In this text written by Cornelius Nepos, one of Hannibal’s tricks is told.
Original latin text:
Antiocho fugato verens, ne dederetur, quod sine dubio accidisset, si sui fecisset potestatem, Cretam ad Gortynios venit, ut ibi, quo se conferret, consideraret. Vidit autem vir omnium callidissimus in magno se fore periculo, nisi quid providisset, propter avaritiam Cretensium. Magnam enim secum pecuniam portabat, de qua sciebat exisse famam. Itaque capit tale consilium. Amphoras complures complet plumbo, summas operit auro et argento. Eas praesentibus principibus deponit in templo Dianae, simulans se suas fortunas illorum fidei credere. His in errorem inductis statuas aeneas, quas secum portabat, omni sua pecunia complet easque in propatulo domi abicit. Gortynii templum magna cura custodiunt non tam a ceteris quam ab Hannibale, ne ille inscientibus iis tolleret secumque duceret.
Author: Cornelius Nepos
Driven to flee Antiochus, fearing to be delivered, which undoubtedly would have happened, had they had his power, he arrived in Crete at the Gortini, to reflect here on where to go.
But the smartest man of all saw that he would be in great danger, had he not provided something, for the greed of the Cretans. He had a lot of money with him, whose reputation he knew to have left. And so he made that decision. He filled numerous amphorae with lead, covered the top with gold and silver. He left them, the leaders present, in the temple of Diana, pretending to entrust their fortunes to their loyalty. Having led them into error, he filled bronze statues, which he carried with him, with all his money, and threw them in the backyard. The gortini guarded the temple with great care not so much from others as from Hannibal because without them learning about it, he did not take it and take it with him.