Carthaginians in Spain

Pottery remains from Spain may be the earliest of all those at Carthage for they date to the first half of the 8th century. The occasion of the Carthaginians first landing in Spain, was to assist the inhabitants of Cadiz, who were invaded by the Spaniards.

That city, as well as Utica and Carthage, was a colony of Tyre, and even more ancient than either of them. The success of this first expedition of the Carthaginians, made them desirous of carrying their arms into Spain.

The Carthaginians did not only establish themselves in Spain about this time, but were endeavoring also to subdue the islands of Sicily and Sardinia, but the natives calling in the Romans to their assistance, the Sicilian war proved a very long and bloody one, and Carthaginians were in the end driven from thence.

Carthaginians forces campaigned in south Spain under Hamilcar Barca from 237 BC until his death in battle 229 or 228 BC.

In 237 BC Carthage founded the city of Carthage Nova or New Carthage in the southeast coast, which served as the major Carthaginians sup0ly base on the Iberian Peninsula in a northward expansion.

When Hamilcar Barca was establishing a Carthaginian empire in Spain, the Romans acted the part of mere spectators. On his arrival in Spain, the Carthaginians posses only the coast of Granada and Murcia; but under his administration, Andalusia and the greater part of Valencia seems to have been added to their dominions.

In 206 BC Scipio destroyed the Carthaginians in Spain at Ilipa. The Romans took the war directly to the Carthaginians when, in 204 BC, Scipio invaded North Africa. Hannibal rushed back to defend Carthage and met Scipio at Zama in 202 BC.
Carthaginians in Spain