Hanno II the Great

Hanno II the Great was the wealthiest agricultural magnate in Carthage, owning vast estates worked by thousands of tenant farmers across the Cap Bon and Medjerda valleys. He conquered Hecatompylos (Theveste) in North Africa, enriching the state treasury without provoking Rome.

Throughout the Second Punic War, Hanno led the senatorial faction bitterly opposed to Hamilcar Barca and Hannibal, withholding imperial reinforcements after Cannae on the grounds that Hannibal should make peace while victorious. His cautious policy preserved Carthage's African heartland until Scipio's final invasion.