Hamilcar Barca - Barcid Spain

Barcid Spain

Hamilcar’s army either crossed the Straits of Gibraltar into Iberia from West Africa or having returned to Carthage after the African activities, sailed along the African coast to Gades. Hasdrubal the Fair and Hannibal, then a child of nine, accompanied Hamilcar, it is not known who led Hamilcar’s supporters in Carthage in the absence of Hamilcar and Hasdrubal. Prior to his departure from Carthage, Hamilcar made sacrifices to obtain favorable omens and Hannibal swore never to be a “Friend of Rome” or “Never to show goodwill to the Romans. Several modern historians has interpreted this as Hannibal swearing to be a lifelong enemy of Rome bent on revenge while others hold that this interpretation is a distortion.