Their commander Hannibal marched his troops, including cavalry and African war elephants, across a high pass in the Alps to strike at Rome itself from the north of the Italian peninsula. It was one of the greatest military feats in history. Hannibal's alpine crossing has been celebrated in myth, art and film.
Hannibal in the Alps. The Carthaginian general Hannibal (247-182 BCE) was one of the greatest military leaders in history. His most famous campaign took place during the Second Punic War (218-202), when he caught the Romans off guard by crossing the Alps.
Hannibal (also known as Hannibal Barca, l. 247-183 BCE) was a Carthaginian general during the Second Punic War between Carthage and Rome (218-202 BCE). He is considered one of the greatest generals of antiquity and his tactics are still studied and used in the present day.
The Roman defeat at Cannae stunned much of southern Italy, and many of Rome's allies and colonies defected to the Carthaginian side. He then invaded North Africa, forcing Hannibal to withdraw his troops from southern Italy in 203 B.C. in order to defend his home state.
Hannibal Lost his Eye
After winning the Battle of the Trebia, Hannibal's army traveled through strange, uninhabited swamp land, made worse by heavy rain. Many of the men's feet began to rot from the waterlogged conditions, and in Hannibal it led to an infection in his right eye.Over half his army died in the severe, cold conditions, Hannibal himself was blinded in one eye, and it is recorded that only one of his elephants survived the trek.
The reference to vinegar may come from a description by Livy of Hannibal's crossing of the Alps, when it was said that the soldiers used vinegar in fire-setting to remove large rocks in the path of his army.
The Romans seem to have been largely unimpressed with the use of elephants and employed them only rarely and in small numbers, usually supplied via Numidia. They were said to have cunningly released pigs to disrupt Pyrrhus' elephants at the Battle of Maleventum in 275 BCE.
Romans first encountered the elephant in 280 BC. Whereas the Greeks and Carthaginians used elephants mainly in war, the Romans used them primarily for spectacle, the first time in 275 BC, when those that had been captured from Pyrrhus were displayed in triumph.
The war elephant's main use was to charge the enemy, breaking their ranks and instilling terror. Elephantry are military units with elephant-mounted troops. War elephants played a critical role in several key battles in antiquity, but their use declined with the spread of firearms in the early modern period.
The Romans first encountered elephants against Pyrrhus, at Heraclea. Finally, in 202 BC, Scippio came up with a brilliant way to defeat elephants: move. As the elephants charged, he ordered his men to open the lines and let the elephants through, so the could shoot them with javelins from all sides.
it was mentioned that horses tend to dislike elephants, so they are effective against cavalry.
Persians used war elephants at the Battle of Gaugamela in 331 BC. The Persians had 15 Indian-trained war elephants, which were placed at the centre of the Persian line, and they made such an impression on the Macedonian troops that Alexander felt the need to sacrifice to the God of Fear the night before the battle.
During the Second Punic War, Hannibal famously led an army of war elephants across the Alps, although many of them perished in the harsh conditions. The surviving elephants were successfully used in the battle of Trebia, where they panicked the Roman cavalry and Gallic allies.
Hannibal managed to lead his Carthaginian army over the Alps and into Italy to take the war directly to the Roman Republic, bypassing Roman and allied land garrisons and Roman naval dominance.
During the Second Punic War, Hannibal famously led an army of war elephants across the Alps, although many of them perished in the harsh conditions. The surviving elephants were successfully used in the battle of Trebia, where they panicked the Roman cavalry and Gallic allies.
Ascent of the Alps
Identification of the pass - the highest point of Hannibal's route and the beginning of his descent - that Hannibal took through the Alpine range determines which route his army followed. Proposals have been made for the following passes: Little St Bernard Pass. Col de Clapier.Hannibal's crossing of the Alps. Hannibal's crossing of the Alps in 218 BC was one of the major events of the Second Punic War, and one of the most celebrated achievements of any military force in ancient warfare.
Hannibal marched from Cartagena in May, divided his army into three columns, crossed the Ebro and subdued the area between the Pyrenees and Ebro and Siccle rivers after a two-month-long campaign.
The animals that figure so prominently on the ancient Egyptian friezes—hippopotamuses, giraffes, and ostriches—no longer exist in Egypt; crocodiles are found only south of the Aswān High Dam.
Size. The African bush elephant is the largest terrestrial animal. Cows are 2.2–2.6 m (7.2–8.5 ft) tall at the shoulder and weigh 2,160–3,232 kg (4,762–7,125 lb), while bulls are 3.2–4 m (10–13 ft) tall and weigh 4,700–6,048 kg (10,362–13,334 lb).
Archaeological sites. Ongoing excavations by the German Archaeological Institute at the town have uncovered many findings, on display in the Aswan Museum located on the island, including a mummified ram of Khnum. Artifacts dating back to prehistoric Egypt have been found on Elephantine.
