Bomilkar (III century BC)

Bomilcar led reinforcements sent by Carthage to Hannibal after the Battle of Cannes (216 BC), with whom he arrived in Italy the following year ^[1] . In 214 BC e. he was sent with fifty-five ships to the aid of the Syracuse besieged by the Romans. However, making sure that he could not resist the superior fleet of the enemy, he was forced to retreat to the shores of Africa ^[2] .

Two years later, Bomilcar is back in Syracuse . Historical sources mention him due to the fact that he manages to slip away with his ships from the Syracuse harbor to inform Carthage of the distressing situation of the city. By that time, Syracuse was almost entirely (except for the fortress of Ahradina ) were captured by Marcellus . A few days later he returned to Syracuse with a hundred ships ^[3] .

In the same 214 BC. e. Bomilkra, after the death of an epidemic of the Carthaginian expeditionary force under the leadership of Hippocrates and the Himilcon, again went to Carthage with news, and returned with 130 ships. However, Marcellus was able to prevent his connection with the forces of the Syracusans. After this, Bomilcar with the fleet sailed to Tarentum , probably intending to cut off the sea supplies of food to the Roman garrison besieged in this city. Nevertheless, since the presence of his many sailors only increased the lack of provisions for the Tarentines besieging the Roman garrison, they had to release him as soon as possible ^[4] .

Primary sources

• Titus Livy . History from the founding of the city
• Polybius . General history

Research

• Bomilkar // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron : in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.
• Benedikt Niese . Bomilkar (4) // Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft (RE) . Band III, 1. Stuttgart, 1897. Sp. 680–681