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Hannibal

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Hannibal

Years and years ago, when I was in elementary school I was fascinated by the saga of Hannibal Barca. (Yes they actually taught history then, geography too!) His was a story of which legends are born. Several years later I read a book on Hannibal by Harold Lamb simply titled Hannibal.

Harold Lamb - now deceased - was a historical writer. He wrote numerous books about intriguing subjects like The Crusades, Genghis Khan, Kublai Khan, Tamerlane, Alexander, Charlemagne, Fredrick the Great, Cyrus the Great and on and on, most of which I read. While I did receive a rudimentary background on all these characters and events in school, it was Harold Lamb that really brought these historical icons to life and of all of these larger than life legends, nobody did more with less than Hannibal Barca.

I'm sure many of you readers are probably familiar with the popular football parlance "The Best Defense Is a Good Offense". Well Hannibal was no football player but he sure utilized that theory. Hell, he invented it when, as a defensive maneuver, the great Carthaginian General crossed the Alps with a diverse army of forty thousand men and forty Elephants in the winter of 218 BC to confront Carthage's bitter enemy, fast rising power Rome. Most of his Elephants and many of his men perished on this trip.

Rome was a bully, an implacable foe and saw Carthage the only power on the horizon as a threat. Carthage was a prosperous city state of peaceful sea faring traders located directly south of Sicily, across the Mediterranean Sea, on the African coast (near present day Tunis). Carthage had fought two wars with Rome, fought mostly to a stalemate but in its most recent humiliating treaty with Rome they were restricted from applying their trade in the Mediterranean except in Spain and not above the Ebro River.

This virtually ceded the Mediterranean to Rome and forced Carthage to venture beyond the Pillars of Hercules to the Atlantic shores of Spain (actually today's Portugal). Hamilcar, Hannibal's father, a successful warrior general in his own right, colonized this area and built, among others, the village of New Carthage with thrived and grew into a powerful city. Hamilcar's brother, Hasdrubal, who took over after his brother's death, began consolidating power on the Iberian Peninsula including building villages on the Mediterranean coast. Hannibal, now a grown man and head of the army laid siege, albeit unsuccessfully to Saguntum. Eventually, Saguntum, a Greek city and Roman ally on the Spanish coast, complained to Rome about the Carthaginians.

This matter was put before the Senate where it was decided to issue an ultimatum, turn over Hannibal to Rome or face war. To the Roman emissaries' surprise, Carthage would not back down. War was mutually decided, hence Hannibal was notified and Hannibal and forty thousand men and forty elephants began their odyssey into history.

Hannibal's Coming

I'm sure you've heard someone tell their children "the Boogey Man is going to get you". Maybe you said it yourself, I know I have. The Roman "Boogey Man" was Hannibal. "Hannibal's coming. He's going to get you". Well Hannibal did more than scare little children. He scared the bejesus out of the whole country. Hannibal was a master tactician and General. He defeated one Roman army after another and spent twelve long years terrorizing the public in the Roman countryside. Hannibal was the man behind Rome's greatest defeat the famous Battle of Cannae in which not one but two great Roman armies faced the inscrutable, Carthaginian nemesis Hannibal. The Roman annihilation was crushing. Not only were fifty thousand warriors including ninety percent of their Tribunes killed but eighty members of the Senate who came to watch the slaughter were in turn slaughtered.

Rome was in a panic. No army stood between Hannibal and the capital and they prepared for a siege. Some of Hannibal's trusted officers urged him to advance on Rome but Hannibal blinked and in the end, many years later, it was his and Carthage's downfall.

Hannibal was a great tactician but he had little experience and no previous success (ref: Saguntum) in laying siege to a fortified position so he was unable to consolidate his victories. In the twelve years he received little in the way of supplies or re-enforcement from Carthage, mostly living off the land and gaining recruits from subjugated people within. One time when his younger brother attempted to replicate Hannibal's trek across the Alps a messenger was intercepted leading to the destruction of the force and his brother's decapitated head being thrown into Hannibal's camp.

