BACKGROUND TO THE PUNIC WARS A people called the Phoenicians had come from the Lebanon and founded

a great city in North Africa called Carthage. They posed a real challenge to Romes dominance in the Mediterranean. For control of the trade in the Mediterranean the two great cities fought two major wars, one in the mid third century B.C. and the other beginning in 218 B.C. Hannibal, the great Carthaginian commander, had sworn when young that he would destroy her power. He had fought alongside his father, brother and brother in law against Rome and had even led an army through Spain across the Alps against her. He was a truly gifted general. The Romans were shocked at the daring of someone bringing the war onto their own territory and at first things went very badly for them. Hannibal defeated them at the Battle of Trebia and Lake Trasimene. The Romans could not believe this was happening. A new commander, Fabius was appointed who saw that Hannibal would not be defeated in open battle. He used delaying tactics with which the Romans ran out of patience. Two new consuls were appointed for 216 B.C., Aemelius Paulus and Terentius Varro. They marched against Hannibal with an army of 80.000 men (double the size of his army). They fought against Hannibal at Cannae in Apulia in June. Cannae is one of the most famous battles of all time. Hannibals tactics have been copied many times since, notably by the Germans in W.W.1 and by the Americans in the Gulf War. By the end of the day we are told that 6,000 Carthaginians lay dead and 70,000 Romans. Could Hannibal have taken Rome if he had followed up his victory immediately as Maharbal urged him to do? Perhaps but we will never know.