Hannibal crossing the alps book

Sep 09, 2014 the subtitle of this books is the invasion of italy and the punic wars, but the book is not limited to only those subjects. I am adapting a scenario from it for historicon, but using to the strongest. In an artists rendering, hannibals army engages in a skirmish during their alps crossing. At the time, such passage of the apparently impenetrable barrier of the alps was regarded as impossible, but hannibal accomplished it, true to the dictum most often attributed to him, we will find a way, and if there is no way, we will make a way. Getty imagesdorling kindersley the three punic wars were a struggle for. That is a slight exaggeration but there certainly has been several hundred books published about hannibal over the last 2,000 years. His account of the stunning attack in 218bc on rome by hannibal of carthage, crossing the alps with a large army and the famous elephants, is vivid but dryly detailed, and pays just tribute to hannibal s leadership ability and tactical acumen.

To defeat the romans, hannibal did the unthinkable. Military historian discovers hannibals longlost battlefield. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading hannibal s crossing of the alps. In this book, hennenbert explains that in 1828, there had been a total of 42 publications about hannibals route across the alps but by 1835, that total had. His decision to attack rome through the alps could be seen as madness, but the fact he managed to cross the alps points to his great genius. Hannibals crossing of the alps military wiki fandom. Hannibals incredible yet mysterious route through the alps. Across the alps hannibal part 2 second punic war historymarche.

The subtitle of this books is the invasion of italy and the punic wars, but the book is not limited to only those subjects. As a layreader, as i understand it, there is no settled consensus to which passes or route he took. Polybius about hannibals crossing of the alps novo. He pulled off one of the greatest military feats ever. An illustrated depiction of hannibal crossing the alps. Why did hannibal decide to cross the alps and did not go. His famous crossing of the alps in winter with an intrepid army and elephants is unforgettable, but are his brilliant maneuvers and intelligence. Anyway, hannibal is on the east bank of the river rhone and the army of consul publius cornelius scipio is advancing northward to bring him to battle. Hannibal book by patrick n hunt official publisher. Jun 01, 2016 crossing the alps with an army in bad weather was quite a feat, but the trouble hannibal had even getting to the alps in the first place often gets forgotten. Blocking a user will prevent that user from commenting on your posts and messaging you. The story of hannibal, as it is told to us, largely brushes over hannibal s campaigns in iberia and those of hamilcar and hasdrubal before him and i have often said that, if the life of hannibal were ten chapters of a book, it is as if the very first chapter was always missing. There is also an ambiguity in the statement of nepos hannibal, 3 that hannibal crossed the graian alps.

Upon the arrival of the intelligence of the carthaginians in the neighborhood of massilia, the consul threw up his proposed iberian expedition and in its stead thought to do the next logical thing, to prevent hannibal s crossing of the rhone as best he could. A note on hannibals losses during the crossing of the alps. View of bourg saint maurice and the tarentaise valley. This normally would mean crossing by the little st bernard. Artstation hannibals crossing of the alps, mariusz kozik. His famous crossing of the alps in winter with an intrepid army and elephants is unforgettable, but are his brilliant maneuvers and intelligence gathering still worth. Jul 18, 2016 hannibal barca, the great carthaginian general, is famous, among other feats, for his epic crossing of the alps in 218 bce. Hannibal s most famous achievement is his crossing of the alps. To defeat the romans, hannibal did the unthinkable he led an army through a. His account of the stunning attack in 218bc on rome by hannibal of carthage, crossing the alps with a large army and the famous elephants, is vivid but dryly detailed, and pays just tribute to hannibals leadership ability and tactical acumen. He is perhaps best known for his crossing of the alps to wage war on rome. While the book concentrates at least half of the roughly 200 pages on hannibal s alp crossing from gaul france to italy, we also get a history of hannibal s family and the citystate of carthage, plus much history of ancient rome, mainly in relation to their arch rival.

Hannibal was portrayed on phoenician coins minted in spain as hercules, with the club and everything. British engineer john hoyte led an expedition that tried to reenact aspects of hannibal s legendary crossing of the alps during the second punic war in 218 bce. Dec 31, 2015 if you find our videos helpful you can support us by buying something from amazon. The british alpine hannibal expedition was an experimental archeology event that took place in 1959. The passage of hannibal over the alps by meridian rare. Some details of hannibal s crossing of the alps have been preserved, chiefly by polybius, who is said to have traveled the route himself.

Hannibal crossing the alps nypl digital collections. Hannibal s route across the alps is one of those historical questions that cause endless debate even though the subject has no importance whatsoever. Getty imagesdorling kindersley the three punic wars were a struggle for dominance of the mediterranean region. These wars were fought over pure hatred and grudges held by one side against the other. Why would hannibal elect to evade him by marching north and then crossing the alps rather than engaging in battle. And lastly, while the feat of hannibal crossing the alps was certainly audacious, the audacity of the scope was fairly well planned by hannibal.

