Hannibal Barca
Assessment, Legacy and Interpretation
Early Life

Born 247BC
◦ Born into a military aggressive environment:
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
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Livy describes it in the following
Born into military aristocracy
passage:
His
Father was
Hamilcar
Barca, great
Carthaginian
“Hamilcar,
who
was preparing
to offer
general
sacrifice for a successful outcome, led
Strong
military
between
and
the boy
to theTension
altar and
madeCarthage
him
Rome
fromswear,
the 1st Punic
warhand upon the
solemnly
with his
sacred
victim, that
as soon asbyhethe
was
old of
Early
environment
characterized
legend
enough
he would
be the
enemywith
of the
the
oath: shows
military
mentality
which
Roman was
people…”
Hannibal
brought up with
Early Life

All these elements strongly affected his
future career by:
◦ Instilling in him values of leadership, boldness
and determination
◦ Instilling in him a hatred of Rome
◦ Provided him with military knowledge and
tactics
Hannibal becomes commander



Following assassination of Hasdrubal in 221BC Hannibal
was proclaimed commander in Chief by his army
First two years consolidating Hispanic area south of the
river Ebro
Complications arose when Rome declared Saguntum a
protectorate, and Hannibal responded with a succesful
siege, this ultimately led to the 2nd Punic war
Already occupied Carthaginian territory
Carthaginian territorial gains 219 BC
Assessment of Hannibal’s career
Main action occurred in 2nd Punic war
 Experienced great success in the 2nd Punic
war

◦ Main successes: three decisive battles against
Romans at:
 Cannae
 Trebia
 Lake Trasimene
Assessment of his career
Success came as a result of:
 Superior military intelligence,
characterized by surprising and
unorthodox tactics :

 He pioneered many unheard military maneuvers at
the time, such as:
 The perfect execution of “The Pincer Movement”
at the battle of Cannae
Assessment of his Career
 The effective use of the “Turning Movement”
against Flaminius at the Battle of Lake Trasimene
 Effective use of His Cavalry. Often attacking
exposed flanks, used at the battle of Cannae
◦ A monumental sense of purpose and
determination, tracing back to military
upbringing ,the crossing of the Alps in Winter
is an example of this
Hannibal’s path to success in the Second Punic
War
Crossed Pyrenees,

May 218
Crossed the Alps
218BC
Set Encountered,
out to Italy:
conquered
Celtic
tribes
and
conquered,
resisting
◦ Took:
and recruited numbers
Northern
Tribes
 40 000 infantry
 12 000 Horsemen
 37 War Elephants
Late 218 Hannibal experiences
Spring 217 Hannibal's army
first decisive victroyachieve
over the
another victory at Lake
Romans at the Battle
of Trebia
Trasimene

Battle of Cannae
Spring 216, Hannibal's
third Victory, resulted
in an estimated
50,000-70,000 Romans
that were killed or
captured
Following these three decisive victories
Hannibal had little left to do before
claiming victory in the 2nd Punic war
Assessment of his Defeat
Came excruciatingly close to taking out
Rome
 Main reasons for his defeat :

◦ After the battle Of Cannae in 216BC
Hannibal had Rome on its knees
◦ A march to Rome here would most likely
have resulted in Hannibal's victory
◦ Hannibal and his army merely stayed put in
Italy, this decision was crucial in Hannibal's
defeat
Assessment of His Defeat
◦ His cavalry commander Maharbal:
"Hannibal, you know how
to gain a victory, but not
how to use one."
Assessment of Hannibal’s defeat
◦ Reinforcements and provisions were managed
by the commercially dominated Oligarchy of
Carthage, Hannibal suffered as a result
◦ Finally in 203BC Hannibal was recalled to
Carthage
◦ The battle of Zama in 202 BC was the final
showdown for Hannibal, it resulted in his
ultimate defeat
The battle of Zama
Zama
Decisive falling point in his career
 Put an end to the “invincible” status of
Hannibal
 Defeated by Roman army led by Scipio
Africanus

