25.17
There
are some who point to a place in the neighbourhood of Beneventum, near
the river Calor, as the scene of his death. He had left the camp with his
lictors and three attendants to bathe in the river, whilst the enemy were
concealed in osier beds on the bank, and whilst naked and defenceless was
killed, after vainly endeavouring to drive off the enemy by stones from the
bed of the river. Others say that, acting on the advice of the augurs, he had
gone about half a mile from the camp for the purpose of averting the
above-mentioned portents in a place free from defilement, when he was
surrounded by two squadrons of Numidians who happened to have taken up
their position there. So little agreement is there as to the place and
circumstances of the death of this brilliant and famous man. And there are
different versions of the account of his funeral. Some say that his men buried
him in his own camp; others say that he was buried by Hannibal, and this is
the more generally accepted account. According to this version, a funeral
pyre was erected on the open space in front of the camp and the whole army
fully accoutred went through various evolutions with Spanish dances and the
movements of limbs and weapons peculiar to each tribe, Hannibal doing
honour to the dead in every way by his acts and words. This is the account
given by those who say that his death took place in Lucania. If you choose
to believe those who place it at the river Calor, it would appear that the
enemy only got possession of the head; this was sent to Hannibal, and he at
once despatched Carthalo to carry it to Cn. Cornelius, the quaestor, who
carried out the obsequies in the Roman camp, the people of Beneventum
taking their part in the ceremony as well as the soldiers.
