The cause of the Second Punic War is an issue of some great debate. Polybius is someone who gives a very good account of the events that led to the war, blaming the Carthaginians for causing the war. This raises a very large question on the part of Polybius. Was he right to assume that it was the actions of Hannibal and the Carthaginians that led to the war, or was there some other underlying events that took place the actually caused the Second Punic War? It is my belief that Polybius assumption
military leader during the Second Punic War 218 BCE through 201 BCE against the most power rising adversary the Roman Empire. Hannibal was born in Carthage to a family of great wealth. He was reared by a military father, whose ambition was to defeat and conquer the Roman Empire. Although, his father plans never became a reality of defeating the enemy, His investment was in his son Hannibal to bring the powerful Roman Empire to a devastating end. During the First Punic War Rome, Rome successfully
Rome and Carthage were old enemies by the time that the Second Punic war happened. They had been fighting for 17 years and this was the battle that would finally end the war. Scipio was the general for the Romans and Hannibal was the leader of the Carthaginian army. This would be the last time these two great commanders would ever meet at a battle. Both of their strategies are still used today and both made a significant impact on the world. The conflict started when Hannibal, the commander of the
Polybius, after the First Punic War, Hamilcar “took him by the hand, led him up to the altar... and [made him] swear never to be the friend of the Romans” (Poly. 3.11.6-7)1. The Romans believed that the Second Punic War was inspired by this moment. When the war began, Hannibal's victories were won with surprising ease. However, despite the fame he gathered during the war, Hannibal's war ended unsuccessfully. There may be many factors that prove why Carthage lost the Second Punic War, but by assessing other
The Punic Wars are great examples of two empires clashing to expand their territory. The Punic Wars were fought between the Romans and Carthaginians. Each empire had great leaders, but the most famous leader of the wars was Hannibal Barca. Hannibal was most commonly associated with his famous crossing of the Alps in the Second Punic War. Although this act of warfare hurt the Carthaginian Empire more that it helped, it still was quite marvelous. The very famous crossing of the Alps is shrouded
War has become a constant theme throughout human history, and during these wars rise certain individuals with gifted talent that allows them to defeat, and conquer those who oppose them for the protection or the expansion of their own country. Among the most popular, praised men are Alexander the Great for his conquest against Persia, Napoleon Bonaparte for his quick rise to power, and expertise in warfare, Hannibal Barca for his tactical genius during the battlefield, and Julius Caesar for his conquest
Hannibal, the general of the Carthaginian army during the Punic Wars. There were three Punic Wars. They were fought between Rome and Carthage. The three wars were fought between 264 B.C. and 146 B.C. Many people were scared of Hannibal but that didn’t stop the Romans as they won all three wars. Although Hannibal was a great general and he made a big impact on Carthage as a nation, he was no match for Rome in the Punic Wars. By the time the first war broke out, Rome had established themselves as the dominant
despair then became a Roman advantage, which then made Roman victory attainable, and expansion in Spain and Northern Africa a possibility. (Stillman, 20-21) Consequently, the loyalty of Rome’s allies proved more powerful than the disloyalty in the Second Punic War. Therefore, it was because of Rome’s loyal allies that successful expansion occurred. Overall, through loyalty due to her allies’ cooperation, contribution of men for the Roman army, and protection, Rome expanded. Such expansion spread from conquering
First Punic War. After his father’s death, Hannibal succeeded him as general to the Carthaginian army at the age of 23. Hereafter he spent two years solidifying his position and gathering support before carrying out an assault on Sanguntum. He later came to be known as one of Rome’s greatest adversaries when he led a campaign against the Romans in 219 B.C.E. Hannibal’s campaign against Saguntum, who was an ally of Rome at the time was became a prelude for the beginning of the Second Punic War. Although
Hannibal Hannibal Baraca had a burning hatred for Rome. “There was no real reason for Carthage and Rome to despise of each other” (“Hannibal the Warrior”). They just had many differences. Hannibal grew up learning war tactics from his father and brother-in-law. When he was old enough he was voted army commander by popular demand. For 17 years Hannibal devoted himself to conquering Rome, who conquered Iberia, crossed the Alps, and destroyed Roman armies in Italy; yet they were defeated and lost everything
