Hamilcar Barca arrives to the scene of history in the seventeenth year of the First Punic War. Polybius argued that in the First Punic War, ”the general who must be acknowledge as the greatest on both sides, both in daring and genius was Hamilcar, surnamed Barca.” Dorey and Dudley, in their book, Rome against Carthage, describe Hamilcar as the most brilliant soldier of his generation. He also is depicted as brilliant, in the popular history book Carthage: Uncovering the Mysteries and Splendors of Ancient Tunisia, coauthored by the Archaeologist, David Soren. Unlike many in Carthage, the Barcas desired to expand into the Mediterranean rather than into Africa. Had all of Carthage had this viewpoint, they argue, Carthage would have had the
