Carthalo (Punic: 𐤒𐤓𐤕𐤇𐤋𐤑, romanized: qrtḥlṣ, "Saved by Melqart"; Ancient Greek: Καρθάλων, Karthálōn; died around 209 BC) was an officer in Hannibal's army during the Second Punic War.
Life
Carthalo led the Numidian cavalry in a successful skirmish against Rome. In 249 BC, he assisted the Carthaginian commander Adherbal during an attempt by Roman forces under Publius Claudius Pulcher to capture Drepana (modern Trapani, Sicily) from the sea. Carthalo arrived in the city prior to the siege with 70 quinqueremes. His contribution helped force the Romans to abandon the siege despite the numerical superiority of the invading Roman army. The year 249 BC saw Roman defeats at both Drepana and Phintias.
Following the Battle of Cannae (216 BC), Hannibal sent Carthalo to Rome as a peace envoy. His delegation included a number of Roman prisoners whom the Carthaginians hoped to ransom. However, the newly appointed Roman dictator Marcus Junius Pera sent a messenger to intercept Carthalo's delegation, ordering them to leave Roman territory by nightfall.
In 209 BC, Carthalo was serving as garrison commander of Tarentum (modern Taranto, southern Italy), which had fallen to Hannibal three years earlier, when the Roman general Fabius Maximus led a 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.
Etymology
The name Carthalo is of Punic origin. The Punic form qrtḥlṣ translates to "Saved by Melqart," Melqart being the chief deity of the Phoenician city of Tyre and a significant god in the Carthaginian pantheon.
