Bomilcar (3rd century BC) Bomilcar (3rd century BC) Bomilcar (, ) was a Carthaginian commander in the Second Punic War (218–201). He was the commander of the Carthaginian supplies which were voted to Hannibal after the Battle of Cannae (216) and with which he arrived in Italy in the ensuing year. They amounted to 4,000 Numidian cavalry, 40 war elephants, 500 or 1,000 talents of silver, grain, and other provisions. In 214, he was sent with 55 ships to the aid of Syracuse, then besieged by the Romans. Finding himself unable to cope with the superior fleet of the enemy, he withdrew to North
Gelo, son of Hiero II title of king. Livy asserts that, after the huge defeat suffered by the Romans at Cannae, Gelo was preparing to abandon the alliance of Rome for that of Carthage. According to this account, he began making friendly overtures to the cities allied to Rome and might have convinced the entire island of Sicily to defect to the Carthaginian side, had he not died later in the year of 216 BC. However, this seems quite at variance with the statement of Polybius of his uniform submission to his father's views and may very likely deserve as little credit as Livy's insinuation