As for the authors theory that hannibal crossed the alps following the drome. Apr 18, 2018 in 1878, french historian, eugene hannenbert wrote about hannibals crossing of the alps in his 2nd part of his 3 book account of hannibals life called histoire dannibal. Hannibal, the brilliant general who successfully crossed the alps with his war elephants and brought rome to its knees. Simply put, the crossing was not just tried and accomplished purely for the shock and awe factor that would psychologically afflict the romans. Hannibal and his army crossed the alps in 218 bce in 16 days, which is still considered an amazing feat, taking into account that it was late in. Apr 10, 2018 the famous crossing of the alps occurred in 218 bc, a period when carthage and rome were competing for world dominance. Hannibal crossing the alps the new york public library digital collections. They are a seemingly impenetrable wall of mountains no army can cross. Last year, i wrote how there have been over 1,000 books published about hannibal and how in almost every book, there is a different route for hannibal s crossing of the alps. Hannibal and his army crossing the alps is an oil on canvas painting by j. Bypassing roman and allied land garrisons and roman naval dominance, hannibal managed to lead his carthaginian army over the alps and into italy to take the war. Having read dodges account of hannibals crossing and having cycled the route personally, i am also convinced that hannibal marched up the tarentaise valley and across the alps via the petit saint bernard pass.

Hunt demonstrates why hannibal was so adept at battle, in particular his ability to turn to his advantage the quirks of terrain, weather and the characteristics of his roman foes. The book, rather short, is also much longer than really needed, the author repeating himself, well, repeatedly, while the quality of the maps that are to support his alternate views on where hannibal crossed the alps are lacking. Book iii, loeb classical library researchselection for. Oct 21, 2018 the story of hannibal, as it is told to us, largely brushes over hannibals campaigns in iberia and those of hamilcar and hasdrubal before him and i have often said that, if the life of hannibal were ten chapters of a book, it is as if the very first chapter was always missing. Hannibal crosses the alps is just the right size for the reader looking for a good snapshot of the second punic war. She arrived in rotterdam from thailand on jul 9th, 1940, at the age of 5 yearsold, already trained to obey some human commands in thai, just 2 months after the nazi blitz bombing of rotterdam on may 14th, 1940, which killed over 900 and left over 30,000 homeless. There are two ancient texts that give a description of hannibal s route. Polybius about hannibals crossing of the alps novo scriptorium. Where did hannibal cross the alps part 3 col du petit saint. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that. Turners large picture of hannibal crossing the alps was placed over the door of the new roomand it was thought was seen to great advantage. Now new scientific evidence points to hannibals legendary route to rome.

The earliest was a naturalist named cecil torr, who in his 1924 book hannibal crosses the alps tells us that as a teenager he set out, fruitlessly, to find traces of vinegar used, after fires were. Polybius and livy on hannibals crossing of the alps. Two major historical sources exist for this event, polybius and livy. Hannibal barca, the great carthaginian general, is famous, among other feats, for his epic crossing of the alps in 218 bce. Left to the nation in the turner bequest, it was acquired by the national gallery in london in 1856, and is now held by the tate gallery. The truth about hannibals route across the alps science.

I think this page is pretty impressive but needs work in using more than one source for the most particularly controversial section of where hannibal crossed the alps. Hannibal s crossing of the alps kindle edition by livy, titus livius, davis, william stearns. Apr 03, 2017 view of bourg saint maurice and the tarentaise valley. Hannibal barca, otherwise simply known as hannibal, lived and waged war over two thousand years ago but is he still relevant in a world where the romans are long gone. While the book concentrates at least half of the roughly 200 pages on hannibals alp crossing from gaul france to italy, we also get a history of hannibals family and the citystate of carthage, plus much history of ancient rome, mainly in relation to their arch rival. The other source is the twentyfirst book of the history of rome from its foundation, written by. Where did hannibal cross the alps part 3 col du petit. His most famous campaign took place during the second punic war 218202, when he caught the romans off guard by crossing the alps. Key to this whole war, in essence, was this one great battle. Livy and polybius on the life of hannibal from carthage. Dec 10, 2017 hannibal barca, otherwise simply known as hannibal, lived and waged war over two thousand years ago but is he still relevant in a world where the romans are long gone.

Switzerland has remained neutral in all wars because of the alps. The famous crossing of the alps occurred in 218 bc, a period when carthage and rome were competing for world dominance. This does not prevent us, however, from enjoying the puzzle and adding some extra speculations. Apr 16, 2018 and lastly, while the feat of hannibal crossing the alps was certainly audacious, the audacity of the scope was fairly well planned by hannibal. 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. Having read dodges account of hannibal s crossing and having cycled the route personally, i am also convinced that hannibal marched up the tarentaise valley and across the alps via the petit saint bernard pass. Hannibals crossing of the alps book summary and study guide. Museum natural history, who published no fewer than five books on. Crossing the alps with an army in bad weather was quite a feat, but the trouble hannibal had even getting to the alps in the first place often gets forgotten. This is a guest post from patrick hunt, author of the new book, hannibal.

