Hannibal

Lore & Background

Hannibal was one of the sons of Carthaginian general and statesman Hamilcar Barca. He was most likely born in Carthage. After Carthage's defeat in the First Punic War, Hamilcar began the subjugation of the tribes of the Iberian Peninsula. According to Polybius, Hannibal later said that when he came upon his father and begged to go with him, Hamilcar agreed and demanded that Hannibal swear that he would never be a friend of Rome as long as he lived. When Hamilcar drowned in battle, Hasdrubal succeeded to his command, with Hannibal (then 18 years old) serving as an officer under him. Upon the assassination of Hasdrubal in 221 BC, Hannibal at 26 years old was proclaimed commander-in-chief by the army and confirmed by the Carthaginian government. After assuming command, Hannibal spent two years consolidating his holdings and completing the conquest of Hispania south of the Ebro. In his first campaign, he stormed the Olcades' strongest centre, Alithia. His following campaign in 220 BC was against the Vaccaei. On his return home, a coalition of Spanish tribes attacked, and Hannibal won his first major battlefield success at the battle of the River Tagus. In 218 BC, Hannibal attacked Saguntum, an ally of Rome in Hispania, sparking the Second Punic War. He invaded Italy by crossing the Alps with North African war elephants. In his first few years in Italy, he won a succession of victories at the battles of Ticinus, Trebia, Lake Trasimene, and Cannae. Hannibal occupied most of southern Italy for 15 years. The Romans, led by Fabius Maximus, avoided directly engaging him, instead waging a war of attrition. Carthaginian defeats in Hispania prevented Hannibal from being reinforced. A counter-invasion of North Africa, led by Scipio Africanus, forced him to return to Carthage. Hannibal was defeated at the Battle of Zama, ending the war. After the war, Hannibal successfully ran for the office of sufet. He enacted political and financial reforms. Those reforms were unpopular, and he fled into voluntary exile. He lived at the Seleucid court, acting as military advisor to Antiochus III. Antiochus met defeat at the Battle of Magnesia, and Hannibal fled again, making a stop in the Kingdom of Armenia. His flight ended in the court of Bithynia. He was betrayed to the Romans and died by suicide.

Reader's Guide

Hannibal’s military reputation rests on his exceptional ability to assess the strengths and weaknesses of both his own forces and those of his opponents, then craft his battle plans accordingly. This skill enabled him to secure a series of stunning victories early in the Second Punic War, including the battles of Ticinus, Trebia, Lake Trasimene, and Cannae, where he inflicted massive casualties on the Romans. His strategic acumen also allowed him to win over several Italian cities that had previously been allied to Rome, holding much of southern Italy for fifteen years. The Romans eventually adopted a war of attrition under Fabius Maximus, avoiding direct engagement. Hannibal’s position weakened after Carthaginian defeats in Hispania cut off his reinforcements, and he was forced to return to North Africa when Scipio Africanus launched a counter-invasion, culminating in his defeat at Zama. After the war, he became a sufet and enacted financial reforms to pay Rome’s indemnity, but these reforms provoked opposition from the Carthaginian aristocracy and Rome, leading him into exile. He later served as a military advisor to Antiochus III, but after Antiochus’s defeat, he fled again, eventually taking his own life by poison when betrayed to the Romans. Plutarch records that Scipio once asked Hannibal whom he considered the greatest general; Hannibal replied that it was either Alexander or Pyrrhus, then himself.

Did You Know?

• Hannibal's name is a combination of the common Phoenician masculine given name Hanno with the god Baal Hammon, meaning 'Baal is gracious' or similar.
• Hannibal's father Hamilcar acquired the surname Barca, meaning 'lightning' or 'thunderbolt', on account of the swiftness and ferocity of his attacks.
• Hannibal's oath to his father to never be a friend of Rome is said to have taken place in Peñíscola.
• Livy records that Hannibal married a woman from Castulo; the Roman poet Silius Italicus names her as Imilce.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"This article is for quotes of or about the Carthaginian leader." — Hannibal "I have come not to make war on the Italians, but to aid the Italians against Rome." — Hannibal "Spoken to Italian soldiers of Rome captured at the Battle of Lake Trasimene (24 June 217 BC) as quoted in Hannibal : One Man Against Rome (1958) by Harold Lamb, p. 119." — Hannibal "Ah there is one thing about them more wonderful than their numbers … in all that vast number there is not one man called Gisgo." — Hannibal