Gaivs Lvcilivs Hirrvs Balbvs Falcvla - Велит
Велит
Gaius Lucilius Guerrus was born in 515 from the founding of Rome in Gerunda, in Terraconian Spain, into a family of plebeian landowners. Since childhood, he grew up on the border lands, where Roman power coexisted with the constant threat of war.
When Carthage attacked the allied Saguntum, Guy reached conscription age and, according to the property qualification, was enrolled in the velites - light infantry. Together with the army of the Scipios, he fought in Spain against the Iberians and Punes, participating in endless skirmishes, punitive raids and the destruction of rebellious settlements. In the camp, for a failed intelligence report, he received the mocking nickname “Balb”, which quickly stuck with him.
The war quickly deprived him of his youthful illusions. Participation in the massacre of civilians and the death of people he once knew broke his previous faith in the nobility of war. Over time, idealism gave way to cold cynicism, and trust in people gave way to the habit of relying only on oneself.
After the death of the Scipio brothers, a new commander arrived in Spain - Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus. Under his command, Guy participated in the assault on New Carthage, where the Romans were helped by an unexpected low tide, perceived as a sign of Neptune’s favor. There he took himself an Iberian falcata, for which he received the agnomen of Faculus.
Guy took his main battle at the Battle of Zama. Fighting in the front ranks, he saw how the army of Hannibal Barca collapsed and how Rome finally broke the power of Carthage. By that time, he was no longer the same young man who had once gone to war - only a seasoned veteran, for whom victory had long ceased to be glory and had become a matter of survival.