Jun 02, 2008 hannibals crossing of the alps is generally regarded as a masterpiece of military strategy, but in the crossing hannibal suffered dramatic losses of men, as well as of his war elephants and, perhaps most importantly, his siege engines. The carthaginian general hannibal crossed the alps mountains between france and italy in order to bring the second punic war to the ancient romans over 2,000 years ago. An very well selected excerpt which provides a pacy and interesting account of hannibal s crossing of the alps as one might have expected from the title from spain into italy in 218 bc. Apr 03, 2016 an illustration of hannibal crossing the alps with elephants and horses. Hannibal in the alps about the film secrets of the. It covers most of hannibals life but focuses mainly on his legendary crossing of the alpine mountain range. The book is particularly illuminating in discussing hannibal s famous crossing of the alps in 218 b. So once hannibal crossed the alps and devastated the romans in italy for 16 years without a single defeat, some actually thought that hannibal was the embodiment of hercules. While the book concentrates at least half of the roughly 200 pages on hannibal s alp crossing from gaul france to italy, we also get a history of hannibal s family and the city. First to oppose the crossing was a tribelet of the allobroges, who may have been angered by hannibal s intervention on behalf of brancus. Hannibal traversed the mountainsonce thought uncrossablewith a force. The struggle for power in the mediterranean, book club associates, london.

Hannibal and his men crossing the alps hannibal outmaneuvered the natives who had tried to prevent his crossing, then evaded a roman force marching from the mediterranean coast by turning inland up the valley of the rhone. Benjamin west came and concurred in this opinion with robert smirke, nathaniel dance, and myself. The truth about hannibals route across the alps science the. I think the poem youre looking for was written by eleanor farjeon titled when hannibal crossed the alps, and is in a book of hers called crocodile and other poems. This little book is the historical equivalent of a news soundbite, a slice of life as it was then.

In search of hannibal a graphic novel by smiletitans. Hannibal, carthaginian general, one of the great military leaders of antiquity, who commanded the carthaginian forces against rome in the second punic war 218201 bce and who continued to oppose rome until his death. Hannibal crosses the alps by john prevas the subtitle of this books is the invasion of italy and the punic wars, but the book is not limited to only those subjects. The carthaginian general hannibal 247182 bce was one of the greatest military leaders in history. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. This takes his crossing from a book published in 1891. Hannibal was determined to get his whole army men and animals across the treacherous path through the alps. Pob itself is pretty well suited to the punic wars. The carthaginians and romans were probably the two fiercest contenders during their time period. Hannibal, one of the greatest commanders of the ancient world is brought vividly to life in this new biography by historian and archaeologist patrick hunt. The rhone rises northwest of the head of the adriatic on the northern slope of the alps, and running in a southwesterly direction, falls into the sardinian sea. Polybius and livy on hannibals crossing of the alps john d clare.

It should work with minor adaptations for pulse of battle. The project gutenberg ebook of hannibal crosses the alps, by. Hannibal crosses the alps 0 out of 5 based on 0 ratings. The wikipedia article on hannibal s crossing of the alps comments. Book 3, chapters 4748 some of the writers who have described this passage of the alps, from the wish to impress their readers by the marvels they recount of these mountains, are betrayed into two vices most alien to true history. I think hannibal ad portas is a brilliant little book. The truth about hannibals route across the alps the guardian.

Hannibal in the alps about the film secrets of the dead pbs. In 218 bc, according to livys account, the mighty c. An illustrated depiction of hannibal crossing the alps with his signature elephants and. Jan 02, 2020 polybius about hannibals crossing of the alps the rhone rises northwest of the head of the adriatic on the northern slope of the alps, and running in a southwesterly direction, falls into the sardinian sea. Hannibals crossing of the alps in 218 bc was one of the major events of the second punic. Known for his tactical nous and management of his men, in this account anyway, hannibal comes across as very capable.

The environmental background to the alpine invasion of italia and the warmaker, a novel whose lusty. Trivia aida, the elephant, who plays lucy, lived at the rotterdam zoo until july 23rd, 1981, when she died at age 46. Hannibal, argueably the greatest war hero of the ancient world, second to alexander the great was both loved and hated throughout the hellenic world and has remained a major historical character studied through ancient history circles today. An illustration of hannibal crossing the alps with elephants and horses. Livy and polybius two brilliant ancient historians have left an invaluable insight into the life of hannibal from carthage and have documented in their. Hannibal crossing the alps throughout ancient history, wars have plagued the earth.