La Sicile dans la stratégie carthaginoise durant la guerre d’Hannibal

Abstract

Sicily is traditionally considered as a major stake of the first Punic war and an area of slight importance in the second one. That judgement needs to be reconsidered in the light of the analysis which L. Loreto had made of the Carthagenian geostrategy from the IVth to mid-IIIrd century B.C. As a matter of fact, Sicily constitutes a pillar round which revolve all the trade routes of Carthage, and it does not seem that Hannibal’s war had for objective to restore the Punic city to her dominant position in the Mediterranean by relying on those central moorings. The route of his expedition, the assault of the Punic navy in the Tyrrhenian Sea, the alliance with Hieronymos, are so many evidences which enable one to set up a new picture of the Punic strategy carried out by Hannibal.

Keywords

• carthagenian strategy
• Hannibal
• second Punic war
• punic navy
• Sardinia
• Lilybia