- Hannibal Gisco
Hannibal Gisco (c. 300-290 – 260 BC) 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.Life and career
The details of Hannibal Gisco's early life and career are unknown.
Agrigentum
Hannibal Gisco's first appearance in the sources is in 261 BC, as the general in command of the
garrison besieged by the Romans in Agrigentum. Despite the tenacity shown by Gisco and his men for months and the arrival of reinforcements led byHanno , 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 Romanconsul 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.Mylae
Later in 260 BC, Gisco was to engage this fleet and to be the first Punic general to encounter the Roman "corvus" 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 byconsul Gaius Duilius , heavily defeated the Carthaginian fleet, mainly due to the innovative use of land tactics in naval warfare.Having lost the confidence of his peers, Hannibal Gisco was subsequently executed for incompetence shortly afterwards, together with other defeated Punic generals.
External links
* [http://www.livius.org/ha-hd/hannibal/hannibal_3.html Livius.org: Hannibal]
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