Eventually, as the fortunes started to change Hannibal's army started to melt away through deserters and attrition. In the end the great General met his end defending Carthage from overwhelming superiority.

CONCLUSION

Harold Lamb was a master at telling historical yarns. Where there were voids in the accepted historical record, Lamb sometimes interpolated events to fill in the gaps. His books are fun to read and I think he makes the subject, so many find boring, eminently compelling. His writing, though written by a scholar is not highbrow and is very easy to follow. It is written for the masses not for the few.

The book I read was only two hundred and eighty pages but the writing is small and probably equates to a present day book about a hundred pages longer.

This book gives an insight into Hannibal: the man, the general,the psicologist and the diplomat. The individual events which in many other books are looked at in detail here are put together for the big picture.

Hannibal is Harold Lamb's biography of the Carthaginian general Hannibal Barca. Hannibal is an enigmatic figure. Most of what we know about him was recorded by his enemies, and Lamb has taken innumerable accounts into consideration.

This book chiefly covers the Second Punic War (218-201 B.C.). Hannibal crossed the Alps, a feat which became legend, and ran amok in Italy years, defeating all comers (and many Roman commanders tried and failed to defeat him). Lamb gives great attention to Hannibal versus Scipio Africanus. This book also covers Hannibal's return to Carthage and later exile to the Eastern Mediterranean.

Lamb's writing is dry at times, and Hannibal can seem like a textbook. But Lamb does a fantastic job of providing historical context, and he is excellent in his description of battles and strategy. He also does a solid job of showing the personalities of Hannibal and the various Roman commanders.

On the whole this is an excellent biography of Hannibal, an excellent history in general, and a good treatise on warfare of the day.

RECOMMENDED

Hannibal is Harold Lamb's biography of the Carthaginian general Hannibal Barca. Hannibal is an enigmatic figure. Most of what we know about him was recorded by his enemies, and Lamb has taken innumerable accounts into consideration.

This book chiefly covers the Second Punic War (218-201 B.C.). Hannibal crossed the Alps, a feat which became legend, and ran amok in Italy years, defeating all comers (and many Roman commanders tried and failed to defeat him). Lamb gives great attention to Hannibal versus Scipio Africanus. This book also covers Hannibal's return to Carthage and later exile to the Eastern Mediterranean.

Lamb's writing is dry at times, and Hannibal can seem like a textbook. But Lamb does a fantastic job of providing historical context, and he is excellent in his description of battles and strategy. He also does a solid job of showing the personalities of Hannibal and the various Roman commanders.

On the whole this is an excellent biography of Hannibal, an excellent history in general, and a good treatise on warfare of the day.

RECOMMENDED

Perhaps one of my favorite history books of all time. It gives a fair and true account of the brilliance of both Hannibal and Scipio. Both were in fact great generals and will long be remembered.

The book gives a wonderfully detailed descriptions of all of Hannibal's life from his childhood on. Even down to the last detail you understand Hannibal's train of thought and how the Romans were thinking at that time on how to cope with Hannibal.

I highly reccomend this book and give it high praise for being not dusty and boring like many history books but intriging and interesting.

Hannibal

Years and years ago, when I was in elementary school I was fascinated by the saga of Hannibal Barca. (Yes they actually taught history then, geography too!) His was a story of which legends are born. Several years later I read a book on Hannibal by Harold Lamb simply titled Hannibal.

Harold Lamb - now deceased - was a historical writer. He wrote numerous books about intriguing subjects like The Crusades, Genghis Khan, Kublai Khan, Tamerlane, Alexander, Charlemagne, Fredrick the Great, Cyrus the Great and on and on, most of which I read. While I did receive a rudimentary background on all these characters and events in school, it was Harold Lamb that really brought these historical icons to life and of all of these larger than life legends, nobody did more with less than Hannibal Barca.

