Cannae The Experience Of Battle In The Second Punic War
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Cannae: The Experience of Battle in the Second Punic War by Gregory Daly Pdf
On a hot and dusty summer's day in 216 BC, the forces of the Carthaginian general Hannibal faced the Roman army in a dramatic encounter at Cannae. Massively outnumbered, the Carthaginians nevertheless won an astonishing victory - one that left more than 50,000 men dead. Gregory Daly's enthralling study considers the reasons that led the two armies to the field of battle, and why each followed the course that they did when they got there. It explores in detail the composition of the armies, and the tactics and leadership methods of the opposing generals. Finally, by focusing on the experiences of those who fought, Daly gives an unparalleled portrait of the true horror and chaos of ancient warfare. This striking and vivid account is the fullest yet of the bloodiest battle in ancient history.
From an award-winning historian of ancient Rome, the definitive history of Rome's most devastating defeat August 2, 216 BC was one of history's bloodiest single days of fighting. On a narrow plain near the Southern Italian town of Cannae, despite outnumbering their opponents almost two to one, a massive Roman army was crushed by the heterogeneous forces of Hannibal, the Carthaginian general who had spectacularly crossed the Alps into Italy two years earlier. The scale of the losses at Cannae--50,000 Roman men killed--was unrivaled until the industrialized slaughter of the First World War. Although the Romans eventually recovered and Carthage lost the war, the Battle of Cannae became Romans' point of reference for all later military catastrophes. Ever since, military commanders confronting a superior force have attempted, and usually failed, to reproduce Hannibal's tactics and their overwhelming success. In Cannae, the celebrated historian Adrian Goldsworthy offers a concise and enthralling history of one of the most famous battles ever waged, setting Cannae within the larger contexts of the Second Punic War and the nature of warfare in the third century BC. It is a gripping read for historians, strategists, and anyone curious about warfare in antiquity and Rome's rise to power.
Author : Robert L. O'Connell Publisher : Random House Trade Paperbacks Page : 337 pages File Size : 48,6 Mb Release : 2011-09-13 Category : History ISBN : 9780812978674
NATIONAL BESTSELLER For millennia, Carthage’s triumph over Rome at Cannae in 216 B.C. has inspired reverence and awe. No general since has matched Hannibal’s most unexpected, innovative, and brutal military victory. Now Robert L. O’Connell, one of the most admired names in military history, tells the whole story of Cannae for the first time, giving us a stirring account of this apocalyptic battle, its causes and consequences. O’Connell brilliantly conveys how Rome amassed a giant army to punish Carthage’s masterful commander, how Hannibal outwitted enemies that outnumbered him, and how this disastrous pivot point in Rome’s history ultimately led to the republic’s resurgence and the creation of its empire. Piecing together decayed shreds of ancient reportage, the author paints powerful portraits of the leading players, from Hannibal—resolutely sane and uncannily strategic—to Scipio Africanus, the self-promoting Roman military tribune. Finally, O’Connell reveals how Cannae’s legend has inspired and haunted military leaders ever since, and the lessons it teaches for our own wars.
