Scipio And Hannibal

[Guest sergius]

Hi everybody,

 

I've read that Scipio Africanus helped Hannibal to flee from the roman agents when he was exiled on the Seleucid Empire. Is there any truth regarding this (It seemed very unlikely to me and I've found this info on just one source (a history magazine) and nowhere else ... ) ? If so, could you plese tell me any reference/bibliography where I can found further detail about this?

 

Thanks.

 

Sergio

Edited September 16, 2006 by sergius

[Rameses the Great]

I'm not sure Scipio wanted to help Hannibal by any means. After he had killed his father he was pretty angry. His army was specifically made to counterbalance the Roman one. Hannibal committed suicide as the Roman army was quicly approaching his direction. Sold out by the king of Bythinia he met his untimely death.

 

A selection:

 

Forged by Lightning: A Novel of Hannibal and Scipio

 

It seems like it accurately depicts how Scipio had witnessed all the loved ones dead and the vicious attacks by Hannibal. It's a fairly new book, but I intend to find out more about it.

 

Here's a prelude.

 

"Rome mocked Carthage's every word and twisted every treaty. The time was ripe for Hannibal to fulfill his promise to the Goddess Tanit and free Carthage from her oppressive conquerors. Trained from birth to lead an army, Hannibal promised to be the greatest general since Alexander of Macedon. It was time to prove his brilliance to the world. But Scipio couldn't allow that to happen. The very fabric of Roman society was slowly ripping apart and Scipio swore to mighty Mars Himself that he would stop it-if only his countrymen would give him a chance. While grieving the loss of his best friend, his mentor and even his own father, Scipio studied the devastating defeats meted out by Hannibal and learned how to defeat him. Forged By Lightning tells the story of two brilliant generals as they battle each other during the Second Punic War-a war that shook Rome to its core."

Edited September 16, 2006 by Rameses the Great

[Primus Pilus]

Scipio did oppose taking action against Hannibal when he was leading a Carthaginian political resurgence several years after the end of the second punic war. However, I can't recall any of the sources suggesting that Scipio actually played a role in helping him escape from his enemies in Carthage and Rome. Perhaps this stems from Cato the Elder's accusations that Scipio was at fault for allowing Hannibal to escape by not taking action against him.