Tag: Carthaginian

Free Download Charles River Editors, Michelle Humphries (Narrator), "Hamilcar and Hannibal: The History of the Carthaginian Generals Who Brought Rome to Its Knees"
English | ISBN: 9798868600982 | 2024 | M4B@64 kbps | ~02:54:00 | 85 MB
One overlooked figure in the Punic Wars is Hamilcar Barca, who is now best remembered for being Hannibal’s father. However, before Hannibal marched out of Spain, it was Hamilcar who had positioned forces there, and he was already a significant historical figure in his own right. Indeed, had it not been for his death, his legacy likely would have been more important than that of his illustrious son, who is now remembered as one of history’s greatest generals.
In the history of war, only a select few men always make the list of greatest generals. Napoleon. Caesar. Alexander. They are always joined by Hannibal, who has the distinction of being the only man who nearly brought Rome to its knees before its decline almost 700 years later. Rome never suffered a more horrifying defeat in its history than at Cannae, and indeed, Hannibal nearly rewrote the course of Western history during the Second Punic War. Even today there remains great debate on just how he accomplished his masterful invasion of Italy across the Alps. Since his army included war elephants, historians still argue over exactly where and how he crossed over 2,000 years after he managed that incredible feat.
Although the Romans gained the upper hand in the wake of the First Punic War, Hannibal brought the Romans to their knees for over a decade during the Second Punic War. While military historians are still amazed that he was able to maintain his army in Italy near Rome for nearly 15 years, scholars are still puzzled over some of his decisions, including why he never attempted to march on Rome in the first place. Hannibal will always be listed among history’s greatest generals, and his military campaign in Italy during the Second Punic War will always be studied, but part of the aura and mystique surrounding the Carthaginian legend is that there is still a lot of mystery.

Free Download Marc G de Santis, "Rome Seizes the Trident: The Defeat of Carthaginian Seapower and the Forging of the Roman Empire"
English | ISBN: 1473826985 | 2016 | 272 pages | PDF | 4 MB
Seapower played a greater part in ancient empire building than is often appreciated. The Punic Wars, especially the first, were characterized by massive naval battles. The Romans did not even possess a navy of their own when war broke out between them and the Carthaginians in Sicily in 264 B.C. Prior to that, the Romans had relied upon several South Italian Greek cities to provide ships in the same way as its other allies provided soldiers to serve with the legions. The Romans were nevertheless determined to acquire a navy that could challenge that of Carthage. They used a captured galley as a model, reverse engineered it, and constructed hundreds of copies. The Romans used this new navy to wrench maritime superiority from the Carthaginians, most notably at the Battle of Ecnomus where they prevailed through the use of novel tactics. Although not decisive on its own, Rome’s new found naval power was, as Marc De Santis shows, a vital component in their ultimate victory in each of the three Punic Wars.