The Battle of Cannae and the Battle of Zama by Anonim Pdf
*Includes pictures *Includes excerpts of ancient accounts *Includes a bibliography for further reading Carthage was one of the great ancient civilizations, and at its peak, the wealthy Carthaginian empire dominated the Mediterranean against the likes of Greece and Rome, with commercial enterprises and influence stretching from Spain to Turkey. In fact, at several points in history it had a very real chance of replacing the fledgling Roman empire or the failing Greek poleis (city-states) altogether as master of the Mediterranean. Although Carthage by far preferred to exert economic pressure and influence before resorting to direct military power (and even went so far as to rely primarily on mercenary armies paid with its vast wealth for much of its history, it nonetheless produced a number of outstanding generals, from the likes of Hanno Magnus to, of course, the great bogeyman of Roman nightmares himself: Hannibal. Certain foreign policy decisions led to continuing enmity between Carthage and the burgeoning power of Rome, and what followed was a series of wars which turned from a battle for Mediterranean hegemony into an all-out struggle for survival. Although the Romans gained the upper hand in the wake of the First Punic War, Hannibal brought the Romans to their knees for over a decade during the Second Punic War. While military historians are still amazed that he was able to maintain his army in Italy near Rome for nearly 15 years, scholars are still puzzled over some of his decisions, including why he never attempted to march on Rome in the first place. Cannae is still considered one of the greatest tactical victories in the history of warfare, and the fact the battle was a complete victory resulting in the wholesale annihilation of the enemy army made it the textbook example for military commanders to try to duplicate. Of course, others usually were unsuccessful. Cannae was the kind of complete victory that every commander from Caesar to Frederick the Great to Napoleon to Robert E. Lee sought, and that few generals save Caesar and Napoleon bagged whole armies is a testament to the near impossibility of achieving a victory like Cannae. On October 19, 202 BCE, on the plain of Zama in modern Tunisia, battle was joined, and for the first time in one of the battles of the Second Punic War, Hannibal had the infantry advantage and Rome had the cavalry advantage. The result would decide the fate of the Second Punic War and the course of history. While he remains far less known than Hannibal, Publius Cornelius Scipio, the man who has become known to history as Scipio Africanus, is widely regarded as one of the greatest military leaders of all time. In the space of less than 10 years, the genius of Scipio took Rome from being on the brink of utter destruction to becoming the dominant power in the Mediterranean. He displayed not just acute understanding of the tactical needs of the battlefield but also a strategic overview that consistently allowed him to confound his enemies. Scipio has been described as "the embodiment of grand strategy, as his campaigns are the supreme example in history of its meaning." Not surprisingly, after the serious threat Hannibal posed during the Second Punic War, the Romans didn't wait much longer to take the fight to the Carthaginians in the Third Punic War, which ended with Roman legions smashing Carthage to rubble. As legend has it, the Romans literally salted the ground upon which Carthage stood to ensure its destruction once and for all. Despite having a major influence on the Mediterranean for nearly five centuries, little evidence of Carthage's past might survives. The Battle of Cannae and the Battle of Zama: The History and Legacy of the Second Punic War's Most Important Battles chronicles two of the most influential and decisive battles of antiquity.
Regarded as one of the greatest battles in history, the Battle of Cannae was the most catastrophic defeat ever suffered by the Roman Army. The battle is a masterpiece of battlefield control and Hannibal's stratagem has become a model of the perfectly fought battle, studied in detail at military academies all over the world. This fascinating account reconstructs the battle in detail as well as studying Hannibal's Italian campaign in general, with particular attention to the battles of the Trebbia and Lake Trasimene.
The Battle of Cannae by Charles River Charles River Editors Pdf
*Includes pictures *Includes ancient accounts of the battle *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading *Includes a table of contents "Few battles of ancient times are more marked by ability...than the battle of Cannae. The position was such as to place every advantage on Hannibal's side. The manner in which the far from perfect Hispanic and Gallic foot was advanced in a wedge in echelon...was first held there and then withdrawn step by step, until it had reached the converse position...is a simple masterpiece of battle tactics. The advance at the proper moment of the African infantry, and its wheel right and left upon the flanks of the disordered and crowded Roman legionaries, is far beyond praise. The whole battle, from the Carthaginian standpoint, is a consummate piece of art, having no superior, few equal, examples in the history of war." - Theodore Dodge, military historian Although the Romans gained the upper hand over Carthage in the wake of the First Punic War, the legendary Carthaginian general Hannibal brought the Romans to their knees for over a decade during the Second