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210 BC The great Punic Latin war
210 BC
The great Punic-Latin war
A major fleet of one hundred eighty ships( 60 heptares,90 quinqueremes and 30 venemeres) sailed for Sicily together with an army of four tagmata. In a naval battle in the straits of Messina the league fleet crushed the Carthaginian-Roman fleet(100 quinqueremes). Although the Romans and Carthaginians used a new invention the Corvus , the heavy artillery use of the eptares/venemeres and especially the use of crossbows against the corvus boarding attempts were no match for the Punic-Latin forces. In Sicily the combined forces of the League and Megale Hellas annihilated the remains of the roman army that was trapped in Sicily. Both Scipio’s(Africanous) father, Publius Scipio, and uncle, Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Calvus, were killed in the battle.
At the election of a new proconsul for the command of the new army which the Romans resolved to send to march against Massalia itself, Scipio was the only man brave enough to ask for this position, no other candidates wanting the responsibility, considering it a death sentence.In spite of his youth (26 years old), his noble demeanour and enthusiastic language had made so great an impression that he was unanimously elected. The idea of marching against Massalia directly was part of a plan suggested by Hannibal. Hannibal would start first by marching to Iberia and at the right moment the Roman army would strike at Massalia.
Cyprus/Asia minor
The great Punic-Latin war
A major fleet of one hundred eighty ships( 60 heptares,90 quinqueremes and 30 venemeres) sailed for Sicily together with an army of four tagmata. In a naval battle in the straits of Messina the league fleet crushed the Carthaginian-Roman fleet(100 quinqueremes). Although the Romans and Carthaginians used a new invention the Corvus , the heavy artillery use of the eptares/venemeres and especially the use of crossbows against the corvus boarding attempts were no match for the Punic-Latin forces. In Sicily the combined forces of the League and Megale Hellas annihilated the remains of the roman army that was trapped in Sicily. Both Scipio’s(Africanous) father, Publius Scipio, and uncle, Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Calvus, were killed in the battle.
At the election of a new proconsul for the command of the new army which the Romans resolved to send to march against Massalia itself, Scipio was the only man brave enough to ask for this position, no other candidates wanting the responsibility, considering it a death sentence.In spite of his youth (26 years old), his noble demeanour and enthusiastic language had made so great an impression that he was unanimously elected. The idea of marching against Massalia directly was part of a plan suggested by Hannibal. Hannibal would start first by marching to Iberia and at the right moment the Roman army would strike at Massalia.
- Hannibal assembled an army of thirty thousands( ten thousands Numibians mercenaries)and marched for the hercules pillars to conquer Massaliot League holdings there and cross to Iberia.
Cyprus/Asia minor
- in a naval battle near Cyprus the ptolemaic fleet won the Pergamon coalition fleet.
- In exchange for a peace, Ptolemy was forced to lose territories on the northern coast of Syria, including Seleucia Pieria and Antioch.
- Sersor
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