The Barcid family was one of the most important among the ruling oligarchy of Carthage. During the First Punic War, its members played a prominent role in the fighting against the Romans, particularly Hamilcar Barca. After the war, Hamilcar commanded the Punic forces that defeated the former Carthaginian mercenaries, who had rebelled against Carthage.
Hamilcar Barca and the foundation of the empire
After the Mercenary War, Hamilcar Barca understood that Carthage needed to strengthen its economic and military base. After the First Punic War, Carthaginian possessions in Spain were limited to a handful of coastal cities. However, Hamilcar was well aware of the mining richness of the Iberian Peninsula, as well as about the military prowess of its inhabitants. Thus, he envisioned the building of a new empire in Europe. Carthage, extremely weak after the war with the Romans, was unable to provide him with the necessary fleet to a long journey across the sea, and so Hamilcar walked with his army to the Strait of Gibraltar. Hamilcar probably landed at Gades in 237 BC.