23.30
During
these incidents in Spain, Petelia in Bruttium was taken by Himilco, one of
Hannibal's lieutenants, after a siege which lasted several months. That
victory cost the Carthaginians heavy losses in both killed and wounded, for
the defenders only yielded after they had been starved out. They had
consumed all their corn and eaten every kind of animal whether ordinarily
used as food or not, and at last kept themselves alive by eating leather and
grass and roots and the soft bark of trees and leaves picked from shrubs. It
was not until they had no longer strength to stand on the walls or to bear the
weight of their armour that they were subdued. After the capture of Petelia
the Carthaginian marched his army to Consentia. The defence here was less
obstinate and the place surrendered in a few days. About the same time an
army of Bruttians invested the Greek city of Croton. At one time this city
had been a military power, but it had been overtaken by so many and such
serious reverses that its whole population was now reduced to less than
2000 souls. The enemy found no difficulty in gaining possession of a city so
denuded of defenders; the citadel alone was held, after some had sought
refuge there from the massacre and confusion which followed the capture of
the city. Locri also went over to the Bruttians and Carthaginians after the
aristocracy of the city had betrayed the populace. The people of Rhegium
alone in all that country remained loyal to the Romans and kept their
independence to the end.
The same change of feeling extended to Sicily and even the house
of Hiero did not altogether shrink from deserting Rome. Gelo, the eldest son
of the family, treating with equal contempt his aged father and the alliance
with Rome, after the defeat of Cannae, went over to the Carthaginians. He
was arming the natives and making friendly overtures to the cities in alliance
with Rome and would have brought about a revolution in Sicily had he not
been removed by the hand of death, a death so opportune that it cast
suspicion even on his father. Such were the serious occurrences in Italy,
Africa, Sicily, and Spain during the year (216 B.C.). Towards the close of
the year Q. Fabius Maximus asked the senate to allow him to dedicate the
temple of Venus Erycina which he had vowed when Dictator. The senate
passed a decree that Tiberius Sempronius the consul-elect should
immediately upon his entering office propose a resolution to the people that
Q. Fabius be one of the two commissioners appointed to dedicate the
temple. After the death of M. Aemilius Lepidus, who had been augur and
twice consul, his three sons, Lucius, Marcus, and Quintus, celebrated funeral
games in his honour for three days and exhibited twenty-two pairs of
gladiators in the Forum. The curule aediles, C. Laetorius and Ti. Sempronius
Gracchus, consul elect, who during his aedileship had been Master of the
Horse, celebrated the Roman Games; the celebration lasted three days. The
Plebeian Games given by the aediles Marcus Aurelius Cotta and Marcus
Claudius Marcellus were solemnised three times. The third year of the Punic
war had run its course when Ti. Sempronius entered on his consulship on
March 15. The praetors were Q. Fulvius Flaccus, who had been previously
censor and twice consul, and M. Valerius Laevinus; the former exercised
jurisdiction over citizens, the latter over foreigners. App. Claudius Pulcher
had the province of Sicily allotted to him, Q. Mucius Scaevola that of
Sardinia. The people made an order investing M. Marcellus with the powers
of a proconsul, because he was the only one out of the Roman commanders
who had gained any successes in Italy since the disaster at Cannae.
