Hannibal Barca

When we think of Hannibal we probably remember him as the general who crossed the alps

with elephants

However, after crossing the Alps and surprising the Romans he spent more than a decade fighting and winning battles in roman territory

In this presentation we will focus on two of his early encounters with the Roman army

but first some background information...

Background

When Alexander the Great conquered the east coast of the Mediterranean (332 BCE) including all the Phoenician cities he left Carthage and its colonies alone

Carthage eventually (inevitably) came into conflict/competition with Rome and led to 3 Punic Wars

Punic came from the latin word for phoenician, Poeni, thus the Punic Wars

First Punic War (264 - 241 BC) was a complete disaster for Carthage, lost the island of SicilySecond Punic War (218 - 202 BC) Hannibal crossed the Alps and and attacked the Romans on their own soil. For years, he defeated the Romans up and down the Italian peninsula. Eventually Hannibal was defeated.Third and final Punic War (149 - 146 BC) led to Rome's complete destruction of Carthage

the three Punic wars

Battle of trasimene

Lake

What Happened?

The romans nervous about having Hannibal roaming about the Po River Valley & devised a plan to destroy him. they would “invite” him to cross the Apennines

They split their large army into 3 parts: 1 part to defend Rome and the other two would try to trap him in Etruria (Northern Italy).

consequently, wherever Hannibal crossed the Apennines he could be trapped between 2 armies.

After crossing the appenines by the eastern route Hannibal decided to force a battle with one of the Roman armies

Flaminius’ army was following Hannibal at a not-too close range as he was fearful of their superior cavalry

In June of 217 Flaminus ordered his troops to follow Hannibal to the east

however, unbeknownst to him, Hannibal had decided to stop marching and to force a battle in the hills surrounding Trasimene lake

Hannibal was attempting to use the Roman strategy against them...

Modern Day Picture of the Battle ground looking from the Northeast and

is what Hannibal would have seen on the day of the Battle

the Romans could not move to the south, because of the lakecould not continue to the east because the road had been blocked retreat was impossible Hannibal's army blocked the retreatthe only thing the Romans could do was prepare for battle and fight to an enemy charging from the north

The battle-The Trap

“However, the auxiliaries at the end of the column were completely destroyed at the beginning of the battle, and the Romans were from the very start of the battle under great pressure from their left and right. After about two or three hours, the two legions were annihilated and Flaminius had met a hero's death.” (www.livius.org)

The Romans were attempting to march East from their camp to the Town of Trasimeno, believing that Hannibal was at

least a half day ahead of them.

The road was cut off(both ends) and they were invaded from the hills to the north. They were now forced into a battle.

Where did the Romans Fail?

the major mistake was in separating their army into 3 parts. Hannibal could not destroy the roman armies one at a time

aided by bad luck (and a bit of fog) the Romans walked right into a trap-- Hannibal was able to pick his ground (hills. lake, etc)

Battle of cannae

The Battle

When- August, 216 BCE

Romans- 80 000 Carthaginians- 50 000

Where- along the Italian east Coast

“Hannibal's convex, crescent shaped lines slowly became concave under pressure of the Roman elite troops in the center, which, being encircled and finally surrounded by the Carthaginian cavalry in the rear, failed to break through  the Carthaginian lines and were destroyed.” (www.livius.org)

What Happened?

Aftermath

Hannibal had great military success but was eventually defeated as much by a lack of political will on the part of Carthage as the inability to get adequately resupplied (troops & Food)

Bibliography

www.phoenician.org/carthage_hannibal_barca.htm

www.livius.org

Assignment

Who would have won in a battle Alexander the Great or Hannibal? Justify your answer.

you may do this as a narrative or as a battleplan