While the name Hannibal may ring familiar to some, most individuals have no idea of his origins or greatness.Like his father Hamlicar Barca, Hannibal (248–183BC) was one of the most talented military commanders of antiquity that fought against the supremacy of the Roman Empire.
Hannibal was from Carthage and, thus, a Carthaginian. According to the Romans, he was Punic; to the Greeks, he was Phoenician—a member of the People, of Purple!
Hannibal’s father had conquered most of Iberia (or Spain)—hence, the city Cartagena.
Hannibal inherited the army after the death of his father and continued the Carthaginian expansion.
Eventually he led a campaign of elephants from Cartagena over the Alps and into Italy, where he defeated the Romans several times.
In the end, Rome attacked Carthage, waging three wars, and finally defeated and destroyed Carthage in 146 BC.
It was amazing to walk on the ancient Carthaginian stones where Hannibal most likely walked in the Quarter of Magon, the Punic residential area of artists near the sea. View the entire city here.
If you would like to read more about how Phoenician styles have also appeared on the runways today, go to Phoenicians the People of Purple.
For more information on the menswear of Carthage, or what I call “Punic fashion,” go to Carthage, of Phoenicians and Punics.
Photo Hannibal, Public Domain.
