Mercury Aletes: The hero of the Alps - Hannibal representing the Punic Hercules as divine hero in Polybius (III,47,6-48,12)

Polybius criticizes the historians who, prisoners of their lies and contrad ictions, represent Hannibal as an exceptional and inimitable chief, but und ertaking thoughtlessly to cross the Alps and finding safety in some hero's intervention. Most of modern scholars do not even wonder whether a special divinity is hidden the generic term of "hero" or not. Some of them, neverth eless, identify the hero with the punic Hercules. In fact, by revisiting th e question, it is permitted to conclude that the hero is the punic Mercury Aletes.