Hannibal
Hannibal Barca
Hannibal was the son of a Carthaginian general, Hamilcar Barca. Hamilcar was defeated at the hands of the Romans in the first Carthaginian war and wanted revenge. He made sure his son felt the same way too:
Hannibal as a 9 year old, asked his father to take him to see the army in Spain. His father took him to an altar and made him swear an oath saying that he would prove himself, as soon as he could, to be an enemy of the Roman people.
Hannibal as a 9 year old, asked his father to take him to see the army in Spain. His father took him to an altar and made him swear an oath saying that he would prove himself, as soon as he could, to be an enemy of the Roman people.
Hannibal the General
As Hannibal grew up he proved to be a skilled general and at the age of 29 became a commander of the Carthaginian forces:
He was fearless in carrying out dangerous tasks. Hard work could not tire his body, nor dampen his spirit. He could endure both heat and cold. He did not use a soft bed as was often seen wrapped only in a blanket sleeping along with the soldiers.
He was fearless in carrying out dangerous tasks. Hard work could not tire his body, nor dampen his spirit. He could endure both heat and cold. He did not use a soft bed as was often seen wrapped only in a blanket sleeping along with the soldiers.
War
In 218 BC Hannibal captured the town of Saguntum in Spain. According to the peace treaty after the first Carthaginian war this town was under Roman control. So the Roman declared war. They expected to fight the war in Spain or in Africa. Hannibal could not invade Italy from sea because the Roman controlled it and would sink his ships. They never dreamed that he would lead his forces across 1,500 miles and through 2 mountain ranges into Italy.
When Hannibal set out from Carthago Nova in the spring of 218 BC he had an army of around 100,000 men made up of a variety of people, from Africa, Spain and Gaul. He also had 37 elephants, which the Carthaginians used in battle to break up enemy ranks. As he marched north towards Italy he had to fight off attacks from hostile tribes. He also had to cross several large rivers, such as the Ebro and the Rhone.
To cross the Rhone, the Carthaginians built a raft 50 feet wide and 200 feet long. They secured this to the river bank. To this they attached another raft the same size and covered the whole thing in earth so that it looked like firm earth. The elephant were taken across the first raft and onto the second. They thought they were on firm ground. Then the second raft was set free and the elephants were afloat. After several journeys all the elephants were across.
After crossing the river Rhone, Hannibal began his march across the Alps. It was a march which frightened many of his men.
Hannibal asked his men: Why are you afraid? On the other side of the mountains is Italy. No part of the earth touches the sky. The ancient Gauls crossed the Alps with their wives and children. You are soldiers carrying nothing but your weapons. So either you admit that the Gauls are better men than you or else follow me and look forward to the end of your journey at the gates of Rome.
It also astonished the Romans. They had sent a force by sea led by Scipio to cut off Hannibal's army as it left Spain.
Scipio arrived at the foot of the Alps to find Hannibal gone. He immediately put his men back in ships and returned to Italy.
When Hannibal set out from Carthago Nova in the spring of 218 BC he had an army of around 100,000 men made up of a variety of people, from Africa, Spain and Gaul. He also had 37 elephants, which the Carthaginians used in battle to break up enemy ranks. As he marched north towards Italy he had to fight off attacks from hostile tribes. He also had to cross several large rivers, such as the Ebro and the Rhone.
To cross the Rhone, the Carthaginians built a raft 50 feet wide and 200 feet long. They secured this to the river bank. To this they attached another raft the same size and covered the whole thing in earth so that it looked like firm earth. The elephant were taken across the first raft and onto the second. They thought they were on firm ground. Then the second raft was set free and the elephants were afloat. After several journeys all the elephants were across.
After crossing the river Rhone, Hannibal began his march across the Alps. It was a march which frightened many of his men.
Hannibal asked his men: Why are you afraid? On the other side of the mountains is Italy. No part of the earth touches the sky. The ancient Gauls crossed the Alps with their wives and children. You are soldiers carrying nothing but your weapons. So either you admit that the Gauls are better men than you or else follow me and look forward to the end of your journey at the gates of Rome.
It also astonished the Romans. They had sent a force by sea led by Scipio to cut off Hannibal's army as it left Spain.
Scipio arrived at the foot of the Alps to find Hannibal gone. He immediately put his men back in ships and returned to Italy.