glory highly but their military mainly consisted of mercenary soldiers rather than citizen soldiers Carthage had one of the greatest militaries of the entire world. Carthage had an extremely powerful naval fleet, and advanced war tactics. Carthage borrows much of its war tactics from the Greeks, such as the phalanx which proved to be extremely effective in warfare. Carthage recruited the majority of its army from mercenaries from Spanish Iberia. The most famous of Carthaginian infantry was the Sacred
the founding of an empire by the other. Rome’s creation myth tells the story of a mythical leader who, against all odds, triumphs, and as he prevails, so does Rome. Rhea Silvia was a vestal virgin who, it is alleged, was raped by Mars, the God of War. This act resulted in the birth of twin brothers, Romulus and Remus. The twins, born of noble blood – Rhea’s grandfather was ruler at the time – were to be drowned in the Tiber river by order of Rhea’s uncle to prevent potential future challenges
The battle of Cannae was the third victory for the Carthaginians against the Romans, during the second Punic War [ca. 216 BCE]. The battle at Cannae would prove to be the battle that made Hannibal famous, and nearly bring the entire Roman Empire to its knees. For the Carthaginians the battle brought great victory and support to their interracial army. For the Romans it brought symbolic importance and lessons learned as well as the need for military strategic adaptation. Hannibal a great general
his men weakened and the army’s willpower decreased. Furthermore, Hannibal was unable to respond to the battle tactics of the Romans. First, the Romans swiftly handled the Carthaginian cavalry which left Hannibal at a major advantage. After this, the war elephants were disoriented by the sounds of trumpets and the Romans flanked Hannibal from behind, one of Hannibal’s tactics. Hannibal was unable to adjust to these tactics and ended up losing in a crucial encounter, the Battle of Zama. Hannibal’s
will contrive to explain Hannibal’s life and war with Rome. It will also attempt to clear away the elephant misconception and display the reality of Hannibal’s actions. Hannibal was born in the city he would later spend most of his life fighting for, Carthage. However, he would only live his very early years there. At the age of nine, he asked to go on a trip to Spain with his father, Hamilcar Barca, the general who had fought in the First Punic War for Carthage. Before he could go on the trip
the field, the first category is slightly more important than the second, although it is useless, of course, if separated from the second, and vice versa. Alexander III of Macedon and Hannibal of Carthage are considered among the greatest generals to have ever lived. Alexander's legendary feats and his ability to grasp the strategic and tactical situation are absolutely worth studying for all military leaders in learning the art of war. What he was able to accomplish before he was thirty-three years
ingenuity and sheer force of personality"[3]. I will consider where these characteristics came from and how he used these characteristics to his advantage in the Second Punic War. After Hasdrubal was assassinated Hannibal became general of the Carthaginian army in Spain. He had had an interesting upbringing as the son of a popular war hero, Hamilcar. Hamilcar "led the boy [Hannibal] to the altar and made him solemnly swear…that as soon as he was old enough he would become an enemy of Rome"[4]
Introduction If the second Punic war is to be discussed, I think it is very important to discuss the first Punic war and its motivations and outcomes, because there is a significant link between the two. Of course, as we know a second of anything is made possible by the first, and in the case of the Punic wars, the first war not only made way for the second, it also gave birth and motivation to one of the greatest and most influential participants of the second Punic war, Hannibal. As we explore
throughout the Punic Wars cannot be considered defensive imperialism, due to the strong military culture, expansionist aims and profit based attitudes of Roman society. Rome demonstrated traditional imperialism by extending their power and influence through means of colonisation and military force. Rome 's objective in the Punic Wars was to strategically subordinate Carthage, to increase their level of influence and improve their position on the world stage. The economic and material gain of war during the
Hannibal Barca was born in 247 B.C. in the city of Carthage, which was located in modern Tunis, or the northern tip of Africa. His father, Hamilcar Barca, was a great Carthaginian general of the army who fought in the First Punic War between Rome and Carthage, which the latter lost. At a very young age, Hamilcar made Hannibal promise “eternal hatred towards Rome” (Lendering, 1). At around age nine, Hannibal accompanied his father on an expedition to gain a hold in Spain. During this time was when