HADES GREEK GOD DRAWING SERIES

But Hannibal Barca was a different sort of leader. A lesser commander would have opted for a defensive strategy, making the Ebro a formidable bastion. Roman naval supremacy prevented a direct attack from the sea, while the Roman legions greatly outnumbered his army. Hannibal was well aware of the unfavorable strategic situation of Carthage. 1625-1626, private collection, via Christies And so the Second Punic War began.Ĭrossing The Alps Hannibal crossing the Alps, Nicolas Poussin, ca. Rome jumped at this opportunity demanding that Carthage turn Hannibal in. He laid siege to the city and captured it after eight months in 219 BCE. Saguntum was far south of the Ebro river, and Hannibal considered this a breach of a treaty. To curb Hannibal’s power in the region, Rome allied themselves with the city of Saguntum.Īccording to an earlier treaty, the Ebro river acted as a demarcation line between the Roman and Carthaginian sphere of influence. The rapid unchecked expansion of the Barcid influence in the Peninsula, however, worried the Senate of Rome, which decided to act. Hannibal swiftly consolidated power in Spain, making the coastal city of Cartagena (New Carthage) the base of his family’s military and economic power. The death of his father in 228 BCE and his brother seven years later, left Hannibal in command of all the Carthaginian forces in the Iberian Peninsula. Hannibal’s childhood was spent in a military camp, and by the age of 18, the youth already commanded the troops. For nine years Hamilcar campaigned in Iberia, expanding Carthage’s reach deep into the peninsula. Many years would pass before Hannibal would see his home city again. Hamilcar left on this mission in 237 BCE, accompanied by his young son. 1730-1766, Mussée des Beaux Arts, Chambéry, via Images D’Arts The Oath of Hannibal against the Romans, Claudio Francesco Beaumont, ca. The area was rich in resources, and Iberian gold and silver mines could be used to pay the reparations to Rome and fund Carthage’s military. To prevent the ruin of his country, Hamilcar Barca decided to expand Carthage’s influence and territory in the Iberian Peninsula (modern-day Spain and Portugal). Furthermore, Carthage had to pay enormous war reparations to Rome. The twenty-year-long war ended with Carthage’s defeat, and the loss of most of its overseas territories, including the wealthy island of Sicily. Hannibal’s father, Hamilcar, served as a prominent commander during the First Punic War. Hannibal’s house, the Barcids, was one of the most notable families from Carthage. Polybius, the Greek historian who chronicled Hannibal’s life and his role in the war, was, after all, in the service of Rome.ĭespite the obvious bias, there might be a grain of truth to this story. There are no surviving Carthaginian sources. But we should not forget that this story was recorded by the winning side. This famous episode perfectly reflects Hannibal’s character, and his lifelong mission: to defeat and humiliate the upstart Republic and restore Carthage to greatness. When Hannibal’s father, Hamilcar Barca, was preparing to leave for Spain, he took his nine-year-old son to a temple in Carthage and had him swear an oath of eternal hostility towards Rome. 3rd century BCE, Palazzo del Quirinale, Rome, via Storia D’Italia

Hannibal Barca: The Early Years Marble bust of Hannibal Barca, ca. In death, he outmaneuvered his foes once again, by taking poison before the Romans could catch their worst nightmare. Forced to flee from the Romans, Hannibal spent his last years at the various courts of the Hellenistic kings. However, without the necessary support from Carthage, and with Rome borrowing his tactics in Spain and North Africa, Hannibal was ultimately defeated. Every army sent against him perished, with Hannibal employing a set of stratagems and tactics to outmaneuver and defeat his superior foe. He invaded Italy and forced Rome to battle for its very survival. Rome eventually won, but it never forgot the man who had orchestrated its most shameful defeat: Hannibal Barca.įor nearly two decades, Hannibal fought the Romans. The most brutal of those conflicts - the Second Punic War - put Rome in the greatest danger it ever faced.

HADES GREEK GOD DRAWING SERIES

Throughout most of the third century BCE, Rome was engaged in a series of struggles with another powerful Mediterranean state - Carthage. Nowadays, the military prowess and supremacy of ancient Rome is not questioned by the public. Turner, 1812, Tate Gallery and Marble bust of Hannibal Barca, ca. Hannibal and his Army Crossing the Alps, J.

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