Phase 4

Actions in Iberia and at Sea 218-217 BCE

Mediterranean Map ca 218 BCE

  Hasdrubal Barca, the younger brother of Hannibal, had 12,650 infantry, 2,550 cavalry and 21 elephants to guard the Carthaginian possessions south of the River Ebro (Lazanby, John Francis, Hannibal's War, p32)   Hannibal had left a certain Hanno with 10,000 infantry and 1,000 cavalry to garrison the newly conquered territory north of the Ebro. This Hanno has been identified by various authors as Hannibal’s nephew (Bagnall, Nigel, The Punic Wars, p157) (son of Hasdrubal the Fair), a brother (Cottrell, Leonard, Hannibal: Enemy of Rome, p24) or no Barcid relation.

   Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Calvus, with 20,000 infantry (2 Roman and 2 allied legions) 2,200 cavalry and 60 quinqueremes, sailed from Massilia and landed at Emporiae in Iberia in 218 BCE. The Greek cities of Emporiae and Tarraco welcomed the Romans, and Gnaeus Scipio began to win over the Iberian tribes north of the Ebro. Hasdrubal Barca, after being warned of the Roman expedition, marched north with an army of 8,000 foot soldiers and 1,000 cavalry to join Hanno ((Livy xxi, p23, 60).

  To stop Hannibal Rome sent troops under the command of Gnaeus and Publius Cornelius Scipio. Publius Scipio returned to Italy while Gnaeus Scipio continued on to Iberia.  Gnaeus was the first to arrive in Hispania while his brother Publius turned towards Massalia with the goal of obtaining support and trying to halt the Carthaginian advance. Emporion, or Empúries, was the point where Rome began on the peninsula. The Romans first mission was to find allies among the Iberians. They signed treaties of alliance with Iberian tribal leaders on the coast but probably did not obtain support for their cause among the majority. One known example was the tribe of the Ilergetes, one of the most important north of the Ebro, who were allies with the Carthaginians. Gnaeus Scipio subjugated these tribes, either by treaty or through the forces of the coast north of the Ebro, including the city of Tarraco, where Gnaeus made his residence. Eventually he won the support of the natives.  

Ethnographic Ancient Iberia ca 200 BCE

   Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio established his headquarters northeast of Cissa (a small town south of modern Tarragona) in the midst of Hannibal’s acquisitions.   Hanno was completely surprised by the Roman arrival in Iberia. Seeing the grip of the Carthaginians on the newly conquered Iberian tribes loosening because of the activities of Gnaeus Scipio he decided to offer battle. This convinced the Carthaginian commander Hanno (nephew of Hannibal?) to attack the Romans before being united with the army of Hasdrubal, brother of Hannibal.  Hanno marched and attacked the Romans just north of Tarraco, near a place called Cissa or Kissa (Polybius 3.76 p7). . There were no brilliant maneuvers or ambushes, the armies formed up and faced off. Being outnumbered two to one, Hanno was defeated relatively easily, losing 6,000 soldiers in battle. Furthermore, the Romans managed to capture the Carthaginian camp, along with 2,000 more soldiers and Hanno himself. The camp contained all the baggage left by Hannibal (Lazanby, John Francis, Hannibal's War, p12).  The prisoners also included Indibilis, an influential Iberian chieftain who would cause severe trouble for the Romans later. The Romans also stormed the town of Cissa, though to the frustration of the Romans it did not contain any valuable booty ((Livy xxi p60).

  Gnaeus Scipio became master of Iberia north of the Ebro River. Hasdrubal, arriving too late to aid Hanno and not being strong enough to attack the Romans, still crossed the river and sent a flying column of light cavalry and infantry on a raid. This force caught some Roman sailors foraging and inflicted such casualties that the effectiveness of the Roman fleet in Iberia was reduced from 60 to 35 ships. The Roman fleet, however, raided the Carthaginian possessions in Iberia (Livy, 22.20.4-10)   Roman prestige was established in Iberia, while the Carthaginians had suffered a significant blow. After punishing the officers in charge of the naval contingent for their lax discipline, Scipio and the Roman army wintered at Tarraco. 

New Carthage  (Carthago Nova)

  Hasdrubal retired to New Carthage (Cartagena) after garrisoning allied towns south of the Ebro River.  The Romans position prevented the Carthaginians from sending reinforcements from Iberia to Hannibal or to the insurgent Gauls in northern Italy during the critical stages of the war.

  Unlike Hannibal, Gnaeus Scipio did not immediately launch a major campaign on enemy territory south of the river. Nor would he cut loose from his base as Hannibal did in the near future. Gnaeus Scipio took time to consolidate his holdings, subjugate or befriend Iberian tribes and raid Carthaginian territory. These activities laid the foundation for future Roman operations in Iberia.

  In 218 BCE, the Carthaginian navy was busy scouting Sicilian waters and preparing for a surprise attack on their former key stronghold of Lilybaeum on the western tip of the island. Twenty quinqueremes, loaded with 1,000 soldiers, raided the Aegadian Islands west of Sicily and eight ships intended to attack the Aeolian Islands, but a storm blew them off-course towards the Straits of Messina. The Syracusan navy, then at Messina, managed to capture three of these ships without resistance. Learning from their crews that a Carthaginian fleet was to attack Lilybaeum, Hiero II warned the Roman praetor Marcus Amellius there. As a result, the Romans sent 20 quinqueremes to intercept them, and defeated the 35 Carthaginian quinqueremes in the battle of Lilybaeum.

Roman Quinquereme with Covus

Roman Quinquereme Breakdown

  In 218 BCE, preparations were underway to launch a Roman expedition from Lilybaeum against Africa. Hannibal had anticipated the move and reinforced the defending army in Africa with 13,850 Iberian heavy infantry, 870 Balearic slingers and 1,200 Iberian Cavalry. In addition, some 4,000 Iberian men "of good family were called up who were under orders to be conveyed to Carthage to strengthen its defense, and also to serve as hostages for the loyalty of their people“(Livy. The History of Rome by Titus Livius: Books Nine to Twenty-Six, trans. D. Spillan and Cyrus Edmonds.) In return, 11,850 Libyan infantry, 300 Ligurians, and 500 Balearic slingers went to Iberia to strengthen the local defense against the other anticipated Roman invasion (Livy. The History of Rome by Titus Livius: Books Nine to Twenty-Six, trans. D. Spillan and Cyrus Edmonds).

  The Romans in two major encounters had defeated the Carthaginian navy, but neither side was usually able to stop the other from raiding each other's coasts. An exception was in 217 BC, when a Roman fleet of 120 quinqueremes off the coast of Etruria encountered a Carthaginian fleet of 70 quinqueremes.  The Carthaginian fleet retreated without giving battle. This may have been a supply fleet for Hannibal.