Hannibal Barca Of Carthage

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Aut viam inveniam aut faciam - This Latin proverb, meaning “I will either find a way, or make one”, and it has been attributed to Hannibal Barca of Carthage. Born into the vengeful wars between Rome and Carthage, it seems as though the direction of Hannibal Barca of Carthage’s life was predetermined by his father, Hamilcar Barca, and possibly by fate. Due to the world Hannibal was born into, his father and family members’ goals and successes, his fearless and aggressive nature, and his unique military actions, Hannibal of Barca became one of the most unforgettable and grandiose commanders throughout all of history.
Hannibal was born in the Carthage in the year 247, as Carthage was losing a long war to Rome. Hannibal was the oldest son of …show more content…

He refuses to back down and appoints his brother, Hasdrubal to cross the Ebro river and conquer the Iberian peninsula. With this action, Rome declares the Second Punic War. Hannibal genius and revenge comes into play once war is declared upon him by Rome. Rome expects Hannibal to defend Sicily, and sends troops to the south of Italy. However, Hannibal has other plans.
One of Hannibal’s most famous military achievements is when he refuses to do what has been done before, and has bigger plans than just defending Catalonia and Sicily. He decides to invade Italy from the north in order to boldly win the war through a northern invasion. His military tactics are like none other ever witnessed, as he crosses Iberia over the Pyrenees and Alps with tactics never before used, such as war elephants. Before the Romans can embolden their borders, Hannibal leaves Iberia with an army of 50,000 infantry, 9,000 cavalry, and around 37 elephants. This was considered to be a heroic task, even by the Roman writers such as Livy. He crosses the Rhone river (modern day France) ferrying his elephants in barges. He then crosses the Alps through snow and taking Col du Mont Genevre, moving down in the Italian town of Turin by October of 218. Livy explains why the Celtic tribes did not attack Hannibal as he started to cross the Alps. “ So long as the Carthaginians had remained in the plains the various chieftains of the Allobroges had left them alone because of their fear both of the Carthaginian cavalry and also of the barbarian troops who were escorting them.” (Lendering -

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