◦ Defeat came as a result of superior cavalry of
the Romans, usually the Carthaginians' strong
point
Legacy of Hannibal to the Romans
Hannibal laid waste to the Italian
countryside and defeated the great Roman
army 3 times. Romans shocked, from this
came a legacy of fear
 He became a symbol of fear to the Romans
 " Hannibal ante Portas”
Hannibal is at
the gates

◦ Phrase developed by Romans to express fear
Legacy of Hannibal to the Ancient World
Had a monumental impact on the course
of history for both Carthage and Rome
 Polybius writes of Hannibal's impact: “Of
all that befell the Romans and Carthaginians,
good or bad, the cause was one man and one
mind---Hannibal
 The impact and repercussions of the 2nd
Punic war can be considered the Legacy
of Hannibal

Legacy of Hannibal to World

Hannibal's Legacy is one of:
◦ Remembrance of one of the most impressive
military campaigns ever
◦ Daring tactics, most notably the crossing of
the Alps
◦ Respect for Hannibal as a commander
◦ The constant battle he had with Rome
◦ Military tactics that he pioneered

These elements come through in
representations of Hannibal
Legacy of Hannibal’s Military Brilliance
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Hannibal’s use of the “Pincer Movement" in the battle of
Cannae is widely regarded as one of the best military
maneuvers in history
This maneuver left a legacy, even today it is studied at
military academies throughout the world
Alfred Von Schleiffen’s “Schleiffens plan” was inspired by
this
It was used in the following battles:
◦
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The battle of Walaga 633
The battle Manzikert 1071
The battle of Fraustadt in 1706
The battle of Cowpens in 1781
Legacy of Hannibal
Has been integrated into the modern
entertainment industry
 Examples of his legacy through literature:

His legacy has moved beyond
retelling of his story into fictin.
This novel is an alternative
ending, with Hannibal taking
over Rome in 215 BC
Hannibal in Film

Examples of representations of Hannibal in film:
◦ Hannibal the man who hated Rome 2001 BBC
documentary
◦ The true story of Hannibal 2005 BBC documentary
◦ Hannibal vs. Rome National geographic Channel
◦ Hannibal Rome's Worst Nightmare 2006 TV Film
◦ A proposed action film entitled Hannibal the
Conqueror starring Vin Diesel is undergoing work
presently
Modern Image of Hannibal

Has been defined by his legacy:
◦ His amazing and daring military work has
defined his modern image in popular culture
as one of a ferocious warrior
Crossing of Alps
a popular feat,
universal respect
for it
Modern Educated interpretation of
Hannibal
Looked upon as a military genius
 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica contributor
Maximilian Otto Bismarck Caspari wrote of
him:
 “As to the transcendent military genius of Hannibal
there cannot be two opinions.The man who for
fifteen years could hold his ground in a hostile
country against several powerful armies and a
succession of able generals must have been a
commander and a tactician of supreme capacity”

Ancient Image and interpretation of
Hannibal
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Main sources of info:
◦ Hannibal was regarded throughout the
ancient world as an exceptional General
◦ Polybius: “So great and wonderful is the
influence of a Man, and a mind duly fitted by
original constitution for any undertaking within
the reach of human powers.”
◦ Livy: ““He was fearless in undertaking
dangerous enterprises, he was prudent in
discharging them. Toil could not weary his body or
subdue his spirit”
Hannibal
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A Cruel Man:
◦ Personal character: Surrounded by
controversy of supposed cruelties and greed:
 Polybius “The prevailing notion about him, however, at
Carthage was that he was greedy of money, at Rome
that he was cruel”
◦ Resulted in furthering fear of him
◦ An Image of a ruthless Tyrant Figure was
spread throughout the ancient world
Bibliography
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannibal
 http://www.livius.org/hahd/hannibal/hannibal.html
 http://www.myspace.com/hannibal_barca/
blog/120030233
 http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthr
ead.php?t=410714
 Cannae:The Experience of Battle in
the Second Punic War
by Gregory Daly. 253 pgs.
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