Why hannibal failed

In October BC one of the most decisive civilisational clashes in history took place at Zama. After this defeat Carthage was forced to accept terms so severe that it was never able to challenge Rome for hegemony over the Mediterranean ever again.

Zama marked the end of the Second Punic War — one of the most famous in ancient history. By , however, the Romans had rallied after learning their lessons, and Hannibal was confined to the south of Italy after failing to take his earlier opportunities. Spain was then evacuated by the remaining Carthaginians. A bust of Scipio Africanus — one of the greatest commander in history. This marked a huge morale boost for the beleaguered Romans and would later be seen as a turning point in their fortunes.

In Scipio, the new darling of the Roman people, was elected consul at the almost unprecedented age of Unfazed, Scipio headed to Sicily, where a posting was traditionally seen as a punishment.

As a result, many of the Roman survivors from the catastrophic defeats at Cannae and Trasimene were there. Eager to take up these experienced soldiers and restore their pride, Scipio used Sicily as a giant training camp as he mustered more and more men purely off his own initiative, including volunteers.

Eventually with this ragtag army he sailed across the Mediterranean to Africa, ready to take the fight to Carthage for the first time in the war. At the battle of the Great Plains he defeated the Carthaginian army and their Numidian allies, forcing the panicking Carthaginian senate to sue for peace. A man who was considered cultured and humane compared to previous Roman leaders, Scipio offered the Carthaginians generous terms, where they only lost their overseas territories, which Scipio had largely conquered anyway.

But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Subscribe for fascinating stories connecting the past to the present. By the time the First Punic War broke out, Rome had become the dominant power throughout the Italian He shrewdly combined military Julius Caesar was a renowned general, politician and scholar in ancient Rome who conquered the vast region of Gaul and helped initiate the end of the Roman Republic when he became dictator of the Roman Empire.

Despite his brilliant military prowess, his political skills and his The Roman politician and general Mark Antony 83—30 B. His romantic and political Known for his philosophical interests, Marcus Aurelius was one of the most respected emperors in Roman history. He was born into a wealthy and politically prominent family. Growing up, Marcus Aurelius was a dedicated student, learning Latin and Greek. But his greatest Greek philosophy and rhetoric moved fully into Latin for the first time in the speeches, letters and dialogues of Cicero B.

A brilliant lawyer and the first of his family to achieve Roman office, Cicero was one of the He is best known for his debaucheries, political murders, persecution of Christians and a passion for music that led to the probably The son of a great military leader, he escaped family intrigues to take the throne, but his Located just east of the Roman Forum, the massive stone amphitheater known as the Colosseum was commissioned around A.

Live TV. Carthage intended to use Roman resources to feed his army, because there were only few supplies reaching to Hannibal. Bomilcar arrived in South Italy with an army from Carthage by sea. Hannibal met up with him and combined the two armies together Liv. However, it was not enough to support a long term war over a decade. Hannibal had no choice but to return to Capua. Absent in Liv. Moreover, some Italian cities fought Carthage to death before Hannibal captured them.

Some cities surrendered to him. Hannibal sometimes received assistance from spies to capture some cities. Some cities were not attacked by Hannibal due to geographic difficulties. He did not want to live under tyranny of the sole dictator of Julius Caesar.

The senatorial power lost. Cato wanted to defend his dignity as a free Roman, so he committed suicide rather suffered as a unfree prisoner of tyranny. Grant knew that Robert E. Lee did not have enough manpower, so Grant was willing to trade casualties man for man, but not prisoners. Although the Confederates offered to exchange prisoners with the Union, the Union refused.

Grant realized that Lee would run out of men, so Grant aggressively confronted Lee in many bloody battles, as if Marcellus did in the Second Punic War against Hannibal. Hannibal argued Alexander the Great, Pyrrhus, and himself Pyr.

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