Hasdrubal the Boetharch

Appointed military commander (Boetharch) of Carthage, Hasdrubal organized an army in the hinterland and broke through Roman blockade lines into the besieged metropolis in 149 BCE, manufacturing hundreds of catapults and shields daily from temple bronzes and women's hair.

He held the walls of the Byrsa citadel against relentless Roman legionary assaults for three grueling years. When the citadel was finally breached in 146 BCE, his surrender contrasted with his wife's legendary choice to cast herself and their children into the flames of the Temple of Eshmun.