I'm sure many of you readers are probably familiar with the popular football parlance "The Best Defense Is a Good Offense". Well Hannibal was no football player but he sure utilized that theory. Hell, he invented it when, as a defensive maneuver, the great Carthaginian General crossed the Alps with a diverse army of forty thousand men and forty Elephants in the winter of 218 BC to confront Carthage's bitter enemy, fast rising power Rome. Most of his Elephants and many of his men perished on this trip.

Rome was a bully, an implacable foe and saw Carthage the only power on the horizon as a threat. Carthage was a prosperous city state of peaceful sea faring traders located directly south of Sicily, across the Mediterranean Sea, on the African coast (near present day Tunis). Carthage had fought two wars with Rome, fought mostly to a stalemate but in its most recent humiliating treaty with Rome they were restricted from applying their trade in the Mediterranean except in Spain and not above the Ebro River.

This virtually ceded the Mediterranean to Rome and forced Carthage to venture beyond the Pillars of Hercules to the Atlantic shores of Spain (actually today's Portugal). Hamilcar, Hannibal's father, a successful warrior general in his own right, colonized this area and built, among others, the village of New Carthage with thrived and grew into a powerful city. Hamilcar's brother, Hasdrubal, who took over after his brother's death, began consolidating power on the Iberian Peninsula including building villages on the Mediterranean coast. Hannibal, now a grown man and head of the army laid siege, albeit unsuccessfully to Saguntum. Eventually, Saguntum, a Greek city and Roman ally on the Spanish coast, complained to Rome about the Carthaginians.

This matter was put before the Senate where it was decided to issue an ultimatum, turn over Hannibal to Rome or face war. To the Roman emissaries' surprise, Carthage would not back down. War was mutually decided, hence Hannibal was notified and Hannibal and forty thousand men and forty elephants began their odyssey into history.

Hannibal's Coming

I'm sure you've heard someone tell their children "the Boogey Man is going to get you". Maybe you said it yourself, I know I have. The Roman "Boogey Man" was Hannibal. "Hannibal's coming. He's going to get you". Well Hannibal did more than scare little children. He scared the bejesus out of the whole country. Hannibal was a master tactician and General. He defeated one Roman army after another and spent twelve long years terrorizing the public in the Roman countryside. Hannibal was the man behind Rome's greatest defeat the famous Battle of Cannae in which not one but two great Roman armies faced the inscrutable, Carthaginian nemesis Hannibal. The Roman annihilation was crushing. Not only were fifty thousand warriors including ninety percent of their Tribunes killed but eighty members of the Senate who came to watch the slaughter were in turn slaughtered.

Rome was in a panic. No army stood between Hannibal and the capital and they prepared for a siege. Some of Hannibal's trusted officers urged him to advance on Rome but Hannibal blinked and in the end, many years later, it was his and Carthage's downfall.

Hannibal was a great tactician but he had little experience and no previous success (ref: Saguntum) in laying siege to a fortified position so he was unable to consolidate his victories. In the twelve years he received little in the way of supplies or re-enforcement from Carthage, mostly living off the land and gaining recruits from subjugated people within. One time when his younger brother attempted to replicate Hannibal's trek across the Alps a messenger was intercepted leading to the destruction of the force and his brother's decapitated head being thrown into Hannibal's camp.

Eventually, as the fortunes started to change Hannibal's army started to melt away through deserters and attrition. In the end the great General met his end defending Carthage from overwhelming superiority.

CONCLUSION

Harold Lamb was a master at telling historical yarns. Where there were voids in the accepted historical record, Lamb sometimes interpolated events to fill in the gaps. His books are fun to read and I think he makes the subject, so many find boring, eminently compelling. His writing, though written by a scholar is not highbrow and is very easy to follow. It is written for the masses not for the few.

The book I read was only two hundred and eighty pages but the writing is small and probably equates to a present day book about a hundred pages longer.

I have read and read this book more than 5 times. Every time I find it better. It's a real shame this book is not in reprint. If you get your hands on one treasure it.

