Ebro Treaty

At an unknown date some time after 226 BC, Rome became affiliated with the town of Saguntum, located south of the Ebro River.

[1] Polybius states that the Carthaginian general Hannibal had been looking for a pretext for war and that the Roman alliance with a town south of the river, contravening the treaty, provided the justification.

[2] After briefly consulting with the Carthaginian senate, Hannibal attacked Saguntum, resulting in an eight-month siege.

The Roman envoys demanded that Carthage hand over Hannibal and any others responsible for the attack on Saguntum.

The Carthaginian senate then disavowed the Ebro treaty and again refused to hand Hannibal to the Romans.