2017-11-08 Wed

An enormous army was stationed on the bank of river Ebro in the northern Spain. This army compromised of many people from different regions and cultures, most of whom had seen two decades of continuous warfare. They stood at the command of one man and will –the Hannibal of Carthage.

His war over the supremacy of western Mediterranean Sea, was the biggest conflict in the history of Rome!It was fought between the Rome Republic and the Carthaginian (Punic) Empire (218-201 BCE). The Hannibal Barca crossed the Ebro river in 218 BCE which the Roman Senate forbade the Carthaginians to cross.

Rome was a prominent and powerful domain in the Italian region but after this war it was born into a powerful empire. The price was high and historic; Rome was facing the greatest soldier and militarily genius of their age. Hannibal bought Roman Republic to their very knee. The expense of this war was so much that Roman Senate for the first time introduced gold denomination in their coinage.

Hannibal never attacked the capital city but annexed many territories of the Roman Republic. He marched on the second largest town in Italy, Capua. He annihilated the huge army of Rome in 216 BCE and defeated and galvanized Roman resistance. These armies remained into deadlock on the Italian peninsula till 211 BCE until Rome recaptured the city of Capua. This ceases bought a standstill to this war.

Hannibal’s journey across the Alps with war elephants was a bold and picturesque move which is remembered more than his defeat. He died in 183/181 BC in Libyssa, his allegiance was with Carthage, Seleucid Empire and Bithynia. After the second Punic war, he also fought in the Roman-Seleucid war. Hannibal’s strategic and tactic in warfare brought him in the line of Philip of Macedon, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar and Scipio Africanus.

To remember this great Hero of the Second Punic War, the Republic of Tunisia issued a stamp in 1995.

To know more about Second Punic Warclick here.