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Hannibal the Rhodian

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by JBradyK (talk | contribs) at 20:29, 13 September 2016 (add precise Polybius citation, correct garbled account of Polybius re the ship and how it was captured.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Hannibal the Rhodian was a prominent Carthaginian. During the First Punic War, when the Romans were besieging Lilybaeum, he was able to use the superior speed of his specially built ship and to avoid the Roman fleet and gain valuable intelligence that he reported to the Carthaginian commander, Ad Herbal, and to the Carthaginian Senate. The Romans finally caught and defeated him making use of a captured Carthaginian quadrireme. The Romans used his ship to thwart subsequent Carthaginian blockade runners, and made it the basis for their subsequent naval construction.

References

  • The Rise of the Roman Empire (1.46, 1.59), by Polybius
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