Carthalo led the
Numidian cavalry in a successful skirmish against
Rome. In 249, he assisted
Adherbal during an attempt by the Romans headed by
Publius Claudius Pulcher to take
Drepana from the sea. He arrived in the city prior to the siege with 70
quinqueremes. Following the
Battle of Cannae, Hannibal sent Carthalo to Rome as a peace envoy. His delegation included a number of Roman prisoners whom the Carthaginians hoped to ransom. However, the newly appointed
Roman dictator Marcus Junius Pera sent a messenger to intercept Carthalo's delegation, telling them to leave by nightfall. In 209BC, Carthalo was serving as garrison commander of
Tarentum, which had fallen to Hannibal
three years earlier, when
Fabius Maximus led a Roman force to retake the settlement. In
the ensuing battle, when defeat seemed inevitable, Carthalo laid down his arms with the intention of surrendering to Fabius but was killed before he could make contact. ==References==