Keep in mind that most of history is written by the victor. Livi and Plubius are roman historians. They, of course, make Hannibal to be a vilan. But, Harold Lamb does a great job of looking beyond what they write to make deductions and inferring the truth.

Read this book to learn why I say that Hannibal was the best, most brilliant general of all times.

Perhaps one of my favorite history books of all time. It gives a fair and true account of the brilliance of both Hannibal and Scipio. Both were in fact great generals and will long be remembered.

The book gives a wonderfully detailed descriptions of all of Hannibal's life from his childhood on. Even down to the last detail you understand Hannibal's train of thought and how the Romans were thinking at that time on how to cope with Hannibal.

I highly reccomend this book and give it high praise for being not dusty and boring like many history books but intriging and interesting.

Hannibal is known as a legend. No likeness or statue survives, no writings except of his enemies. Acclaimed as a strategist, he left no maxims. His passage through the Alps, with elephants, remains a mystery. While the destruction of Carthage meant a loss of writing, it seems they kept few records. The Carthagenians were the first great trading nation. Their north African lands did not get the rains as in Europe. The Romans expanded by land, the Carthagenians by sea. Carthage relied on foreign mercenaries, Rome on her citizen army.

The conflict in Rome 219 BC seems familiar. The Senate (the rich) was interested in foreign conquest and the riches from trade. The Assembly (the common folk) wanted to work their farms and not be sacrificed in a foreign war that brought them no benefits. But the silver mines in Spain would pay for the costs of war. Envoys were sent to Carthage to settle the dispute. The Roman Fabius asked them to choose war or peace; they replied it was Rome's choice. So Rome chose war. (The Roman Republic was about ten times the size in population over Carthage.)

Hannibal's invasion of northern Italy forced Rome to send their army there, this prevented the invasion of Carthage. Hannibal crossed the Alps north of the coast to bring his army to meet his allies in Cisalpine Gaul. When confronted by the Roman army, he offered freedom to the slaves who fought. The Romans were well trained and disciplined; but Hannibal knew they could not handle a strange threat. Hannibal released all prisoners so they could return home (and tell of the Roman defeat); he also sought the support of Rome's allies. Hannibal's skill as a general was shown at the battle of Cannae, which destroyed the Roman army. But Rome and its allies still outnumbered Carthage.

Hannibal found friends among the conquered cities and people of Italy. Roman rule usually benefitted the nobility and landowners, not the peasantry of the villages or the common folk of the towns. Being nice to the current rulers goes back quite a while, long before the XXth Century. While Hannibal and his allies were not attacked by land, the Romans controlled the sea. Roman subjects complained of their high taxes and unequal treatment. Roman Censors sniffed out complainers like the secret police in today's world. Hannibal's new allies had the problems of old rivalries.

Scipio convinced the Roman Senate to let him attack Carthage, rather than the wily Hannibal secure in northern Italy. The Roman successes in north Africa resulted in Hannibal's recall to Carthage. At the battle of Zama the Romans slowly advanced; then their horsemen attacked the back of the Carthagenian forces. This defeat ended the war. Carthage became a friend and ally of Rome, surrendering war material and paying an indemnity.

The wealthy rulers of Carthage did not like the new tax on wealth. Hannibal proposed to meet the yearly indemnity payment without new taxes. He reformed the tax system, and improved agriculture. The government was renovated by yearly elections, no longer by hereditary privilege. Rumors of another war reached Rome; they sent investigators to Carthage, and Hannibal left for the land of Antiochus. This war against Rome also failed. Hannibal travelled further east to Bythinia. In time, Rome learned of his presence and tried to capture him. Hannibal then escaped all earthy pursuit.

Harold Lamb tells the story of Hannibal in way in which few could. Each page is a gripping account. If you like to read about the facts of military conquest, and not be bored to death by utter monotony, turn to Harold Lamb. His words tell the story of history in a way where you feel as if you were there. And you'll find it hard to sleep and not read. Furthermore, its a story about Hannibal. This man stood up to Rome in their heyday with armies not even close in man power.