Andrew's Reviews > Hannibal

Hannibal by Patrick N. Hunt, is an account of the Second Punic War from the perspective of Hannibal, as well as a brief biography of the great General's early life. Hannibal was born in the Barca family, a clan of Carthaginian military individuals who had experience in the First Punic War. The family was unhappy with losses in the First Punic War, where Carthage was required to relinquish their claims over Sicily, and Rome subsequently aggressively annexed Corsica and Sardinia - both within the Carthaginian trading sphere. In response, Carthage landed an expeditionary force in Spain, under Hannibal's father Hamilcar. His brothers Hasdrubal and Magos were also successful generals that would fight with him in the coming Punic War. In Spain, Hannibal arrived as a young boy in his early teens/ late adolescents and worked closely with his father. The Carthaginian forces in the region settled Punic colonies, subdued and allied with local Iberian tribes, and built up port, silver mining, and trade infrastructure in the region. A treaty with Rome, signed to end the Punic Wars, set a boundary at the Ebro River. However, Rome considered a local City-state south of the Ebro, Saguntum, to be a tributary, and felt this was not in violation of the treaty. Hannibal disagreed, and sparked the Second Punic War by besieging this City.

After its fall, he marched across France and the Alps, subduing allied or hostile Celtic tribes, and allying with Celts opposed to Rome. Although he lost a good chunk of his forces during the crossing, both to hostile action, and to desertion and the elements, he still arrived in Italy with tens of thousands of hardened veteran soldiers, mercenaries, and allied Celts. As the war began, everything was coming up Hannibal. He successfully dodged a Roman Army in Gaul, and crossed the Alps with relatively few casualties (for the time). He arrived in Northern Italy in style - with tribes like the Boii providing his tired forces with food, rest, and reinforcement. He fought three major battles with the Roman's, breaking their aura of invincibility in Italy and shaking the foundations of the Roman system. Multiple military tribunes were defeated in battle, initiating political crisis in Rome, and ushering in an era of military dictatorship (constitutionally). Hannibal's big encounters were at the Trebia, Lake Trasimene, and Cannae as he marched south toward Rome, defeating legion after legion sent against him. All three encounters were incredibly costly to the Roman's in terms of lives and prestige.

Hannibal used innovative tactics at the time to ensure his early successes. He maneuvered tactically, often out running pursuing Roman armies, escaping entrapment, and avoiding costly encounters. Hannibal picked the engagements, or forced his enemy to come to him, and rarely was forced into a direct encounter against his will. He utilized the environment to both gain favourable battleground, surprise enemy armies on the march, and to compliment his battle order. He used trickery to mask the size of his army, or hide various contingents to ensure engagements were favourable, and he had a trump card up his sleeve. His intelligence gathering skills also seemed to be immense, as his armies had an intricate knowledge of Celtic alliance systems and characteristics, as well as the character and temperament of opposing commanders. He was also keenly aware of troop movements, alliance systems, and potential leverage points between alliances. These he used to alter the political landscape of Italy for a decade, as Greek City-states in the south, and allies in Numedia and Macedonia looked to counter Roman dominance by allying with the Carthaginians.

However, Hannibal was not invincible, and he was just one army among many. The Roman's initially were on the back foot, but fought back by cutting off the silver supply in Spain through direct invasion, controlling the naval front, and eventually threatening and destroying Carthage itself. Hannibal was forced for a decade to survive off the land after the silver mines of Spain and the reinforcements of North Africa were cut off from him. This was costly, as he soon began to lose allies and support, and eventually was forced to retreat from the peninsula to protect home waters.
Hannibal's days ended in defeat, as he lost political support in Carthage, and eventually lost his life on the run after Carthage's defeat and ruin by the Romans. His exact cause of death is unknown - perhaps he was poisoned, or perhaps he died of a fever from a small wound. Even so, a death in exile for such a magnificent General was unfortunate.

Hannibal was a military genius - akin to Alexander the Great, or Julius Caesar. He conquered large swathes of Italy and Spain for a time, and was close to changing the outcome of history - a victory over Rome, which at times looked very possible, would have changed the course of world history. His tactical and logistical genius is also apparent, as he conquered previously difficult terrain, and engaged in maneuvers and movements that were surprising and innovative at the time. His use of alliances and his ability to leverage himself between allies was also an immense boon to his campaign. And the fact that he fought on for many years after the end seemed nigh showed his resilience in the face of defeat. Regardless, this was an interesting read from an interesting perspective. Much is written on the Punic Wars, but mostly from a Roman perspective. It is refreshing to read new scholarly work from the perspective of Hannibal. Easily recommended for history fans, although there is not much new in this text. If you are intimately familiar with the Punic Wars, you may not find too much refreshing here.