Listed 2 sub titles with search on: Biographies for wider area of: "SANTA MARIA CAPUA VETERE Town CAMPANIA" .
SANTA MARIA CAPUA VETERE (Town) CAMPANIA
Decius Magius, one of the most distinguished men at Capua in the time of the second Punic war, and the leader of the Roman party in that town in opposition to Hannibal. He is characterised by Velleius Paterculus (ii. 16), who was descended from him, as "Campanorurn princeps celeberrimus et nobilissimus vir." He used every effort to dissuade his fellow-citizens from receiving Hannibal into their town after the battle of Cannae, B. C. 216, but in vain; and, accordingly, when Hannibal entered the city, one of his first acts was to require the senate to deliver up Magius to him. This request was complied with: Magius was put on board ship, and sent to Carthage; but a storm having driven the vessel to Cyrene, Magius fled for refuge to the statue of Ptolemy. He was in consequence carried to Alexandria to Ptolemy Philopator, who set him at liberty, and gave him permission to go where he pleased. Magius chose Egypt as his residence, as he could not return to Capua, and did not choose to go to Rome, where he would have been looked upon as a deserter, as long as there was war between his own town and the Romans. (Liv. xxiii 7, 10.)
This text is from: A dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology, 1873 (ed. William Smith). Cited Oct 2006 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
Hanno. An officer who was sent by Hannibal, in 212 B. C., with a force of 1000 horse and 1000 foot, to the defence of Capua, when the Romans began to threaten that city. According to Livy, Bostar was associated with him in the command. Though they made several vigorous sallies, in which their cavalry were often victorious, yet they were unable to prevent the Romans from completing their fortified lines around the city, which was thus entirely blockaded. Famine soon made itself felt, and the populace of the city became discontented; but the Carthaginian governors contrived to send tidings of their distress to Hannibal, who hastened to their relief out of Lucania. But though Hanno and Bostar seconded his efforts, by a vigorous sally from the city against the Roman camp, while Hannibal attacked it from without, all their exertions were in vain; and the daring march of Hannibal upon Rome itself having proved equally ineffectual in compelling the consuls to dislodge their troops from before Capua, the fall of that city became inevitable. Under these circumstances, the Campanians endeavoured to purchase forgiveness, by surrendering into the hands of the Romans the Carthaginian garrison, with its two commanders, B. C. 211. (Liv. xxv. 15, xxvi. 5, 12; Appian, Annib. 36-43.) Appian (l. c.) carefully distinguishes this Hanno from the son of Bomilcar [No. 16], with whom he might have been easily confounded: the latter is distinctly mentioned as commanding in Lucania after the siege of Capua had commenced.
This text is from: A dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology, 1873 (ed. William Smith). Cited Nov 2005 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
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