Imilce or Himilce was the Iberians wife of Hannibal according to a number of historical sources.
History
Livy records that Hannibal married a woman from
Castulo, a powerful Iberian city allied with
Ancient Carthage.
[, by Livy] The Roman poet
Silius Italicus identifies this woman as Imilce.
[Silius Italicus, Punica, III, 97] Silius suggests a Greek origin for Imilce, but Gilbert Charles-Picard argued for a Punic heritage based on an etymology from the
Semitic root Malik ('chief', 'king').
[Picard, Gilbert Charles (1967), Hannibal
]
p. 72 (in Polish) Silius also suggests the existence of a son,
[Silius Italicus, Punica, III, 63-64] who is otherwise not attested by Livy,
Polybius, or
Appian. The son is thought to have been named Haspar or Aspar. According to Silius, during the
Punic Wars Hannibal tearfully sent Imilce and their son back to Carthage for their safety. Some historians have questioned the historicity of this event and suggested that it is an imitation of
Pompey sending his wife away to
Lucca for her safety during military conflict.
Cultural depictions
Imilce is honored in Baeza, Andalusia with a statue as part of the
Fuente de Los Leones (meaning
Fountain of the Lions).
See also
-
List of the Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula
-
Carthaginian Iberia