Carthage's Mercenary War: The Bloody Revolt That Almost Destroyed Hannibal's City cover art

Carthage's Mercenary War: The Bloody Revolt That Almost Destroyed Hannibal's City

Carthage's Mercenary War: The Bloody Revolt That Almost Destroyed Hannibal's City

Listen for free

View show details
In 241 BCE, Carthage emerged from the First Punic War defeated and bankrupt. When the city tried to pay its hired soldiers less than owed, those mercenaries—Libyans, Numidians, Iberians, Gauls, Greeks, and others—rose up in a rebellion that nearly tore Carthage apart. Over three brutal years, the Mercenary War pitted Carthaginian general Hamilcar Barca against former allies and a renegade slave named Mathos. The war saw horrific atrocities: the mercenaries crucified their captives, Hamilcar fed prisoners to wild animals, and the city of Utica changed sides twice. The conflict ended with a decisive battle where Carthage, led by Hamilcar and his young son Hannibal, crushed the rebels in the Saw, a mountain pass where starvation and treachery decided the outcome. This episode uncovers a war that Polybius called the 'Truceless War'—a conflict that forged the Barcid family's military reputation, nearly destroyed Carthage before Rome could, and shaped Hannibal's future campaigns. Listen as Lucas and Luna explore the mercenaries' grievances, the rebel leaders Spendius and Mathos, Carthage's desperate coinage, and the savage justice that followed Carthaginian victory. #MercenaryWar #TrucelessWar #HamilcarBarca #Mathos #Spendius #Carthage #FirstPunicWar #Polybius #Libyans #Numidians #Utica #TheSaw #Barcid #Hannibal #AncientHistory #NorthAfrica #PunicWars #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
No reviews yet