238 BC
The destruction at the Saw
Over several weeks the trapped army eats its horses, its prisoners and finally its slaves, hoping that Matho will come out of Tunis to relieve it. Matho stays in Tunis, perhaps uninformed, perhaps held in place by the 10,000 defenders of Carthage. The men turn on their leaders, who go to Hamilcar to parley, and he takes Spendius, Autaritus, Zarzas and their officers prisoner.
Carthaginian elephants against rebel troops in the Mercenary War, modern illustration by Giuseppe RavaWikimedia Commons, Giuseppe Rava, CC0 (Rebelion-de-los-mercenarios--elefantes-cartagineses-combatiendo-contra-numidas-1536x757.png)
The Carthaginians then attack the leaderless, starving rebels with their whole army, the elephants in front. Every rebel is killed, and those who try to surrender are thrown under the elephants. Carthaginian losses are light.
Sources
- Polybius, Histories, book 1, 85.
- Dexter Hoyos, Truceless War: Carthage’s Fight for Survival, 241 to 237 BC (2007).
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