Tanks were first used in battle in WWI, but before then, armies had nature’s tanks. A long, long time ago, someone had the bright idea to use elephants in battle. That person knew that elephants scared horses and men. Horses feared the sight, sound, and smell of the elephants. Read more
In 207 B.C., Hannibal had been in Italy for 11 years. It had been 9 years since his stunning victory at Cannae. In that battle, he destroyed a Roman army of 80,000 men, but he was not able to get Rome to concede that the war was lost. Since Read more
In 207 B.C., Hannibal had been in Italy for 11 years. It had been 9 years since his stunning victory at Cannae. In that battle, he destroyed a Roman army of 80,000 men, but he was not able to get Rome to concede that the war was lost. Since Read more
The Rhone River valley which Hannibal was crossing was the land of the Volcae. This powerful tribe was not going to let Hannibal cross the river. They withdrew most of their people living on the west bank to the opposite bank. When Hannibal arrived, he faced a hostile host on Read more
Publius Cornelius Scipio (Scipio Africanus’ father) crossed the Po River to try to make contact with Hannibal’s army which had recently completed its crossing of the Alps. Scouts reported that the Carthaginian army was at the Trebia River. He had a pontoon bridge constructed. He crossed and established a camp. Read more
*** This anecdote is probably apocryphal, but it could be true. Both Livy and Appian included it in their histories. Two of the greatest generals met in the Battle of Zama in 202 B.C. The battle ended the Second Punic War and made Rome the dominant power in Read more
The use of war elephants probably began in Ancient India. The weapon gradually moved westward. Darius III had some at the Battle of Gaugamela (Arbela), but they did not have an impact on the result of the battle. Alexander the Great prevailed. He met elephants again in India at Read more
In 207 B.C., Hannibal had been dominating Italy for 11 years. He had defeated every Roman army that faced him. By this time, the Romans were avoiding battle and just trying to contain him. It was obvious that he could not take Rome, but they could not take him. Read more
For sixteen years, Hannibal roamed Italy defeating every Roman army that he faced. But he could not capture Rome and few Italian cities allied with him. The only way to end this dominance was to have a general equal to Hannibal. That general was Scipio. He learned from Hannibal’s Read more
After the Battle of Cannae, Hannibal dominated Italy, but he was unable to capture the city of Rome. His government was reluctant to send him reinforcements. However, his brother Hasdrubal took it upon himself to help his brother out. He marched his army from Spain, crossed the Alps like Read more