Hannibal

  • Hannibal Barca (247-181 BCE) was the most famous Carthaginian General and Statesman, who commanded the armies of Carthage against the Roman Republic during the Second Punic War (218-201 BCE).
  • His Battle strategy is still studied in military academies today.

Barca Family

  • Hannibal was born in Carthage in 247 BCE and died in Libyssa, Turkey, in 183 or 181 BCE.
  • Hannibal’s father was Hamilcar Barca, the foremost Carthaginian General and Statesman during the First Punic War (264-241 BCE).
  • He had two brothers, Hasdrubal Barca and Mago Barca, who were fellow Commanders during the Second Punic War.

 Synopsis of the Second Punic War (218-202 BCE)

  • The three main theatres of operations were Italy, Spain and North Africa
  • In 219 BCE, Hannibal sacked Saguntum, a city in Iberia allied to Rome, and the Roman Republic declared war on Carthage.
  • The Roman Navy had controlled the Sea crossings between North Africa and Italy since the First Punic War (264-241 BCE), so Hannibal marched his army into Italy via Spain and the Alps.
  • He and his armies were to remain in Italy for 15 years until Scipio Africanus decided to mirror his strategy and successfully invaded North Africa in 204 CE.
  • In 203 BCE Hannibal was recalled to Carthage and in 202 BCE he was defeated by Scipio at the Battle of Zama, ending the Second Punic War.

Hannibal's Crossing of the Alps (218 BCE)

  • In 218 BCE at the start of the Second Punic War, Hannibal famously decided to invade Italia through a Pass in the Alps. With his army he took 37 War Elephants.
  • The Pass is not known, but it has been suggested that Mont genevre Pass was the most likely route he took.
  • The last surviving War Elephant was named ‘Surus’, meaning ‘the Syrian’, as narrated by Plautus (254-184 BCE). Surus may have carried Hannibal on a seat on his back.

Hannibal defeated all the Roman Armies between 218-217 BCE

  • Between 218-216 BCE, Hannibal crushed the Roman Armies sent against him in a series of defeats.
  • As a result of this crisis, Rome appointed Fabius as Dictator, who resorted to a strategy of avoiding pitched battles against Hannibal.
  • However, in 216 BCE when Varro and Paulus were elected Consuls, they reversed Fabius’ policy, raised the largest army in Roman history and marched to confront Hannibal.

Battle of Cannae (216 BCE)

  • 216 BCE Aug 2nd, Battle of Cannae, Apulia, where Hannibal defeated the larger army of Roman Consuls Lucius Aemilius Paullus and Gaius Terentius Varro.
  • A small Army defeated another Army twice its size through the use of Tactics.
  • It was the greatest defeat and the greatest loss of men, that Rome had ever experienced until the Battle of Arausio in 105 BCE.
  • Military Historians consider this to be one of the greatest use of Battlefield Tactics ever, in its use of the Tactics of the Double Envelopment, and the successful deployment of Cavalry.
    • Carthaginian Forces: 35,000 troops. 10,000 cavalry.
    • Roman and Allied Forces: 80,000 troops. 6,000 cavalry.
    • Roman Losses: 70,000 Roman troops killed. 10,000 captured. 3,000 escaped. 370 cavalry survived.
    • Hannibal had 200 Roman aristocrats’ gold rings collected from the battlefield and sent to the Punic Senate in Carthage as Tribute.
  • After the Battle of Cannae, the Romans never confronted Hannibal in open battle again, instead he was kept at bay by a series of skirmishes where lost territory or cities were reoccupied.
  • His armies were finally met and defeated in open battle in North Africa by Scipio Africanus at the Battle of Zama in 202 BCE.

