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The Second Punic War (referred to as "The War Against Hannibal" by the Romans) lasted from 218 to 201 BC and involved combatants in the western and eastern Mediterranean. It was the second of three major wars between Carthage and the Roman Republic. They are called the "Punic Wars" because Rome's name for Carthaginians was Punici (older Poenici, due to their Phoenician ancestry. In modern historiography "Punic" is used to make a distinction between Phoenicians and the people of mainly Carthaginian origin.)
It has been suggested that this page be merged into Second Punic War. (Discuss) Proposed since July 2021. |
Second Punic War | |||||||||
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Part of the Punic Wars | |||||||||
Borders of Roman and Punic zone of influence in 218 BC, just prior to the war | |||||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||||
Roman Republic Aetolian League Pergamon |
Carthage Syracuse Macedon | ||||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
Publius Cornelius Scipio†, Tiberius Sempronius Longus Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus, Gaius Flaminius†, Fabius Maximus, Claudius Marcellus†, Lucius Aemilius Paullus†, Gaius Terentius Varro, Marcus Livius Salinator, Gaius Claudius Nero, Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Calvus†, Masinissa, Minucius†, Gnaeus Servilius Geminus† |
Hannibal, son of Hamilcar Barca, Hasdrubal, son of Hamilcar Barca†, Mago, son of Hamilcar Barca†, Hasdrubal Gisco†, Syphax, Hanno the Elder†, Hasdrubal the Bald, Hampsicora†, Maharbal |
External image | |
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Map of Roman and Carthaginian maximum expansion[1] |
The war is marked by Hannibal's surprising overland journey and his costly crossing of the Alps, followed by his reinforcement by Gaulish allies and crushing victories over Roman armies in the battle of the Trebia and the giant ambush at Trasimene. Against his skill on the battlefield the Romans deployed the Fabian strategy. But because of the increasing unpopularity of this approach, the Romans nevertheless resorted to a further major field battle. The result was the Roman defeat at Cannae. In consequence many Roman allies went over to Carthage, prolonging the war in Italy for over a decade, during which more Roman armies were destroyed on the battlefield. Despite these setbacks, the Roman forces were more capable in siegecraft than the Carthaginians and recaptured all the major cities that had joined the enemy, as well as defeating a Carthaginian attempt to reinforce Hannibal at the battle of the Metaurus. In the meantime in Iberia, which served as the main source of silver for the Carthaginian army, a second Roman expedition under Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus Major took New Carthage by assault and ended Carthaginian rule over Iberia in the battle of Ilipa. The final showdown was the battle of Zama in Africa between Scipio Africanus and Hannibal, resulting in the latter's defeat and the imposition of harsh peace conditions on Carthage, which ceased to be a major power and became a Roman client-state.
A sideshow of this war was the indecisive first Macedonian War in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Ionian Sea.
All battles mentioned in the introduction are ranked among the most costly traditional battles of human history; in addition there were a few successful ambushes of armies that also ended in their annihilation.