Died 209 BC Name Carthalo Carthalo | ||
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Carthalo (d. c. 209 BC) was an officer in Hannibal's army during the Second Punic War. He led the Numidian cavalry in a successful skirmish against Rome. Following the Battle of Cannae, Hannibal sent Carthalo to Rome as a peace envoy. His delegation included a number of Roman prisoners whom the Carthaginians hoped to ransom. However, Marcus Junius Pera, the newly appointed Roman dictator, sent a messenger to intercept Carthalo's delegation, telling them to leave by nightfall.
Death
In 209 BC, Carthalo was serving as garrison commander of Tarentum, which had fallen to Hannibal three years earlier, when Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus led a Roman force to retake the settlement. In the ensuing battle, when defeat seemed inevitable, Carthalo laid down his arms with the intention of surrendering to Fabius, but was killed before he could make contact. He remarked on the state of the battle just before leaving his forces to meet with Fabius, saying "My cavalry just lost the city, I just hope the Lord forgive me."