Hannibal remained in Italy for 15 years (218-203 BCE)

  • After Cannae, the war in Italy consisted of a series of skirmishes, with cities falling to Hannibal, then being retaken by the Romans as soon as his army had left.
  • At first many of Rome’s Allies changed sides and joined Hannibal, including the port city of Locri in 215 BCE. This allowed Carthage to ship supplies and War Elephants by sea to Hannibal for the first and last time.
  • Rome managed to raise 12 legions by conscripting everyone they could including slaves, but this army could not confront Hannibal in open battle. Instead, they provided a skirmishing force that prevented Hannibal from holding onto territory and any cities that he had won.
  • In 207 BCE, Hasdrubal crossed into Italy with his army of 30,000 men. The Roman Armies prevented him uniting with his brother, by deceiving Hannibal into thinking they had remained in their camp. Instead the army marched in secret and met Hasdrubal at the Battle of Metaurus where he was defeated and killed.
  • In 205 BCE, Mago landed near Genoa with his army from Iberia. He was unable to unite with Hannibal and was met by a large Roman army and defeated at the Battle of Insubria in 203 BCE.
  • During the early part of the Second Punic War (218-201 BCE), King Massinissa of Numidia (238-148 BCE) fought for the Carthaginians, but after 206 BCE, he changed sides and fought for the Romans
  • In 204 BCE, Scipio Africanus landed in Africa and with the help of Massinissa he defeated two Carthaginian armies.
  • In 203 BCE Hannibal was recalled to Carthage.

Battle of Zama (202 BCE)

  • In 202 BCE Hannibal was finally defeated by Scipio Africanus marking the end of the Second Punic War (218-202 BCE).
  • Hannibal arrived on the plains of Zama first and deployed his formations in three lines facing northwest. His 80 war elephants were deployed in front of the first line.
  • Scipio deployed his army in the standard three lines of the Maniple System.
  • Hannibal ordered his War Elephants to attack the first two Roman lines accompanied by skirmishers.
  • Scipio Africanus countered by ordering his cavalry to blow horns at the elephants, successfully forcing some of them to swerve into the cavalry on the Carthaginian left wing. The Numidian Cavalry under Masinissa then charged and scattered the remaining Carthaginian cavalry in the left wing, which was also Numidian.
  • Laelius and his Roman cavalry then charged the Carthaginian cavalry on the right wing, who withdrew intentionally in order to lure him away from the field.
  • The other elephants were allowed to pass freely through the Roman lines and were dealt with in the rear.
  • The three Roman lines then reformed to face the Carthaginian army.
  • The Roman first line of Hastati was ordered forward against the Carthaginian two front lines. The first line broke and was moved to the wings.
  • Hannibal ordered his second line to moved forward, and they successfully broke the Roman Hastati.
  • Scipio quickly reinforced the Roman Hastati in the first line with the second line of Principes.
  • They then attacked Hannibal’s second line which broke and was moved to the wings leaving Hannibal’s third line to face the Romans.
  • By this stage, the Roman cavalry had been lured away from the battlefield, so Scipio redeployed his foot soldiers in a straight line with the Hastati in the middle, the Principes on either side and the Triarii on the outer wings.
  • Hannibal waited for Scipio to make the first move, who paused whilst he waited for the cavalry to return. However, unable to wait any longer he attacked, but to no advantage as both sides were equally matched.
  • Finally, the Roman cavalry succeeded in routing the Carthaginian cavalry and returned to the field, attacking the Carthaginian soldiers from the rear.
  • The Carthaginians were completely defeated resulting in around 20,000 soldiers killed and another 20,000 taken prisoner. Hannibal managed to escape and returned to his estates, never to lead a Carthaginian army again.
  • In the Peace Treaty that followed, the Romans insisted that Hannibal be exiled as they feared he might rebuild Carthaginian power.

Death

  • Hannibal remained an enemy of Rome and moved around the Mediterranean for the next twenty years.
  • In 183 or 181 BCE, he was surrounded by Roman soldiers at a fortress in Libyssa, Turkey, on the Sea of Marmara. He refused to surrender and instead he ended his life by taking poison.

Hannibal’s Mausoleum

  • Hannibal’s Mausoleum was located in Gebze, Turkey (30 miles or 48km from Istanbul.
  • Septimius Severus (193-211 CE) ordered it to be covered in fine marble. Its location was lost after the 11th century CE.

Quotes

 

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