Second Punic War Essay
To clearly understand the Second Punic War, a particular back story is required to fully comprehend what lead to the angst that the magnificent Carthaginian leader Hannibal had concerning Rome.
Hannibal was born the son of the powerful Carthaginian leader Hamilcar Barca, who took power soon after the First Punic War when tensions toward Rome were high. The fate of Carthage was laid upon Hannibal the day he was born. However, prior to his father passing away in 229 B.C. (Vengeance, 2016) that fate was sealed when his father made Hannibal promise to take down Rome. With his father’s dying wish and determination to pursue and conquer what he promised, Hannibal joined forces with that of unlikely barbarian allies and dredged on over the Alps in …show more content…
However, this was not without a fight. The Carthaginian forces fought hard and obtained multiple victories throughout the course of the war. Including Ticinus, Trebia, Trasimene and most importantly their victory in 216 B.C. at Cannae, when they utilized ambush tactics to slaughter a Roman army more than twice their size. The battle at Cannae resulted in mass casualties for Rome and it is said that around seventy thousand Roman soldiers lost their lives in the Battle of Cannae (Morey, 1901), however, they were not shaken by this defeat. Instead they regrouped and became stronger under the new leadership of the great General Pubilus Cornelius Scipio. Under General Pubilus Cornelius Scipio the Roman army took Spain and proceeded on to Hannibal’s native city in Northern Africa. Continuing under Scipio the Romans lured Hannibal and the Carthaginians to their final battle of Zama and defeated them in North Africa, eventually taking over Italy. With the loss of Zama, the annihilation of around 20,000 Carthaginian men and imprisonment of many more, Hannibal and the Carthaginians surrendered putting an ending to the Second Punic War.
In conclusion, the outcome of the Second Punic War resulted with a victory by Rome and left a broken, battered and bruised Carthage. Furthermore, Rome obtained great power and reigned not only over land with its newly obtained territories,
Hannibal was born the son of the powerful Carthaginian leader Hamilcar Barca, who took power soon after the First Punic War when tensions toward Rome were high. The fate of Carthage was laid upon Hannibal the day he was born. However, prior to his father passing away in 229 B.C. (Vengeance, 2016) that fate was sealed when his father made Hannibal promise to take down Rome. With his father’s dying wish and determination to pursue and conquer what he promised, Hannibal joined forces with that of unlikely barbarian allies and dredged on over the Alps in …show more content…
However, this was not without a fight. The Carthaginian forces fought hard and obtained multiple victories throughout the course of the war. Including Ticinus, Trebia, Trasimene and most importantly their victory in 216 B.C. at Cannae, when they utilized ambush tactics to slaughter a Roman army more than twice their size. The battle at Cannae resulted in mass casualties for Rome and it is said that around seventy thousand Roman soldiers lost their lives in the Battle of Cannae (Morey, 1901), however, they were not shaken by this defeat. Instead they regrouped and became stronger under the new leadership of the great General Pubilus Cornelius Scipio. Under General Pubilus Cornelius Scipio the Roman army took Spain and proceeded on to Hannibal’s native city in Northern Africa. Continuing under Scipio the Romans lured Hannibal and the Carthaginians to their final battle of Zama and defeated them in North Africa, eventually taking over Italy. With the loss of Zama, the annihilation of around 20,000 Carthaginian men and imprisonment of many more, Hannibal and the Carthaginians surrendered putting an ending to the Second Punic War.
In conclusion, the outcome of the Second Punic War resulted with a victory by Rome and left a broken, battered and bruised Carthage. Furthermore, Rome obtained great power and reigned not only over land with its newly obtained territories,