Hamilcar Barca used the army from the Mercenary War to establish a new Carthaginian power base in Iberia. Silver mines, agricultural wealth and manpower supported recovery, while shipyards and territorial depth improved the prospects of another confrontation with Rome. Rule passed through Hasdrubal to Hannibal in 221 BC. The Ebro Treaty of 226 BC established the river as the northern limit of Carthaginian influence. Rome's separate relationship with Saguntum, south of that boundary, created a new dispute. Hannibal captured the city in 219 BC, and Rome declared war in spring 218 BC.
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Iberian recovery and the dispute over Saguntum
Iberian resources rebuilt Carthaginian power, while the Ebro boundary and Rome's ties to Saguntum led towards another war.