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Punic Wars

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The Second Punic War was the ultimate fight for world supremacy in the history of man. The victor would have control over the entire Mediterranean Sea and all of the trade routes bringing land, pride, wealth, and dominance over their enemies. It took a 1,000-mile trek from New Carthage, Spain, through the Pyrenees, the Alps, Northern Italy, and finally to Carthage. Hannibal won almost all of his battles, but never got the reinforcement he needed to over take Rome. Still Rome won the ultimate battle for world supremacy.

Prelude to Combat

The First Punic War (264-241 BC) was fought over the little island of Sicily. Rome had besieged many of the Carthaginian cities on the island and the Carthaginians futilely attempted to rise against the Romans. The Carthaginians were utterly crushed and for the first time since the rise of the Carthaginian civilization, they had lost the sea routes. The fighting came to a cease with neither side claiming victory.

Carthage faced rebellions from their mercenaries and Rome seized the opportunity and took Corsica without opposition. The Romans now had two islands, Sicily, and Corsica for themselves. That act enraged the Carthaginians and sent Hamilcar and his son- in law, Hadsrubel to build colonies and an army in Spain to aid an attack on Rome in the future. Hadsrubel and Hamilcar built New Carthage near modern Barcelona at this time. Hamilcar brought his 9-year-old son, Hannibal, with him. That trip had an ever-lasting effect on him. From that point on he vowed everlasting hatred against Rome. They built up many Iberian recruits and their power and influence was catching up on Rome. A clash was inevitable.

The Showdown Commences

Both parties declared war involved; one of the premium civilizations in the history on mankind must fall. The only question left was, which giant would descend in to nothing first?

The assassination of Hamilcar left Carthage without a commander-in-chief. The polis made Hannibal their new military leader. He had a plan to surprise Rome with an assault from the north in the middle of winter. He left Spain at the age of 29, with an army of 90,000 foot soldiers, 12,000 horsemen and 60 elephants and set to cross the Alps in the dead of winter. Hannibal encountered unexpected resistance in the form of mountain tribes that used guerrilla warfare tactics. They rolled boulders and other enormous objects down the hills onto the army below. He had 12,000 Africans, 8,000 Spanish infantry, and 6,000 cavalry remaining after crossing the Alps. The 2^nd Roman army attempted to hold him at bay at the Rhone River. It was overflowing from the spring thaw that had melted some of the snow. Miraculously he and his entire army managed to slip north and cross the Rhone River directly under Rome’s nose.

Most of the battles he used the infuriated elephants and they gored many Romans with ease. Hannibal, in victory, often took the Roman soldiers’ armor and weapons to replace their own inadequate equipment. Hannibal marched through a swamp in Northern Italy and lost many men to infections in the 25-mile swamp to parasites, infections, and starvation. Hannibal lost an eye himself in the swamp. Hannibal knew once the Romans knew where he was they would attack. The swampy lake Trasemene was surrounded by hills; Hannibal sent a small number of men into the swamp to attract the Romans into the valley. The plan worked and the Romans walked into the trap and it sealed shut with Rome losing a grand battle. The clash wasn’t a total loss to Mother Rome. Hannibal lost enough manpower and supplies to deter him from marching on to Rome. He went east to the Adriatic Sea to recharge and heal their wounds. That would prove a poor judgment.

The Battle of Cannae