Hampsicora (3rd century BC -

Cornus ''Cornus'' is a genus of about 30–60 species of woody plants in the family Cornaceae, commonly known as dogwoods, which can generally be distinguished by their blossoms, berries, and distinctive bark. Most are deciduous trees or shrub ...

, 215 BC) was a

Sardo Sardo is a hard, grating cow's milk Argentine cheese that is similar to Pecorino Romano, although the latter is made from sheep's milk and is sharper. Sardo comes from Argentina, and is not to be confused with Pecorino Sardo, another Italian shee ...

Punic The Punic people, or western Phoenicians, were a Semitic people in the Western Mediterranean who migrated from Tyre, Phoenicia to North Africa during the Early Iron Age. In modern scholarship, the term ''Punic'' – the Latin equivalent of t ...

political leader and landowner of

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...

, and the leader of the major anti-Roman revolt () in the

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

of 215 BC. Sardinia 215 aC - Ampsicora rivolta

The sources describe Hampsicora as the richest among the landowners of Sardinia, which at that time appeared to be split into two entities: the Carthaginian-dominated Southern and Western agricultural coastline, including the vast

Campidano Campidano ( sc, Campidànu) is a plain located in South-Western Sardinia (Italy), covering approximately 100 kilometres between Cagliari and Oristano. Geography Geologically, it is a graben, a tectonic structure formed in the mid-Pliocene/early ...

plain, and the more inland areas that maintained their independence and, while being eventually tolerant of the Carthaginians after many skirmishes, were nonetheless hostile to the Roman conquest. Ever since the late Nuragic era, the Sardinians and Carthaginians had been on good terms with each other, finding a common ground on their resentment against the Romans. In conjunction with Hannibal's victories in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, Hampsicora led, along with Hanno of

Tharros Tharros (also spelled Tharras, Archaic Greek: , Hellenistic Greek, Tarras or Tarrae, Τάρραι) was an ancient city and former bishopric on the west coast of Sardinia, Italy. It is currently a Latin Catholic titular see and an archaeologica ...

, the revolts of the Sardinian coastal cities against the Romans in 215 BC, succeeding in gaining the support of the Nuragic Sardinians (), especially the

Ilienses The Ilienses (or ''Iolaes'', later known as ''Diagesbes''Strabo, Geographica V, 2,7.) were an ancient Nuragic people who lived during the Bronze and Iron Ages in central-southern Sardinia, as well as one of the three major groups among which the anc ...

tribes. Also the senators of Cornus, the city of which Hampsicora was the chief magistrate, sent ambassadors to Carthage asking aid for the Sardinians who were aware of what was happening in Sardinia and the Italian peninsula. Carthage then sent Hasdrubal the Bald, with an army of about ten thousand soldiers. Meanwhile, Titus Manlius Torquatus, the Roman consul, gathered four legions in Caralis and went to Cornus. Manlius surprised the few troops of Cornus, led by Hiostus, son of Hampsicora, who was defeated, having made the mistake of facing the enemy in the open field without waiting for further reinforcements. In fact Hampsicora was asking for reinforcements for the Sardinians. Shortly after Hasdrubal the Bald finally arrived at

with his army. When Manlius heard about the arrival of the Carthaginians, he preferred to withdraw to Caralis, while Hasdrubal mingled with Hampsicora. Hampsicora's plan was to march on Calaris in order to cut off the supply routes of the other cities of the western coast that had fallen into Roman hands. The

pitched battle A pitched battle or set-piece battle is a battle in which opposing forces each anticipate the setting of the battle, and each chooses to commit to it. Either side may have the option to disengage before the battle starts or shortly thereafter. A ...

between the two armies took place near

Decimomannu Decimomannu ( sc, Deximumannu or ) is a comune in the Metropolitan City of Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy. It is located about northwest of central Cagliari and had a population of about 8,115 . Geography Decimomannu borders the municipalities of ...

, according to Francesco Cesare Casula, between the two rivers in the area, a few miles north of Caralis and saw the defeat of the rebels and the death of Hiostus. Hampsicora fled to safety, taking refuge among the inland tribes. However, according to

Livy Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Roman historian. He wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, titled , covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome before the traditional founding in ...

and Silius Italicus, saddened by the death of his son Hiostus and eager not to fall into Roman hands, took his own life.

Origin of the name

The name of Hampsicora is thought to have Berber origin. There are some ancient toponyms related to the name of Hampsicora in contemporary

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

and

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

, like the river ''Ampsaga'' (today's ''Rhummel'' in

Algerian Arabic Algerian Arabic (natively known as Dziria) is a dialect derived from the form of Arabic spoken in northern Algeria. It belongs to the Maghrebi Arabic language continuum and is partially mutually intelligible with Tunisian and Moroccan. Like ...

), bordering with the Numidian

Massylii The Massylii or Maesulians were a Berber federation in eastern Numidia, which was formed by an amalgamation of smaller tribes during the 4th century BC.Nigel Bagnall, The Punic Wars, p. 270. They were ruled by a king. On their loosely defined wester ...

in the vicinity of

Cirta Cirta, also known by various other names in antiquity, was the ancient Berber and Roman settlement which later became Constantine, Algeria. Cirta was the capital city of the Berber kingdom of Numidia; its strategically important port city ...

. However, some linguists have questioned such connection, linking the origin of the personal name to the ancient Aegeo-

Anatolia Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The ...

n region.'' L'eroe Hampsicora era sardo, non cartaginese '', Massimo Pittau
/ref>

References

Bibliography

* Piero Meloni, ''La Sardegna romana'', Chiarella, Sassari, 1975; new edition extended in 1990. * Attilio Mastino, editor, ''Storia della Sardegna antica'', Il maestrale, Nuoro, 2005
available
at ''Sardegna Cultura'', the cultural portal of the Autonomous Region of Sardinia. * Maurizio Corona, ''La rivolta di Ampsicora: cronaca della prima grande insurrezione sarda (215 BC)'', Akademeia, Cagliari, 2005. * Massimo Pittau, ''L'eroe Hampsicora era sardo, non cartaginese''

at the website of the author, former professor of Sardinian linguistics at the

University of Sassari The University of Sassari ( it, Università degli Studi di Sassari, UniSS) is a university located in Sassari, Italy. It was founded in 1562 and is organized in 13 departments. The University of Sassari earned first place in the rankings for ...

. * Frantziscu Casula - Amos Cardia, ''Amsicora'', Alfa Editrice, Quartu, 2007. * Francesco Casula, Uomini e donne di Sardegna, pp.9-30, Alfa editrice, Quartu 2010. * * Tonino Oppes, ''Ampsicora Eroe sardo'', Condaghes, Cagliari 2014. *{{cite book , title=Illustres. Vita, morte e miracoli di quaranta personalità sarde , last=Onnis , first=Omar , last2=Mureddu , first2=Manuelle , publisher=Domus de Janas , year=2019 , isbn=978-88-97084-90-7 , location=Sestu , language=it , oclc=1124656644 Ancient people who committed suicide Carthaginian generals Military personnel who committed suicide Politicians who committed suicide 3rd-century BC Punic people

Origin of the name

See also

References

Bibliography