Punic War. While military historians are still amazed that he was able to maintain his army in Italy near Rome for nearly 15 years, scholars are still puzzled over some of his decisions, including why he never attempted to march on Rome in the first place. Regardless, Hannibal was such a threat that the Romans responded in an unprecedented nature when the Carthaginians resumed the campaigning season in the spring of 216 BCE by capturing the city of Cannae, a crucial supply hub, and placing themselves along the line that convoys from the ports and warehouses of the south needed to travel to reach Rome. This was something the Romans could not and did not take lying down; Rome raised the largest army in their city's history, a force of between 80,000 and 100,000 men, and marched south with Consuls Varro and Paullus at the head of the army. This military behemoth disregarded the delaying tactics that Maximus had favored, fully determined to destroy Hannibal once and for all as quickly as possible. Despite the massive horde headed his way, Hannibal was ready for them. He encamped his army near the Aufidus, a river not far from Cannae, and waited. His intelligence told him that Consul Varro, the more influential of the two Roman generals, was a firebrand, talented in attack but with a tendency to overreach himself, and Hannibal resolved to use this flaw to his advantage. Hannibal arrayed his army in the open, sure that Varro would be unable to resist the temptation to offer battle, and then deliberately placed his weakest infantry in the center of his battle-line. Varro led the Roman legions straight at the centre of Hannibal's formation, proceeding in characteristic bull-headed fashion and spearheading the assault himself. Hannibal's troops in the center yielded before the legions, as Hannibal had anticipated, sucking the bulk of the Roman force deep into the centre of Hannibal's formation. Meanwhile, the wings of Hannibal's infantry automatically swung against the flanks of the Roman force while Hannibal's cavalry, led by his celebrated general Maharbal, crushed the Roman cavalry and light infantry deployed to protect the formation's flanks and rear and, in so doing, succeeded in encircling it completely. The Roman force now found itself unable to run or maneuver, completely surrounded by Hannibal's forces. It was one of the earliest examples of the pincer movement in the history of warfare. The result was a massacre, one of the most vicious battles in the history of the world. Around 75% of the Roman army was cut down in the ensuing melee, which would be in the vicinity of between 50,000-80,000 soldiers depending on which initial estimates are considered to be accurate. Among the casualties was the luckless Consul Paullus."
The year is 216 BC. As Rome and Carthage vie for supremacy, the Mediterranean is shaken by a conflict that will go down in history as the Second Punic War. The year is 216 BC. As Rome and Carthage vie for supremacy, the Mediterranean is shaken by a conflict that will go down in history as the Second Punic War. Two years ago, Hannibal, the Carthaginian general, took Rome completely by surprise by leading an army of African, Spanish, and Celtic soldiers across the Alps to attack Rome on her own soil. Rome has suffered three defeats at his hands already, and spent the last year licking her wounds and avoiding another battle. Now, the senate in Rome feels the time has come to take the initiative again. With an army of an unprecedented eight legions, led by both consuls and two proconsuls, they are determined to put Hannibal in his place once and for all. Darkness over Cannae is a historical novel accurately researched on the battle, what led up to it and its aftermath. Illustrated and with a glossary of terms it is a great introduction to Roman military history for anyone fifteen years and older.
The Punic Wars (264-146BC) sprang from a mighty power struggle between two ancient civilisations - the trading empire of Carthage and the military confedoration of Rome. It was a period of astonishing human misfortune, lasting over a period of 118 years and resulting in the radical depletion of Rome's population and resources and the complete annihilation of Carthage. All this took place more than 2,000 years ago, yet, as Nigel Bagnall's comprehensive history demonstrates, the ancient conflict is remarkable for its contemporary revelance.
Hannibal's Last Battle by Brian Todd Carey,Joshua B. Allfree,John Cairns Pdf
A “crisply written, well researched . . . superb piece of scholarship about one of the most dramatic and decisive battles in the ancient world” (Journal of Military History). At Zama (in what is now Tunisia) in 202 BC, the armies of two great empires clashed: the Romans under Scipio Africanus and Carthaginians, led by Hannibal. Scipio’s forces would win a decisive, bloody victory that forever shifted the balance of power in the ancient world. Thereafter, Rome became the dominant civilization of the Mediterranean. Here, Brian Todd Carey recounts that battle and the grueling war that led up to it. He offers fascinating insight into the Carthaginian and Roman methods of waging war, their military organizations, equipment, and the tactics the armies employed. He also delivers an in-depth critical assessment of the contrasting qualities and leadership styles of Hannibal and Scipio, the two most celebrated commanders of their age. With vivid prose and detailed maps of the terrains of the time, Hannibal’s Last Battle is an essential text for fans of military history and students of the classical period.
