<P> Hanno had lost many elephants and soldiers when he became complacent after a victory in the Mercenary War . Further, when he and Hamilcar were supreme commanders of Carthage's field armies, the soldiers had supported Hamilcar when his and Hamilcar's personalities clashed . On the other hand, he was responsible for the greatest territorial expansion of Carthage's hinterland during his rule as strategus and wanted to continue such expansion . However, the Numidian king of the relevant area was now a son - in - law of Hamilcar and had supported Carthage during a crucial moment in the Mercenary War . While Hamilcar was able to obtain the resources for his aim, the Numidians in the Atlas Mountains were not conquered, like Hanno suggested, but became vassals of Carthage . </P> <P> The Iberian conquest was begun by Hamilcar Barca and his other son - in - law, Hasdrubal the Fair, who ruled relatively independently of Carthage and signed the Ebro Treaty with Rome . Hamilcar died in battle in 228 BC . Around this time, Hasdrubal became Carthaginian commander in Iberia (229 BC). He maintained this post for some eight years until 221 BC . Soon the Romans became aware of a burgeoning alliance between Carthage and the Celts of the Po river valley in northern Italy . The latter were amassing forces to invade Italy, presumably with Carthaginian backing . Thus, the Romans preemptively invaded the Po region in 225 BC . By 220 BC, the Romans had annexed the area as Gallia Cisalpina . Hasdrubal was assassinated around the same time (221 BC), bringing Hannibal to the fore . It seems that, having apparently dealt with the threat of a Gallo - Carthaginian invasion of Italy (and perhaps with the original Carthaginian commander killed), the Romans lulled themselves into a false sense of security . Thus, Hannibal took the Romans by surprise a mere two years later (218 BC) by merely reviving and adapting the original Gallo - Carthaginian invasion plan of his brother - in - law Hasdrubal . </P> <P> After Hasdrubal's assassination by a Celtic assassin, Hamilcar's young sons took over, with Hannibal becoming the strategus of Iberia, although this decision was not undisputed in Carthage . The output of the Iberian silver mines allowed for the financing of a standing army and the payment of the war indemnity to Rome . The mines also served as a tool for political influence, creating a faction in Carthage's magistrate that was called the Barcino . </P> <P> In 219 BC, Hannibal attacked the town of Saguntum, which stood under the special protection of Rome . According to Roman tradition, Hannibal had been made to swear by his father never to be a friend of Rome, and he certainly did not take a conciliatory attitude when the Romans berated him for crossing the river Iberus (Ebro), which Carthage was bound by treaty not to cross . Hannibal did not cross the Ebro River (Saguntum was near modern Valencia--well south of the river) in arms, and the Saguntines provoked his attack by attacking their neighboring tribes who were Carthaginian protectorates and by massacring pro-Punic factions in their city . Rome had no legal protection pact with any tribe south of the Ebro River . Nonetheless, they asked Carthage to hand Hannibal over, and when the Carthaginian oligarchy refused, Rome declared war on Carthage . </P>

In what order did the events of the punic and macedonian wars occur