Journey through the Alps
Hannibal's journey was difficult and dangerous. Even today we do not know exactly which route he took through the Alps, but we know it wasn't an easy one. From time to time his army was ambushed by hostile local tribes. Eventually, his army reached the top of the mountains and Hannibal promised his men that: The rest of your journey will be smooth and downhill. It was downhill but not smooth. The descent into Italy was even steeper than the ascent from Gaul and many men died on the slippery rocks:
Men who made the smallest stumble could not stop themselves from falling. When they fell they rolled down on top of other men causing them to fall. In this way men and animals fell to their deaths.
Men who made the smallest stumble could not stop themselves from falling. When they fell they rolled down on top of other men causing them to fall. In this way men and animals fell to their deaths.
A Difficult Obstacle
Then they came to a dead end. A huge boulder, bigger than a house, had fallen across the path and could not be moved. Their was no way over or around it either. Hannibal set his men to work to destroy the boulder. Hannibal ordered his men to build a huge fire under the rock. When it was hot he told them to pour vinegar on it and to attack it with picks and hammers. The acid in the vinegar helped split to rock and eventually, after four days' work, it shattered into movable pieces. The descent into Italy continued and 15 days after they had arrived at the Alps the Carthaginians were through them. 60,000 men had entered the Alps and only 23,000 made it to the other side.
Hannibal reaches Italy
Hannibal's army was now in Italy and was soon to meet the Romans. The Roman army sent with Scipio to meet Hannibal in Gaul finally caught up to him at the river Trebia - and was soon destroyed by Hannibal's forces. After resting over the winter Hannibal's forces moved on crushing another Roman army at Lake Trasimene, where they killed 15,000 Romans.
There was terrible panic in Rome, where Hannibal was expected any day. But Hannibal did not have enough men or equipment to capture the city. The man in charge of the Roman forces Quintus Fabius, knew this. He decided to avoid a battle and wear Hannibal down. This seemed the work, but many Romans thought it was cowardly. They could not believe that their armies were letting Hannibal plunder Italy. Fabius was replaced and 2 new generals, Paullus and Varro, led an army of 90,000 men against Hannibal. The battle was Rome's greatest disasters and 70,000 of their troops were killed. Hannibal lost only 6000 men. Fabius had obviously been right.
On the morning after the battle at Cannae the scene was shocking. Thousands of Romans were dying on the battle field. Some begged people to cut their throats and put them out of their misery. Others were found with their heads plunged into the earth. They had dug holes and suffocated themselves by throwing earth over their faces. One Carthaginian with lacerated ears and nose was found under a dead Roman. The Roman had been wounded and so could not use his hands. As he died he had torn at his enemy with his bare teeth.
There was terrible panic in Rome, where Hannibal was expected any day. But Hannibal did not have enough men or equipment to capture the city. The man in charge of the Roman forces Quintus Fabius, knew this. He decided to avoid a battle and wear Hannibal down. This seemed the work, but many Romans thought it was cowardly. They could not believe that their armies were letting Hannibal plunder Italy. Fabius was replaced and 2 new generals, Paullus and Varro, led an army of 90,000 men against Hannibal. The battle was Rome's greatest disasters and 70,000 of their troops were killed. Hannibal lost only 6000 men. Fabius had obviously been right.
On the morning after the battle at Cannae the scene was shocking. Thousands of Romans were dying on the battle field. Some begged people to cut their throats and put them out of their misery. Others were found with their heads plunged into the earth. They had dug holes and suffocated themselves by throwing earth over their faces. One Carthaginian with lacerated ears and nose was found under a dead Roman. The Roman had been wounded and so could not use his hands. As he died he had torn at his enemy with his bare teeth.
Hannibal is defeated
Despite his victory, Hannibal still did not feel ready to march on Rome and was never able to capture the city. In 210 BC Scipio 'the Younger' ( the son of the general defeated at the river Trebia) took an army to Spain and began winning battles. When Scipio crossed the Carthage, the Carthaginian commanders called Hannibal back to save the city. But at he Battle of Zama (202 BC) Hannibal was defeated and the Carthaginians lost the war.
Hannibal later fled to Asia, and in the year 182 BC he took poison to avoid being captured by the enemy he had so nearly destroyed.
Hannibal later fled to Asia, and in the year 182 BC he took poison to avoid being captured by the enemy he had so nearly destroyed.