Battle of Cannae | The Death of Carthage

What Was the Role of Quintus Fabius Maximus Cunctator in Defeating Hannibal in the Second Punic War?

September 23, 2024 By Robin Levin Leave a Comment

The Roman poet Ennius referred to Marcus Claudius Marcellus as Rome’s sword during the Second Punic War, and he referred to Quintus Fabius Maximus Cunctator as Rome’s shield. Fabius Maximus thought outside the box. The normal Roman response to foreign aggression was to confront the enemy on the battlefield. Fabius was astute enough to realize […]

Filed Under: Ancient Rome, Carthage Tagged With: Battle of Cannae, Battle of Zama, Gaius Flaminius, Gaius Terentius Varro, Hannibal, Lucius Aemilius Paullus, Marcus Claudius Marcellus, publius cornelius scipio africanus, Quintus Fabius Maximus Cunctator

What Did Hannibal Think of the Romans?

September 22, 2024 By Robin Levin Leave a Comment

What did Hannibal think of the Romans? Hannibal was indoctrinated by his father, Hamilcar Barca, to hate the Romans. There is a story that, before taking Hannibal with him to Spain, Hamilcar took him to the Temple of Elissa at Carthage and made him swear an oath: “When I come to age, I shall pursue […]

Filed Under: Ancient Rome, Carthage Tagged With: Antiochus III, Battle of Cannae, Battle of Zama, Carthage, Hannibal, Italy, King Prusius of Bythinia, publius cornelius scipio africanus, Titus Quinctius Flamininus

Why Didn’t Carthage Support Hannibal in the Second Punic War?

August 13, 2024 By Robin Levin Leave a Comment

It is true that the Carthaginian Senate was divided during the Second Punic War. The “Merchant Party” supported Hannibal while the “Land Party” did not. The “Land Party” was led by Hanno the Great who was a staunch political enemy of Hamilcar Barca, the father of Hannibal. Livy quotes him as saying this at the […]

Filed Under: Ancient Rome, Carthage Tagged With: Battle of Cannae, Battle of Ilipa., Battles of the Upper Baetis, Hannibal, Hanno the Great, Hasdrubal Son of Gisco, Mago Barca, publius cornelius scipio africanus

What Factors Led to the Defeat of Hannibal in the Second Punic War?

August 2, 2024 By Robin Levin Leave a Comment

Factors in Carthage’s defeat in the Second Punic War. Roman refusal to come to terms after their overwhelming defeat at the Battle of Cannae. Hannibal sent a Carthaginian nobleman, Carthalo to Rome with peace terms. The Romans wouldn’t let him into the city. The Roman Senate declared it a crime to even mention the word […]

Filed Under: Ancient Rome, Carthage Tagged With: Battle of Cannae, Battle of Zama, Battles of the Upper Baetis, Hannibal, Hasdrubal Barca, Mago, Mago Barca, Publius Cornelius Africanus, Quintus Fabius Maximus Cunctator

How Did the Romans Recover From Their Devastating Defeat at the Battle of Cannae?

July 23, 2024 By Robin Levin Leave a Comment

It is believed that between the battles of Trebia, Trasimene and Cannae, twenty percent of Italian men of military age perished. At the Battle of Cannae alone, some 55,000 Romans and allies were killed In addition to losing all of those soldiers, after Cannae a lot of cities, towns and tribes that had been allied […]

Filed Under: Ancient Rome, Carthage Tagged With: Ancient Rome, Battle of Cannae, Battle of Zama, Capua, Carthage, Claudius Marcellus, Hannibal, publius cornelius scipio africanus, Quintus Fabius Maximus Cuncator, Tarentum, Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus

My New Book, You Won’t Even Have My Bones, The Story of Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus, Has Been Published.

July 4, 2024 By Robin Levin Leave a Comment

My New Book, You Won’t Even Have My Bones: The Story of Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus has been published. Although not frequently acknowledged as such, Scipio Africanus was one of the most pivotal characters in western history. If not for his accomplishments in conquering Spain and depriving Carthage of its wealthy province, and then going […]

Filed Under: Ancient Rome Tagged With: Battle of Cannae, Battle of Ticinus, Battle of Zama, Battles of the Upper Baetis, Hannibal, Liternum, Publius Corneius Scipio Africanus, Second Punic War

Did Roman Soldier Ever Surrender to Hannibal?

July 4, 2024 By Robin Levin Leave a Comment

There are no known instances of Roman legionaries surrendering to Hannibal before or during a battle. Roman survivors of the battle sometimes surrendered to Hannibal when the battle was over. In the case of the Battle of Trasimene, some 6000 Roman and allied cavalrymen broke out of Hannibal’s ambush and took refuge in an Etruscan […]

Filed Under: Ancient Rome, Carthage Tagged With: Battle of Cannae, Hannibal, Maharal, Manlius Torquatus, Maximus Warts and All, Second Punic War, Titus Quinctius Flamininus

How Did Hannibal Lose the Second Punic War When He Was a Military Genius.

May 25, 2024 By Robin Levin Leave a Comment

When the Second Punic War began, the Romans did not have any generals who were remotely Hannibal’s equal in battlefield tactics. Hannibal demolished the Roman army at the Battles of Ticinus, Trebia, and Trasimene. Then the Romans elected Quintus Fabius Maximus dictator and he promoted a novel idea: Let’s not fight Hannibal on his terms […]

Filed Under: Ancient Rome, Carthage Tagged With: Battle of Baecula, Battle of Cannae, Battle of Dertosa, Battle of Ilipa., Battle of Zama, Hannibal Barca, Hasdrubal Barca the brother of Hannibal, Mago Barca the Brother of Hannibal, Publius Corneius Scipio Africanus, Quintus Fabius Maximus Cuncator

Quora Question: What Did Scipio do in Response to Hannibal’s Invasion of Italy

May 24, 2024 By Robin Levin Leave a Comment

When Hannibal invaded Italy Scipio was only seventeen, so he served in the legions, first under his father, Publius Cornelius Scipio the elder, who was Consul at the time. At the Battle of Ticinus he was in charge of a turma, a group of 30 cavalry, and he led the charge of the turma […]

Filed Under: Carthage Tagged With: Battle of Cannae, Battle of Ticinus, Hannibal, Hasdrubal Son of Gisco, Lucius Aemilius Paullus, Mago Barca, Publius Corneius Scipio Africanus, Quintis Fabius Maximus Cunctator, Syphax

Would Carthage Have Destroyed Rome If They Had Been Victorious in the Punic Wars?

June 7, 2023 By Robin Levin Leave a Comment

After the Battle of Cannae in which Hannibal’s army killed some 50,000 Roman and allied soldiers, Hannibal expected the Romans to sue for peace. He was not inclined to destroy the city. The Romans were having none of that. They would not allow Hannibal’s emissary into the city, and the Senate made it a crime […]