The author ( Latin Autaritus , other Greek Αὐτάριτος ) is the commander of the Gallic ( Galatian ) mercenaries mentioned by Polybius in the service of Carthage , who became one of the leaders of the rebels during the Libyan War .
| Avtarit | |
|---|---|
| lat Autaritus et al. Αὐτάριτος | |
| Place of Birth | Gaul |
| Date of death | 238 BC e. |
| Affiliation | Carthage |
| Battles / wars | First Punic War The victory of Hamilcar and Naravas Battle of the Pyla Gorge |
During the First Punic War , when part of the Gallic mercenaries during the siege of Eriks ran to the Romans , he remained faithful to Carthage [1] . He devoted many years to military service, owned the Phoenician language and enjoyed great authority among ordinary soldiers [2] .
During the siege of Hippacritus, the rebel leader Matos instructed Spendius, with a 6,000th detachment and 2,000 Galatians led by Avatar, to follow the enemy army, avoiding the plain places convenient for the operations of strong cavalry and Carthaginian elephants . However, due to the transition to the side of the enemy, the Numidian Naravas with his detachment Spendius and Avtarit were soon defeated and fled, and many rebels were captured [3] .
The Carthaginian commander Hamilcar Barka treated the prisoners extremely gently, trying to return them to the service of the Carthaginian government. This alarmed the leaders of the mercenaries, who saw the threat of a split in the ranks of their warriors. In order to cut off all the paths to retreat, after Avtar’s speech before the army, met with approval, they ordered that up to 700 previously captured Carthaginians be executed by painful execution [4] .
After Hamilkar managed to lock up the main rebel forces in the Pyla Gorge , where, due to starvation, they reached cannibalism, Avtarit and the other leaders were forced to go to Galmilkar as a parliamentarian . Hamilkar demanded the extradition of ten people at his discretion, and promised to release the rest without weapons. The rebels had to agree, and Hamilkar ordered the arrest of ten parliamentarians, including Avatar and Spendia. When the mercenaries noticed that their leaders were captured, then, not knowing the terms of the agreement, they took it for treason and rushed to arms. But the Carthaginians surrounded them with elephants and other troops and destroyed them all. Apparently, Avtarit, along with Spendius and other leaders, was crucified under the walls of the besieged Tunet to intimidate the rebels [5] .
In Culture
- Autharite ( French Autharite ) is a character in the novel by G. Flaubert " Salambo " (1862) and his theatrical adaptations
Notes
- ↑ Polybius. Universal History, I, 77, 4-5.
- ↑ Polybius. General History, I, 80, 5-6.
- ↑ Polybius. Universal History, I, 78, 1-12.
- ↑ Polybius. Universal History, I, 80, 1–13.
- ↑ Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology , Autaritus.
Literature
- Avatarit (English) . - in Smith 's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology.