Hannibal

by Patrick N Hunt

Overview

Hannibal is “an exciting biography of one of history’s greatest commanders...a thrilling page-turner” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) about the brilliant general who successfully crossed the Alps with his war elephants and brought Rome to its knees, and who is still regarded today as one of the greatest military strategists in history.

Hannibal Barca of Carthage, born 247 BC, was one of the great generals of the ancient world. His father, Hamilcar, imposed Carthaginian rule over much of present-day Spain. After Hamilcar led the Carthaginian forces against Rome in the First Punic War, Hannibal followed in his father’s footsteps.

From the time he was a teenager, Hannibal fought against Rome. He is famed for leading Carthage’s army across North Africa, into Spain, along the Mediterranean coast, and then crossing the Alps with his army and war elephants. Hannibal won victories in northern Italy by outmaneuvering his Roman adversaries and defeated a larger Roman army at the battle of Cannae in 216 BC. Unable to force Rome to capitulate, however, he was eventually forced to leave Italy and return to Carthage when a savvy Roman general named Scipio invaded North Africa. Hannibal and Scipio fought an epic battle at Zama, which Hannibal lost. Many Carthaginians blamed Hannibal, who was exiled until his death.

Hannibal is still regarded as a military genius. Napoleon, George Patton, and Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr. are only some of the generals who studied and admired him. His strategy and tactics are still taught in military academies. “With wonderful energy...archeologist and historian Patrick Hunt distills his survey of literature about the Second Punic War into a brightly dramatic story that covers virtually every anecdote connected with Hannibal” (The Christian Science Monitor). “Hunt’s story of the doomed general, whose exploits are more celebrated than those of his vanquishers, will appeal to any reader interested in military history or strategy” (Publishers Weekly).

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781439102183
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster
Publication date:	07/03/2018
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	235,385
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Patrick N. Hunt is an archeologist, historian, and biographer who has taught humanities, archeology, and mythology at Stanford University since 1993. A Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society in London, Hunt has been featured on TV documentaries, including National Geographic Explorer, Nova, and the Discovery Channel. He is also a National Geographic Expeditions expert. Articles about his Hannibal research have appeared in National Geographic, Archaeology Magazine, and Earth magazine among others. He is the author of Hannibal, Ten Discoveries That Rewrote History, and When Empires Clash: Twelve Great Battles in Antiquity, among other books. He lives in the Bay Area, California.

Read an Excerpt

Hannibal
Cannae still elicits a shudder from almost everyone after more than two thousand years. A considerable part of Hannibal’s reputation as a military genius seems to rest on this half day in early August of 216 BCE, perhaps more than is justifiable.

Reconstructing the battle from sometimes confusing or even slightly contradictory sources is challenging, but enough consensus exists to provide a fairly reliable account. Even after winnowing out the hyperbole that accompanies such events, Cannae remains a singularly dramatic day. Standing on the hill above the valley where the Aufidus (now Ofanto) River winds to the coast, and walking back and forth on the narrow plain that is about a mile or so wide on an August day similar to that in the summer of 216, I was reminded that however peaceful and still it looked, the horrible fate of so many Romans in that battle had made Cannae infamous.

Table of Contents

Preface xi

Author's Note xvii

1 The Vow 1

2 Young Hannibal 13

3 Spain 20

4 Saguntum 31

5 Over The Pyrenees 38

6 Crossing the Rhône 45

7 Gateway to the Alps 53

8 The Second Ambush 60

9 Summit of the Alps 68

10 Ticinus 74

11 Trebia 85

12 The Apennines and the Arno Marshes 99

13 Trasimene 109

14 Fabius Maximus and Escape 121

15 Cannae 131

16 The Campaign for South Italy 148

17 The March On Rome 163

18 War In Spain 174

19 Scipio Captures Cartagena 184

20 Metaurus 194

21 Roman Triumph, Italy to Spain 207

22 Zama 220

23 Exile 245

24 Hannibal's Legacy 262

Acknowledgments 271

Notes 275

Bibliography 317

Index 349

Editorial Reviews

Hannibal relates the famous general’s story with wonderful energy. . . . Archeologist and historian Patrick Hunt distills his survey of literature about the Second Punic War into a brightly dramatic story that covers virtually every anecdote connected with Hannibal.

The Christian Science Monitor

"The book is particularly illuminating in discussing Hannibal’s famous crossing of the Alps in 218 B.C. . . . Hunt excels in his descriptions of battles.

The New York Times Book Review - Thomas E. Ricks

Patrick Hunt is one of the world’s greatest experts on Hannibal. He brings that magnificent commander to life, with verve and in detail, in this wonderful book. Hannibal is must reading for all students of military history.

Barry Strauss

"Hannibal, thoroughly researched and written in an engaging style, tells the story of this remarkable military strategist. Over the past 25 years, Patrick Hunt has walked every battlefield and trekked over 30 of the probable Alps passes that Hannibal may have used. . . . The reader is treated to a ‘you are there,’ action-packed historical adventure."

Major General Robert B. Ostenberg

Patrick Hunt's Hannibal is a rare combination of impeccable scholarship and good writing. Knowing what the author knows, this biography could have been 900 pages long; instead it hits the scales at below 300, the perfect fighting weight for one of history's most lethal combatants.

Robert L. O’Connell

From opening anecdote to closing argument, Hunt’s biography engages fully with both Hannibal the legend and Hannibal the man—telling us what can and should be known about the man while acknowledging the ambiguities and contradictions of the legend. Was Hannibal a military genius or a lucky gambler, a self-propelled comet or the instrument of fate, a figure of terror or of pathos? All of these, and much more.

Steven Saylor

Patrick Hunt's Hannibal is a rare combination of impeccable scholarship and good writing. Knowing what the author knows, this biography could have been 900 pages long; instead it hits the scales at below 300, the perfect fighting weight for one of history's most lethal combatants.

Robert L. O’Connell

05/08/2017
Hunt (When Empires Clash), professor of archeology at Stanford and frequent television host, sketches the great Carthaginian general Hannibal as the consummate warrior, an inspiring leader of his troops, and a tireless plotter constantly seeking an advantage over his Roman counterpart Scipio. In his youth Hannibal swore an eternal “vow to hate Rome,” notes Hunt, and though the specifics here of his numerous battles sometimes fade into one another, Hannibal’s life consisted of little else. The flourishes that make Hunt a popular on-air personality shine through: he describes how Hannibal’s famous war elephants “snorkeled” across the Rhône, only their trunks above water, and how Hannibal may have lobbed baskets of venomous snakes into his adversaries’ ships. The elephants, at least, came back to haunt him in his decisive defeat at Zama, when they were spooked by the Roman cavalry and rampaged through the ranks of his own recruits. After the war was lost, Hannibal found he had more enemies than allies in Carthage. His treatment there reminds us “how threatened lesser minds too often deal with originality and brilliance not so easily controlled or subverted.” Hunt’s story of the doomed general, whose exploits are more celebrated than those of his vanquishers, will appeal to any reader interested in military history or strategy. (July)

Publishers Weekly

"Engrossing . . . ideal for general readers with an interest in ancient history."

Booklist

"Even after the passage of more than two thousand years, Hannibal’s bold exploits, above all in Italy, challenging Rome to a duel in her own back yard, capture the imagination. Patrick Hunt, who has for decades been researching Hannibal, including much personal fieldwork on the ground retracing Hannibal’s footsteps, distills a lifetime’s knowledge and experience in this lively and compelling narrative."

Professor Roger J. A. Wilson

"Engrossing . . . ideal for general readers with an interest in ancient history."

Booklist

05/01/2017
An appealing figure for popular historians, the Carthaginian general Hannibal (b. 247 BCE) possessed a combination of military strategy, good luck, and family legacy that makes for a dramatic tale. Hunt (archaeology, Stanford Univ.) uses these factors to present this straightforward study that, as with similar ancient histories, loses something owing to the limited sources available and their Roman bias. Nothing is known about Hannibal's early years or personal life; as a result, everything but the military history must be left vague. The author addresses the limits of the research sufficiently, but some of his attempts to explain Hannibal's psychology are unconvincing, particularly his youthful motivations for going to war. There is some discussion of Carthaginian history and culture, but this is not the focus of the book. Instead, the concentration is on battle, military strategy, and political alliances with Roman colonies or enemies. The military history is thorough and balanced; Hannibal is not presented as an enemy of Rome, but as an actor in his own right. VERDICT Drawing on both ancient and modern scholarship, this book is accessible for the nonspecialist; military history buffs will enjoy. [See Prepub Alert, 2/6/17.]—Margaret Heller, Loyola Univ. Chicago Libs.

Library Journal

★ 2017-04-30
An archaeologist and historian shares his vast knowledge of the life of the leader of the second Punic War (213-202 B.C.E.).Hunt, a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, displays an ability to teach without preaching and entertain without lowering literary standards, making for an exciting biography of one of history's greatest commanders. Hannibal was the son of Hamilcar Barca, who led the first Punic War and made his son swear an oath to destroy Rome after Carthage was defeated. Hamilcar believed that Carthage, a society dominated by merchants, capitulated much too quickly; it lost its mastery of the seas and monopoly of trade to the Romans and had to pay a large indemnity. Hamilcar was sent to their Spanish holdings to gather that indemnity from the silver mines, and he took his young son with him. There, Hannibal learned the finer arts of war, which he used to cross the Alps and wage more than 15 years of war in Italy. Drawing on the writings of Polybius and the often negative Livy, Hunt makes good use of primary sources. Hannibal surprised his enemies with hidden armies, relied on his spies and on local Celts, and even employed stampeded cattle with burning brush on their horns to destroy armies. Rome was blindsided by the Punic army and defeated in a series of battles, including the infamous Cannae. What Hannibal didn't understand is that Rome never considered itself defeated, no matter how many losses they suffered. Eventually, there was one Roman, Scipio, who paid attention to his methods, returned to the Fabian method of nonengagement, and mirrored Hannibal's mastery of deception and psychological warfare. Scipio actually met with Hannibal before their final battle at Zama in 202 and again in his exile—oh, to have been a fly on the wall at that first meeting. Hunt does his best to grant us that wish. A thrilling page-turner about one of history's most brilliant strategists and tacticians.

Kirkus Reviews