Hannibal

Hamilcar ‘Barca’ (an epithet meaning "lightning"), was a Carthaginian general and statesman, leader of the Barcid family, and father of Hannibal; Hasdrubal, and Mago.

Hannibal, was part of Carthage’s Punic (Phoenician colony) aristocrats, of Lebanese origin not Berber. Imilce or Himilce, Princess of Castulo, a city in Iberia (Spain) was wife of Hannibal according historical sources.

Hannibal Barca (commonly known as ‘The man who hated Rome’ or the ‘Father of Strategy’), was born in Ancient Carthage (247-183/181 BC). He is regarded as one of the greatest military leaders and generals in history and is remembered for his ability to motivate his army, his aptitude as a tactician, and his insightfulness into the minds of his opponents.

Around 800 BC a woman named Elissa (Libyan name, “Dido”) a Phoenician who co-ruled Tyre (city in today's Lebanon) with her brother Pygmalion, before he killed her husband Acerbas. She fled Lebanon with a loyal band of followers and founded the City of Carthage. She is the legendary founder and first Queen of the Phoenician city-state of Carthage (located in today's Tunisia), in 814 BC.

The Phoenicians, Levantines from what is now Lebanon were a mercantile society whose merchants sent ships all over the Mediterranean Sea and founded a numerous colonies all over the region, mostly in North Africa, but also on Cyprus; Sicily; Sardinia; Corsica; Majorca; Minorca, and Iberia.

Carthage was the largest and most prosperous of the colonies of migrants from Tyre. The Phoenicians were mercantile, sea faring people. Carthage had a Republican form of government that Plato admired. They traded with everyone in the known world.

Rome and Carthage were not culturally alike. Carthaginians were not politically united as an entity, unlike Rome in a sense.

Canaanites were also called Punic by Greeks and Romans respectively. There were no Arabs in Carthage at the time. This was when the Canaanites still worshiped the Gods Ba’al and El. That’s why his name was Hani Ba’al (Hannibal is a Western transliteration).

Hannibal invaded Italy (c. 218 BC). He defeated the Romans in many Battles. The only major battle Hannibal lost against Rome was the Battle of Zama (c. 202 BC). This ended the Second Punic War with a treaty on Roman terms.

During the Punic Wars, Tyre sympathized with its former colony Carthage. Therefore, (c. 195 BC) Hannibal, after his eventual defeat by the Romans, escaped by ship to Tyre before moving on to Antioch...

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Food for thought!

For more read: Legend