pro-Numidian faction under a "Hannibal the Starling," and a "democratic" faction led by Hamilcar "the Samnite" and Carthalo. In practice, the first two groups likely shared similar goals, since Rome and Numidia were closely aligned. The "democrats," by contrast, appear to have favored wider political participation for ordinary citizens and opposed the entrenched aristocracy--continuing the reformist tradition of Hannibal Barca's era.

When Masinissa seized