Indortes was a Hispanic ''
caudillo'' or ''régulo'' from the first half of the
3rd century BC
In the Mediterranean Basin, the first few decades of this century were characterized by a balance of power between the Greek Hellenistic kingdoms in the east, and the great mercantile power of Carthage in the west. This balance was shattered ...
. He succeeded
Istolatios
Istolatios or Istolatius was a warlord and military chief of the Turdetans, whose activity took place during the 3rd century BC. Endowed with great prestige,Blázquez, José María. ''Los ilergetes en el cuadro de los restantes pueblos iberos du ...
in command of the
Turdetan and
Iberian revolt against the
Carthaginians of
Hamilcar Barca.
Biography
The root indu- seems to be of Iberian origin and means "the strong". He is presumed brother of Istolatios, although not with reliable evidence. The historian
Diodorus Siculus
Diodorus Siculus, or Diodorus of Sicily ( grc-gre, Διόδωρος ; 1st century BC), was an ancient Greek historian. He is known for writing the monumental universal history ''Bibliotheca historica'', in forty books, fifteen of which su ...
gives an account of his events mainly, but also
Polybius
Polybius (; grc-gre, Πολύβιος, ; ) was a Greek historian of the Hellenistic period. He is noted for his work , which covered the period of 264–146 BC and the Punic Wars in detail.
Polybius is important for his analysis of the mixed ...
,
Cornelius Nepos,
Justin and
Appian.
Once the Carthaginian general Hamilcar landed in ancient Gades (
Cádiz) in 237 a. C., he defeated and crucified Istolatios, invaded the lands of the
Lusitanians and the
Vettones and, when he returned to the south, he found another army commanded by Indortes. He led 50,000 militiamen from nearby regions, it seems, although the number may have been exaggerated. However, probably wary of his predecessor's defeat, Indortes did not want to confront Hannibal directly, but retreated to a high place, from which he hoped to gain the upper hand. The Carthaginians surrounded him and entered into battle, and although Indortes managed to make a large part of the army escape alive, he himself was captured by Hamilcar, who had him tortured, blinded and crucified.
The Carthaginian, cruel to the chiefs but kind to the warriors, let go of all the captured Iberians, numbering about 10,000, and persuaded their cities to ally with him, using the weapons against which they would not agree. In this way he enlisted thousands of Hispanic warriors in his ranks. Since then the Hispanic rebellion against the Carthaginians became led by Orissus, who won the first victory against Hamilcar.
Sources
* Antonio Alburquerque Pérez, ''Indortes e Istolacio, Orisón, Indíbil y Mandonio'', 1988.
References
{{Reflist
Iberians
3rd-century BC European people