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TRANSCRIPT
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