Page:History of Greece Vol XII.djvu/448

 41 G HISTORY OF GREECE. Btate of affairs in Sicily. They now made the best preparatLns in their power to resist Agathokles. Hanno and Borailkar, two men of leading families, were named generals conjointly. Tiiey were bitter political rivals, — but this very rivalry was by some construed as an advantage, since each would serve as a checls upon the other and as a guarantee to the state ; or, what is more probable, each had a party sufficiently strong to prevent the sep- arate election of the other.^ These two generals, unable to wait for distant succors, led out the native forces of the city, stated at 40,000 infantry, 1000 cavalry, derived altogether from citizens and residents — with 2000 war-chariots. They took post on an eminence (somewhere between Tunis and Carthage) not far from Agathokles ; Bomilkar commanding on the left, where the ground was so difficult that he was unable to extend his front, and was obliged to admit an unusual depth of files ; while Hanno was on the right, having in his front rank the Sacred Band of Carthage, a corps of 2500 distinguished citizens, better armed and braver than the rest. So much did the Carthaginians out- number the invaders — and so confident were they of victory — that they carried with them 20,000 pairs of handcuffs for their anticipated prisoners.^ Agathokles placed himself on the left, with 1000. chosen hop- lites round him, to combat the Sacred Band ; the command of his right he gave to his son Archagathus. His troops — Syra- cusans, miscellaneous mercenary Greeks, Campanians or Sam- niles, Tuscans, and Gauls — scarcely equalled in numbers one- ^ Diodor. xx. 10. ' Diodor. xx. 10-13. See, respecting the Sacred Band of Cartlia{;e (which was nearly cut to pieces by Timolcon at the battle of the Kriinesus), Diodor. xvi. 80, 81 ; also Vol. XI. of this History, Chap. Ixxxv. p. 171-177. The annoiint of native or citizen-force given here by Diodorus (40,000 foot and 1000 horse) seems very great. Our data for appreciating it however are lamentably scanty ; and we ought to expect a large total. The popula- tion of Carthage is said to have been 700,000 souls ; even when it was be- sieged by tiie Romans in the third Punic war, and when its power was pro- digiously lessened (Strabo. xvii. p. 833). Its military magazines, even in that reduced condition, were enormous. — as they stood immediately pre- vious to their being given up to the Romans., under the treacherous delusion* held out by Rome