Annone (son of Bomilcare) – Wikipedia

Annone (III century BC – II century BC) was a Carthaginian leader who took part in the second Punic war.
He was the son of Bomilcare, who had been a Carthage suffer.

Annone led the Carthaginian mobile forces crossing the Rhone river and attacking the roosters behind him while Annibale fought in front of the enemy deployment, in the opposite part of the shore, in 218 BC. As he was preparing to cross the river with boats or Zattere, Annibale sent Annone on a mountain with a small army, formed by light infantry and cavalry; Annone found a ford for crossing, passed from the opposite side of the river and took a position behind the roosters. He reported his position to Annibale using smoking. The illustrious Carthaginian general advanced the boats, attacking the roosters who were forced to maintain their positions, in a place not suitable for crossing. Annone launched his attack behind the enemies and as soon as Annibale reached the opposite bank, the Gallic army was surprising and completely surrounded. ^[first]

In the battle of Canne Annone he was head of cavalry Numida in the north part of the Carthaginian army. Asdrubale, on the other hand, led the Spanish and Celtic cavalry in the southern part of the deployment, near the river Long ago (Ofanto); The latter had about 6,500 knights, while Annone 3,500 Numide units. Asdrubale and Annone were able to easily defeat the Roman cavalry; While Asdrubale with the heavy cavalry attacked the Roman legions behind him, completing the maneuver of the encirclement of Annibale, Annone threw himself with the Cavalleria Numida in pursuit of the remains of the Roman cavalry.

Annibale, who arrived in Capua after the battle of Canne, had sent his lieutenant Annone to Bruzio to occupy that strategic territory; The Bruzi raised themselves in favor of the Carthaginians but the Greek cities of Magna Grecia, traditional rivals of Carthage, made opposition; In particular, the aristocratic factions remained linked to the alliance with Rome. ^[2] Annone in 215 BC He managed to conquer Locri and Crotone where the Bruzi were concentrated, while Locri became the port where they should have had the reinforcements that Annibale expected from the motherland. ^{[3] [4]} And so all Calabria passed to the side of Carthage, with the exception of Rhegium (Reggio Calabria).

And when Annibale received a delegation of Irpini and Samnites who complained of the non -protection against the incursions of the Roman proconsole, Marco Claudio Marcello, the Carthaginian leader promised that he would soon intervene. ^[5] In fact, a small garrison on Mount Tifata left, with the rest of the army marcierò in the direction of Nola, where he placed the camps and reached him Annone with reinforcements and elephants. ^[6] Annibale, after the second defeat remedied against Marcello, postponed Annone to the Bruzio, together with the army with which he had come, and headed towards the winter camps in Apulia, placing the field around Arpi. ^[7] Annone, meanwhile, returned to Bruttium He managed to occupy Crotone and, after Locri’s defeat ,.

During the summer of 214 BC He tried to join Annibale in Campania, but near the Calore Irpino river, not far from Benevento, his army was intercepted by the proconsul Tiberio Sempronio Gracco and his legions, formed mostly by slaves and prisoners. ^[8] In the following battle, the Army of Annone, made up of 17,000 infantrymen (mostly Bruzi and Lucani) and 1,200 knights, was destroyed. Annone managed to escape with only 2,000 soldiers, mainly knights, towards Calabria. ^[9]

While Annibale was still near Taranto, both consuls, Q.Fulvio Flacco and Appio Claudio Pulcro, ^[ten] They were in the Sannio, with an evident intention to besieged Capua. Meanwhile, the Campania began to feel hungry, as a consequence of a long siege, as the Roman army had prevented them from sowing. ^[11]

They then sent Messi to Annibale to ask him to send the wheat necessary from the nearest places to Capua, before the consuls came with their armies to occupy the surrounding fields and roads. ^[twelfth] The Carthaginian leader ordered Annone to go to the Bruzio in Campania with the army, providing the bells with abundant wheat stocks. ^[13] Annone, in an attempt to avoid consular armies, placed the camps at 3,000 steps (4.5 km) from Beneventum , ^[14] And he ordered that the wheat, collected during the summer at the allied populations, was brought to his camp under the escort of his soldiers. He then informed the Campania to keep ready to withdraw the creeped wheat, after having gathered from all the fields surrounding every kind of vehicle vehicles and beasts. ^[15]