Hanno, Messana garrison commander
Encyclopedia
Hanno the Messana garrison commander was a Carthaginian general prominent in the events leading to the start of the First Punic War
. Hanno was a very common name amongst the Carthaginians hence the need to refer to him in this way, his surname being unknown.
the Mamertines
who were occupying Messana were being threatened by Hiero II of Syracuse
. Consequently they sent appeals for assistance to Rome
and Carthage. The Carthaginians were first to respond dispatching a small force commanded by Hanno to occupy the citadel of Messana and patrol the strait of Messina
. The Roman consul Appius Claudius Caudex
desiring personal glory persuaded the Roman People with promises of profit to vote in favour of intervening in Messana. Gaius Claudius
, a military tribune was sent in advance by the consul Appius Claudius Caudex
with a few ships to Rhegium, a city allied to the Romans on the opposite side of the strait on the Italian mainland.
.
First Punic War
The First Punic War was the first of three wars fought between Ancient Carthage and the Roman Republic. For 23 years, the two powers struggled for supremacy in the western Mediterranean Sea, primarily on the Mediterranean island of Sicily and its surrounding waters but also to a lesser extent in...
. Hanno was a very common name amongst the Carthaginians hence the need to refer to him in this way, his surname being unknown.
Appeal for assistance from the Mamertines
In 265 BC265 BC
Year 265 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Gurges and Vitulus...
the Mamertines
Mamertines
The Mamertines were mercenaries of Italian origin who had been hired from their home in Campania by Agathocles, the king of Syracuse. After Syracuse lost the Third Sicilian War, the city of Messana was ceded to Carthage in 307 BC. When Agathocles died in 289 BC he left many of his mercenaries idle...
who were occupying Messana were being threatened by Hiero II of Syracuse
Hiero II of Syracuse
Hieron II , king of Syracuse from 270 to 215 BC, was the illegitimate son of a Syracusan noble, Hierocles, who claimed descent from Gelon. He was a former general of Pyrrhus of Epirus and an important figure of the First Punic War....
. Consequently they sent appeals for assistance to Rome
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
and Carthage. The Carthaginians were first to respond dispatching a small force commanded by Hanno to occupy the citadel of Messana and patrol the strait of Messina
Strait of Messina
The Strait of Messina is the narrow passage between the eastern tip of Sicily and the southern tip of Calabria in the south of Italy. It connects the Tyrrhenian Sea with the Ionian Sea, within the central Mediterranean...
. The Roman consul Appius Claudius Caudex
Appius Claudius Caudex
Appius Claudius Caudex was a patrician member of the Claudii. He was the grandson of Appius Claudius Caecus through his father Gaius Claudius, and served as consul in 264 BC....
desiring personal glory persuaded the Roman People with promises of profit to vote in favour of intervening in Messana. Gaius Claudius
Gaius Claudius
Gaius Claudius Centho was a 3rd century BC member of a prominent and wealthy patrician Roman Republic family. He was the third son of Appius Claudius Caecus, and a member of the Claudii. He was consul in the year 240 BC. He was Roman censor in 225, interrex in 217 and Roman dictator in 213....
, a military tribune was sent in advance by the consul Appius Claudius Caudex
Appius Claudius Caudex
Appius Claudius Caudex was a patrician member of the Claudii. He was the grandson of Appius Claudius Caecus through his father Gaius Claudius, and served as consul in 264 BC....
with a few ships to Rhegium, a city allied to the Romans on the opposite side of the strait on the Italian mainland.
Expulsion from Messana
Gaius Claudius commenced negotiations with Hanno but negotiations must have broke down and Gaius unsuccessfully tried to force passage across the strait in the process losing some triremes to the Carthaginians who were skillful sailors. Hanno understanding the gravity of the situation and not wanting to be blamed for starting a war with the Romans, as a gesture returned the captured vessels to the Romans and urged them to opt for peace. Gaius Claudius, it would seem, ignored the gesture and tried again to cross the strait to Messana; this time successfully. The Mamertines urged Hanno to descend from the citadel and parley with the Romans. Hanno reluctantly agreed but again the talks failed. The Romans seized Hanno and imprisoned him. Hanno was thus compelled to withdraw the Carthaginian garrison from Messana. These events triggered the beginning of the First Punic WarFirst Punic War
The First Punic War was the first of three wars fought between Ancient Carthage and the Roman Republic. For 23 years, the two powers struggled for supremacy in the western Mediterranean Sea, primarily on the Mediterranean island of Sicily and its surrounding waters but also to a lesser extent in...
.