219 BC
Hannibal attacks Saguntum
Saguntum, a fortified Iberian town on a long ridge near the coast south of the Ebro, has placed itself under Roman protection. Hannibal has reasons to take it: it is one of the strongest places in the region, it would threaten his base if he left it behind, and its wealth can pay his army. In spring 219 BC he marches north from New Carthage and lays siege to it.
Sagunto seen from the castle hill, the site of ancient SaguntumWikimedia Commons, Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Vista de Sagunto, España, 2015-01-03, DD 23-31 HDR PAN.JPG)
The Saguntines ask Rome for help. The Senate sends envoys to Hannibal and to Carthage to demand that he be handed over, but no troops, and both consuls are at war in Illyria. Carthage replies that the Saguntines began the war.
The walls on the ridge of Sagunto, where the Iberian town stood, rebuilt in later centuriesWikimedia Commons, Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Castillo de Sagunto, Valencia, España, 2015-01-03, DD 09-11 HDR.JPG)
Sources
- Polybius, Histories, book 3, 15 to 17.
- Livy, History of Rome, book 21, 5 to 15.
- Adrian Goldsworthy, The Fall of Carthage (2006).
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