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Somewhat less credible is the detail that the herald was allowed to leave before the
letter, which contained nothing but insults, was opened. Naturally Eumenes did not
understand the purpose of the herald‟s visit; his soldiers laugh at Hannibal‟s new
weapon when earthenware pots were catapulted into their ships. They stop laughing
when the pots smashed open on the decks, releasing snakes. Eumenes managed to
escape and Prusias gained a memorable, if short-lived, victory (Cornelius Nepos, Hann.
10.3-11.7; cf. Justinus, 32.4; Frontinus, Strat. 4.7.11). According to Frontinus, Hannibal
first devised this idea while he was with Antiochus and it follows a passage about Scipio
catapulting pots of pitch and resin to set fire among the enemy ships (Frontinus, Strat.
4.7.9-10).
These representations of Hannibal supporting Eastern kings depict him keeping to his
oath of enmity insofar as he continues to fight on the side in opposition to Rome, and is
generally presented actively fomenting war. Perhaps the most unexpected representation
of Hannibal is through his reported speech to Antiochus in Livy‟s text. It is prophetic as
Hannibal warns Antiochus not only to prepare for a Roman invasion of Asia but to
expect defeat. Furthermore, Livy‟s paraphrase of a letter Antiochus purportedly sent to
Prusias forewarning Prusias of Roman aggression is in a similar vein. The growing
perception of Roman belligerence coupled with Scipio‟s demands for Hannibal to be
handed over as a prisoner are points in a theme by which Livy indicates a gradual
degradation in Roman morality. It reappears in the presentations of circumstances
around Hannibal‟s death.
Final act of independent defiance
The documented events from Hannibal‟s life suggest that he lived a remarkably long
time for an individual in antiquity, although the suggestion that he reached 70 years of
age may be an exaggeration (Cornelius Nepos, Hann. 13.1). 430 There are a number of
extant traditions over how and when he died and the publication of his death notice is a
good example for the manipulation of the traditions, in that „death notices‟ in ancient
430 Rolfe, 1984, 280, n2 calculates that in 183BC Hannibal was 63 years old. Hannibal‟s long life shows
that it is not length of life that gains a person mythic status but his achievements within that life. Thus
Alexander‟s short life was not the reason for his immortality. Cf. Spencer, 2002, 162: „Alexander died
young, sealing his mythic status... guaranteeing his immortality.‟
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