Marcus Atilius Regulus went on from Ecnomus to win at Adys before defeat and capture at the Bagradas River in 255 BC. Carthaginian elephants caused serious trouble there, while Rome became much better at handling them in the later Punic Wars. A later tradition says that Carthage sent Regulus to Rome to negotiate, that he urged the Senate to reject peace, and that he returned to captivity to preserve his honour. Polybius does not mention the torture story attributed to Livy. A separate, uncertain tradition links Regulus's wife Marcia with the torture of Carthaginian prisoners of equivalent rank in revenge for her husband's death. These distinctions matter when separating his African campaign from the later stories about his captivity and death.
Notable Point · 45:31-48:50
Regulus after Ecnomus and a contested death tradition
The Roman commander's later African campaign leads into a careful distinction between his documented defeat and later stories about captivity, honour, and torture.