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According to Plutarch, a Greek biographer, Fabius won the city of Tarentum through treachery. One of the soldiers in Fabius's army had a sister in Tarentum who was the lover of the Bruttian commander, Carthalo, who Hannibal had left in charge of the city. Carthalo was swayed to the Roman side and agreed to help the Romans gain entry into Tarentum. However Plutarch also writes that another story is that it was Fabius's Bruttian mistress who seduced the commander over to the Roman side when she discovered that he was a fellow countryman.
Fabius drew Hannibal away from Tarentum by sending the garrison of Rhegium to plunder the lands of the Bruttians and to take Caulonia. Hannibal went to the aid of the Bruttians.
On the sixth day of the siege it was arranged that the commander would help the Romans gain entry to Tarentum. Fabius took a cohort to the appointed place while the rest of the army attacked the walls, luring the cities defenders away. The Bruttian gave the signal and Fabius and his men scaled the walls and took the city. (Plutarch does not mention what the Bruttian commander does to aid the Romans)
Aftermath of the capture of Tarentumedit
In the Life of Fabius Maximus (22.4), Plutarch writes that "At this point, however, Fabius's ambition seems to have proved stronger than his principles." This seems to be true, as after capturing the city, Fabius ordered that the Bruttians stationed in the city were to be killed to ensure no knowledge of the treachery spread to Rome. After that, a number of Tarentines were killed with 30,000 being sold into slavery. The Roman army ransacked the city, stealing 3,000 Attic talents to enrich the treasury, though on the orders of Fabius the statues and paintings of the Gods were left apart from the statue of Hercules which was taken to Rome. Fabius's victory allowed him to celebrate his second triumph.
According to Plutarch (Life of Fabius Maximus 23.1), Hannibal was within five miles when Tarentum fell to the Romans. He is said to have remarked in public that "It seems that the Romans have found another Hannibal, for we have lost Tarentum in the same way we took it."[1]
battle, tarentum, this, article, multiple, issues, please, help, improve, discuss, these, issues, talk, page, learn, when, remove, these, template, messages, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, addin. This article has multiple issues Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page Learn how and when to remove these template messages This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Battle of Tarentum 209 BC news newspapers books scholar JSTOR June 2016 Learn how and when to remove this message This article relies largely or entirely on a single source Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources Find sources Battle of Tarentum 209 BC news newspapers books scholar JSTOR August 2022 Learn how and when to remove this message Roman Recapture of TarentumPart of the Second Punic WarTarantine coin minted during Hannibal s occupation of the city 212 209 BC Date209 BCLocationTarentum Southern Italy40 28 N 17 14 E 40 467 N 17 233 E 40 467 17 233ResultRoman victoryBelligerentsRoman RepublicCarthageCommanders and leadersQuintus Fabius Maximus VerrucosusCarthalo Strength20 000UnknownCasualties and lossesUnknownGarrison captured or killedPopulation massacred30 000 enslaved The Battle of Tarentum of 209 BC took place during the Second Punic War The Romans led by Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus recaptured the city of Tarentum that had betrayed them in the first Battle of Tarentum in 212 BC This time the commander of the city Carthalo turned against the Carthaginians and supported the Romans Contents 1 The siege 2 Aftermath of the capture of Tarentum 3 See also 4 ReferencesThe siege editAccording to Plutarch a Greek biographer Fabius won the city of Tarentum through treachery One of the soldiers in Fabius s army had a sister in Tarentum who was the lover of the Bruttian commander Carthalo who Hannibal had left in charge of the city Carthalo was swayed to the Roman side and agreed to help the Romans gain entry into Tarentum However Plutarch also writes that another story is that it was Fabius s Bruttian mistress who seduced the commander over to the Roman side when she discovered that he was a fellow countryman Fabius drew Hannibal away from Tarentum by sending the garrison of Rhegium to plunder the lands of the Bruttians and to take Caulonia Hannibal went to the aid of the Bruttians On the sixth day of the siege it was arranged that the commander would help the Romans gain entry to Tarentum Fabius took a cohort to the appointed place while the rest of the army attacked the walls luring the cities defenders away The Bruttian gave the signal and Fabius and his men scaled the walls and took the city Plutarch does not mention what the Bruttian commander does to aid the Romans Aftermath of the capture of Tarentum editIn the Life of Fabius Maximus 22 4 Plutarch writes that At this point however Fabius s ambition seems to have proved stronger than his principles This seems to be true as after capturing the city Fabius ordered that the Bruttians stationed in the city were to be killed to ensure no knowledge of the treachery spread to Rome After that a number of Tarentines were killed with 30 000 being sold into slavery The Roman army ransacked the city stealing 3 000 Attic talents to enrich the treasury though on the orders of Fabius the statues and paintings of the Gods were left apart from the statue of Hercules which was taken to Rome Fabius s victory allowed him to celebrate his second triumph According to Plutarch Life of Fabius Maximus 23 1 Hannibal was within five miles when Tarentum fell to the Romans He is said to have remarked in public that It seems that the Romans have found another Hannibal for we have lost Tarentum in the same way we took it 1 See also editBattle of Tarentum 212 BC Hannibal s capture of the city Second Punic WarReferences edit Ian Scott Kilvert trans Plutarch Makers of Rome Penguin 1965 p 78 nbsp This article about a battle or war of Ancient Roman history is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Battle of Tarentum 209 BC amp oldid 1203780423, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
