Hamilcar I of Carthage

Hamilcar I was the foremost ruler of Carthage in the early 5th century BC, belonging to the prominent Magonid dynasty that transformed Carthage from a Phoenician mercantile colony into a formidable Mediterranean naval empire. Styled 'Basileus' (King) by Greek historians, he commanded the immense Punic expedition dispatched to Sicily in 480 BC to check the expansion of Gelon of Syracuse.

According to the historian Herodotus, during the climactic Battle of Himera, Hamilcar remained in camp offering continuous sacrifices to Baal Hammon; realizing that total defeat was inevitable, he threw himself into the sacrificial flames so that his body would not fall into enemy hands. He was honored thereafter in Carthage with hero monuments and annual libations.