The Mercenary War, also called the Truceless War, was a revolt of foreign soldiers against Carthage after the First Punic War. Carthage had hired many mercenaries, including Libyans, Iberians, Gauls and Numidians, and when it could not pay them after losing the war with Rome, they mutinied. Libyan towns, which were bitter about heavy Carthaginian taxes, joined the uprising, led by the mercenary commanders Spendius and Matho. The war was marked by extreme brutality on both sides. Carthage was saved by the general Hamilcar Barca, who defeated the rebels in battle. While Carthage was weakened, Rome took advantage by seizing Sardinia and Corsica. The Greek historian Polybius gives the main account of the war.
Before and after
- from 247 BCE to 224 CEParthian Empire
- 247 BCEBirth of Hannibal
- c. 241 BCEEratosthenes measures the size of the Earth
- 241 BCEChinese astronomers record Halley's Comet
- from 240 BCE to 238 BCEMercenary War
- 232 BCEDeath of Ashoka
- from 221 BCE to 206 BCEQin dynasty
- from May 219 BCE to December 219 BCESiege of Saguntum
- from 218 BCE to 201 BCESecond Punic War
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- from 74 BCE to 72 BCEThe slave revolt of Spartacus
- from 73 BCE to 71 BCEThird Servile War
- 24 August 410 CEAlaric and the Visigoths sack Rome
- 451 CEAetius and Theodoric stop Attila at the Catalaunian Plains
The era
This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires. You can also browse everything in the 3rd century BCE.