Hannibal Gisco
Encyclopedia
Hannibal Gisco was a Carthaginian
military commander in charge of both land armies and naval fleets during the First Punic War
against Rome
. His efforts proved ultimately unsuccessful and his eventual defeat in battle led to his downfall and execution.
besieged by the Romans in Agrigentum
. Despite the tenacity shown by Gisco and his men for months and the arrival of reinforcements led by Hanno
, the city eventually fell into Roman hands. Gisco managed to escape to Carthage in the late stages of the battle.
Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Asina
in the Lipari encounter
, which earned Scipio the nickname Asina ("Donkey"). However, this victory was robbed of practical meaning with the bulk of the Roman fleet continuing to maneuver in the surrounding waters.
boarding device with its deadly effect. Confident in Carthage's superiority at sea, Gisco deployed his ships for the Battle of Mylae
in the traditional long line arrangement. Although inexperienced in sea battle, the Romans, led by consul
Gaius Duilius
, heavily defeated the Carthaginian fleet, mainly due to the innovative use of land tactics in naval warfare.
Hannibal was recalled, but his fall from favor lasted not very long. In 258, he was sent to Sardinia
, which he had to defend against the Romans. However, he was no match for the Roman commander Gaius Sulpicius Paterculus, who defeated him.
Having lost the confidence of his peers, Hannibal Gisco was subsequently executed for incompetence shortly afterwards, together with other defeated Punic generals. According to some references he was crucified by his own men.
Carthage
Carthage , implying it was a 'new Tyre') is a major urban centre that has existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC...
military commander in charge of both land armies and naval fleets during the First Punic War
First Punic War
The First Punic War was the first of three wars fought between Ancient Carthage and the Roman Republic. For 23 years, the two powers struggled for supremacy in the western Mediterranean Sea, primarily on the Mediterranean island of Sicily and its surrounding waters but also to a lesser extent in...
against Rome
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
. His efforts proved ultimately unsuccessful and his eventual defeat in battle led to his downfall and execution.
Agrigentum
Hannibal Gisco's first appearance in the sources is in 261 BC, as the general in command of the garrisonGarrison
Garrison is the collective term for a body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but now often simply using it as a home base....
besieged by the Romans in Agrigentum
Battle of Agrigentum
The Battle of Agrigentum was the first pitched battle of the First Punic War and the first large-scale military confrontation between Carthaginians and the Republic of Rome...
. Despite the tenacity shown by Gisco and his men for months and the arrival of reinforcements led by Hanno
Hanno
Hanno may refer to:* Hanno, Saitama, Honshū, Japan* Hanno , a lunar crater* Hanno , the pet white elephant of Pope Leo XPeople named Hanno:*Several ancient Carthaginians, including:...
, the city eventually fell into Roman hands. Gisco managed to escape to Carthage in the late stages of the battle.
The Straits of Messina
Apparently, the defeat at Agrigentum did not bar Gisco from continuing leadership. In the following year, 260 BC, Gisco returned as the admiral in charge of the Carthaginian fleet in the Straits of Messina. The Romans were about to launch their first-ever navy, and Carthage had determined that this innovation should be thwarted. Gisco defeated and captured the Roman consulConsul
Consul was the highest elected office of the Roman Republic and an appointive office under the Empire. The title was also used in other city states and also revived in modern states, notably in the First French Republic...
Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Asina
Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Asina
Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Asina was a Roman politician involved in the First Punic War.Scipio Asina was a patrician member of the Scipiones branch of the famous Cornelii, a family with a history as old as the Roman Republic itself. He was son of Lucius Cornelius Scipio Barbatus and brother of Lucius...
in the Lipari encounter
Battle of the Lipari Islands
The Battle of the Lipari Islands or Lipara was the first encounter between the fleets of Carthage and the Roman Republic during the First Punic War...
, which earned Scipio the nickname Asina ("Donkey"). However, this victory was robbed of practical meaning with the bulk of the Roman fleet continuing to maneuver in the surrounding waters.
Mylae
Later in 260 BC, Gisco was to engage this fleet and to be the first Punic general to encounter the Roman corvusCorvus (weapon)
The corvus or harpago was a Roman military boarding device used in naval warfare during the First Punic War against Carthage....
boarding device with its deadly effect. Confident in Carthage's superiority at sea, Gisco deployed his ships for the Battle of Mylae
Battle of Mylae
The Battle of Mylae took place in 260 BC during the First Punic War and was the first real naval battle between Carthage and the Roman Republic. This battle was key in the Roman victory of Mylae as well as Sicily itself...
in the traditional long line arrangement. Although inexperienced in sea battle, the Romans, led by consul
Consul
Consul was the highest elected office of the Roman Republic and an appointive office under the Empire. The title was also used in other city states and also revived in modern states, notably in the First French Republic...
Gaius Duilius
Gaius Duilius
Gaius Duilius was a Roman politician and admiral involved in the First Punic War.Not much is known about his family background or early career, since he was a novus homo, meaning not belonging to a traditional family of Roman aristocrats. He managed, nevertheless, to be elected consul for the year...
, heavily defeated the Carthaginian fleet, mainly due to the innovative use of land tactics in naval warfare.
Hannibal was recalled, but his fall from favor lasted not very long. In 258, he was sent to Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
, which he had to defend against the Romans. However, he was no match for the Roman commander Gaius Sulpicius Paterculus, who defeated him.
Having lost the confidence of his peers, Hannibal Gisco was subsequently executed for incompetence shortly afterwards, together with other defeated Punic generals. According to some references he was crucified by his own men.