Hanno
7. Commander of the Carthaginian garrison at Messana, at the beginning of the first Punic war, B. C. 264.
It appears that while one party of the Mamertines had sent to request assistance from Rome, the adverse faction had had recourse to Carthage, and had actually put Hanno with a body of Carthaginian troops in possession of the citadel. Hence, when the Roman officer, C. Claudius, came to announce to the Mamertines that the Romans were sending a force to their support, and called on them to eject the Carthaginians, no answer was returned. On this, Claudius retired to Rhegium, where he collected a few ships, with which he attempted to pass into Sicily. His first attempt was easily baffled, and some of his ships fell into the hands of Hanno, who sent them back to him with a friendly message; but, on receiving a haughty answer, he declared that he would not suffer the Romans even to wash their hands in the sea. Nevertheless, Claudius eluded his vigilance, and landed at Messana, where he held a conference with the Mamertines, in which Hanno having been incautiously induced to take a part, was treacherously seized by the Romans and detained a prisoner.
In order to procure his liberty, he consented to withdraw the garrison from the citadel, and surrender it to the Romans; a concession, for which, on his return to Carthage, the council of elders condemned him to be crucified. (Dio Cass.
Fr. Vut. 59, 60;
Zonar. 8.8,
9;
Plb. 1.11.)
