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 […]
How Did the Romans Recover From Their Devastating Defeat at the Battle of Cannae?
July 23, 2024 By Leave a Comment
My New Book, You Won’t Even Have My Bones, The Story of Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus, Has Been Published.
July 4, 2024 By 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 […]
Did Roman Soldier Ever Surrender to Hannibal?
July 4, 2024 By 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 […]
Did Hannibal and Scipio Ever Meet?
May 28, 2024 By Leave a Comment
According to Livy, Scipio and Hannibal met to negotiate just before the battle of Zama. Hannibal had sent spies to the Roman camp, and they were caught snooping around. Much to the shock of his underlings, Scipio told his tribune to release them and show them around the camp and answer any questions to their […]
You Won’t Even Have My Bones: The Story of Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus
May 22, 2024 By Leave a Comment
My new book, You Won’t Even Have My Bones, has just been published. It is the story of the Roman general Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus, told in the first person. Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus was a pivotal character in history. Without him, it is unlikely that Rome would have conquered Spain during the Second Punic […]
Would Carthage Have Destroyed Rome If They Had Been Victorious in the Punic Wars?
June 7, 2023 By 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 […]
Why Did The Romans Consider Quintus Fabius Maximus’ Strategy Cowardly?
February 17, 2023 By Leave a Comment
Quintus Fabius Maximus thought outside the box. The normal Roman response was to directly confront the enemy on the battlefield, and most Romans could not understand or tolerate Fabius’ thinking. Livy relates how Fabius attempted to dissuade the Consul Lucius Aemilius Paullus from confronting Hannibal at Cannae. Fabius: “I think you know why I have […]
The Importance of Conquering New Carthage
February 7, 2023 By Leave a Comment
The Carthaginians controlled southern Spain before the Second Punic war and had alliances with some of the tribes of northern Spain. They had highly productive gold and silver mines in southern Spain which helped finance the war. The Second Punic War began as a result of Hannibal’s destruction of Saguntum, a Roman ally, and Spain […]
Personal Encounters Between Hannibal and Scipio Africanus
November 18, 2022 By Leave a Comment
Hannibal and Scipio Africanus were rival generals during the Second Punic War. Hannibal was the Carthaginian general who crossed the Alps to attack Rome, and Scipio was the Roman general who ended the sixteen-year-long war by defeating Hannibal at the Battle of Zama in North Africa. They are believed to have met in person only […]
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