Hannibal: Master General Of The Ancient World Essay, Research Paper
Hannibal is a great general that used many tactics and strategies to winning his battles. He carefully marched his way through Spain since he had allies in some parts and enemies in other parts. Then he went through France to Italy, where his conquest to conquer Rome would happen. He moved his troops through allied territory, where his presence would most likely be safe.
The great Hannibal won the battle of Cannae because his smart thinking and plans. He recruited Gauls to bring his army up to power and used many ambushes to win. He knew the weaknesses of the Roman generals and used it to his advantage, by outflanking their army. His cavalry smashed through the Roman horsemen while heavy infantry destroyed Roman’s line. The use of these double envelopment tactics led to destruction of the Roman army.
The death of Hannibal occurred after Romans finally developed tactics that would keep his army from gaining strength. Rome used their navy to keep reinforcements from Carthage coming to help. Also, Scipio invaded Spain that led Hannibal to come to the rescue. Hannibal was delayed his attack strategy; thus, when he returned back to fight, momentum had gone to the Roman’s side. The Romans encircled his army and destroyed it. Hannibal survived, but ended his life as a fugitive.
If I were a Roman general, I would warn my soldiers about Hannibal’s advanced tactics to attacking. First, I would make sure my soldiers are not in a place where they could be trapped and have their line broken. My soldiers would be prepared for surprised attacks and ambushes. They would not be overconfident, but ready to attack any cavalry and infantry. I would make sure they knew about the double envelopment tactics and other interesting plans Hannibal used to try to bring destruction to Rome. With this information, my soldiers would have the power to win any strategies Hannibal used to weaken my army.
Today’s politics, culture, and languages would be different if Hannibal had conquered Rome. Carthage might have ruled the world and change the way of architecture that we use today. Europe would have a large, vast amount of Carthaginian ancestry; thus, the people wore different clothes and celebrated different gods. The government would not have been led by leaders elected by people, but by the wealthy families. Most languages in Europe would be a dialect of Carthage and the people would have different accents. A holiday for Hannibal would be celebrated for his great victory that kept the people from becoming Romans.