, shortly after they successfully crossed the Alps into Italy. As written by Livy, Hannibal says, “If it were only Sicily and Sardinia, wrested from our fathers, that we were going to recover by our valor, these would still be great enough rewards.” Later in the same speech Hannibal makes reference to Rome’s interference with Carthage in Spain, and again refers to Sardinia: ” [[Rome]] circumscribes and hems us in with boundaries [[and tells us ‘Do not cross the Ebro! Have nothing to do with the Saguntines!’ Is it not enough they have taken away my ancient provinces of Sicily and Sardinia? Are they taking away Spain as well?”

Polybius, the Greek historian who wrote roughly 100 years after the Second Punic War, describes the oath and treaty made between and by Hannibal and King Philip V of Macedon. Hannibal had wanted aid against Rome after the battle of Cannae. In his Fragments of Book VII, Part III, Affairs of Greece, Polybius writes that Hannibal swore his oath of common cause by the gods Zeus, Hera and Apollo in the presence of the “genius” of Carthage (thought to be the goddess Tanit), of Heracles and Iolaus, in the presence of Ares, Triton and Poseidon.

It is most appropriate that Hannibal would invoke the Carthaginian gods in some say for his oath, It also seems appropriate that he might also invoke Greek gods, as his hoped-for ally was from Macedon. Why would he include Hercules and Iolaus, if not for their links to having colonized Sardinia. It should also be noted that Hercules had assimilated with the Carthaginian deity Melqart, but Iolaus bore no role in that, except that he was sent by Hercules to Sardinia.

Both of these aspects seem to indicate that Sardinia’s loss to Rome was felt profoundly intensely by Hannibal. While the question of Saguntum in SPain and Carthaginian expansion there was an economic and political issue of conflict, Sardinia’s loss, like the face of Helen of Troy in that previous war, seems to have been a more visceral casus belli for Hannibal in his desire to conquer Rome and take back what Carthage had lost.