Battle of Selinus - The Final Assault

The Final Assault

Hannibal renewed his efforts the following day. Archers and slingers positioned on top of the 6 siege towers again cleared the walls of Greek defenders at different sections of the city wall. Six battering rams were again employed against the walls and ultimately several breaches were made for the Punic infantry to exploit. After the rubble was cleared away from the breaches, groups of soldiers assaulting in relays were unleashed on the town defenders through the gaps in the walls. Once the walls were breached, the Greeks abandoned their effort to defend them. They gathered in the narrow streets, barricaded them and fought a fierce hand to hand battle with the attackers. For 9 days and nights a bitter street by street battle raged, the Iberian troops of the Punic army leading the assault against the Greeks. The Greeks fought back fiercely, tiles/bricks were hurled on the Carthaginians from rooftops lining the narrow streets to aid the hand to hand struggle. Despite heavy casualties, the weight of numbers slowly enabled the Carthaginians to advance through the city. On the ninth day, the Greek women ran out of missiles, which eased the conditions for the Carthaginians. The Greeks began to fall back and ultimately the last stand of the Greeks took place in the Agora after 9 days of savage fighting. When all resistance finally ceased in Selinus, 6,000 Greeks were made prisoners, 3,000 soldiers had escaped to Akragas while 16,000 Greeks had died in the battle and the subsequent massacre. The Carthaginians spared only those who had sought shelter in the temples in the city.