The Battle Digest summary includes all the key aspects of the campaign and battle, including maps, images, and lessons learned. During the Second Punic War (218 – 201 B.C.), after Hannibal had been handing Rome defeats and losses for nearly two years, the Roman Senate had finally had enough. After raising the largest army they had ever fielded, they sent it against Hannibal, who had just seized an important grain supply depot at Cannae. But Hannibal was more than ready. On that fateful day, he handed Rome one of the most crushing defeats in history.
Author : Robert L. O'Connell Publisher : Random House Page : 337 pages File Size : 41,8 Mb Release : 2010-07-13 Category : History ISBN : 9780679603795
NATIONAL BESTSELLER For millennia, Carthage’s triumph over Rome at Cannae in 216 B.C. has inspired reverence and awe. No general since has matched Hannibal’s most unexpected, innovative, and brutal military victory. Now Robert L. O’Connell, one of the most admired names in military history, tells the whole story of Cannae for the first time, giving us a stirring account of this apocalyptic battle, its causes and consequences. O’Connell brilliantly conveys how Rome amassed a giant army to punish Carthage’s masterful commander, how Hannibal outwitted enemies that outnumbered him, and how this disastrous pivot point in Rome’s history ultimately led to the republic’s resurgence and the creation of its empire. Piecing together decayed shreds of ancient reportage, the author paints powerful portraits of the leading players, from Hannibal—resolutely sane and uncannily strategic—to Scipio Africanus, the self-promoting Roman military tribune. Finally, O’Connell reveals how Cannae’s legend has inspired and haunted military leaders ever since, and the lessons it teaches for our own wars.
Many books have been written on the Second Punic War and Hannibal in particular but few give much space to his campaigns in the years from 213 203 BC. Most studies concentrate on Hannibals series of stunning victories in the early stages of the war, culminating at Cannae in 216 BC, then refocus on the activities of his nemesis ,Scipio Africanus, in Spain until the two meet in the final showdown at Zama. But this has led to the neglect of some of the Carthaginian genius most remarkable campaigns. By 212 the wider war was definitely going against the Carthaginians. Yet Hannibal, despite being massively outnumbered and with little support from home, was able to sustain his polyglot army and campaign actively across southern Italy for another ten years. His skilful manoeuvring and victory in numerous engagements kept several veteran armies of the normally aggressive Romans tied up and on the defensive, until Scipios invasion of North Africa pulled him home to defend Carthage. Mike Roberts follows the course of these remarkable events in detail, analysing Hannibals strategy and aims in this phase of the war and revealing a genius that had lost none of its lustre in adversity.
New Perspectives on Ancient Warfare[electronic Resource] by Garrett G. Fagan,Matthew Freeman Trundle Pdf
"New Perspectives on Ancient Warfare" explores the armies of antiquity from Assyria and Persia, to classical Greece and Rome. The studies illustrate the ways in which technology, innovation, cultural exchange, and tactical developments transformed ancient warfare by land and sea.
Author : John Francis Lazenby Publisher : University of Oklahoma Press Page : 372 pages File Size : 42,7 Mb Release : 1998 Category : History ISBN : 0806130040
Hannibal is acknowledged to be one of history's greatest generals, and his crossing of the Alps - complete with elephants - to make war against Rome on its home soil is legendary. But even Hannibal met his match in Scipio, and ultimately Carthage was defeated by the rising power of Rome. In Hannibal's War, J. F. Lazenby provides the first scholarly account in English since 1886 solely devoted to the Second Punic War - what some have called the first "world war" for mastery of the Mediterranean world. By closely examining the accounts of Livy and Polybius, supplemented with the fruits of modern research, Lazenby provides a detailed military history of the entire war as it was fought in Italy, Spain, Greece, and North Africa. This edition includes a new preface covering recent research on Hannibal's war against Rome.
