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Welcome to the Most
Comprehensive Web Resource on the Life of Hannibal Barca and
the Punic Wars Between Rome and Carthage.
Important note:
This
site is a reproduction of the Barca.fsnet.co.uk site which inexplicably
went offline in 2006. It was by far the most comprehensive and thorough
site one could find on the subject and it's loss I am sure was felt by
many. The content of this site has been entirely compiled by Hilary Gowen and all I
have done is faithfully reproduce what there once was. If I have infringed on any
intellectual property or rights I sincerely apologise. You can contact
me here and I will rectify it immediately. The previous barca site was
quite dated, and while revamping the site, I have attempted to remain
faithful as much as is possible to the original layout.
Hannibal
Ad Portas!
This is a Latin saying, which
means 'Hannibal is at the door'. The fear of Hannibal became so great
that it was said Roman parents would use it as a way to threaten their
misbehaving children. If a child was bad, the parent would tell them
that Hannibal was coming for them - the modern equivalent is the
'bogeyman'.
This illustrates the
psychological impact Hannibal's presence in Italy had on Roman society.
Rome had not had a military threat on their treasured city since the
Gauls had sacked Rome.
It was said that Hannibal took
an oath from his father when he was 9, that he would hate Rome for
life. Also Carthage's Queen Dido was quoted as saying: "Neither love
nor treaty shall there be between the nations... Let your shores oppose
their shores, your waves their waves, your arms their arms. This is my
prayer let them fight, they and their sons', forever."
Another reason for the fear
inspired by Hannibal was his use of elephants, with which the Romans
were unfamiliar.
The 'Basics'
This
site is about Hannibal Barca, the famous General of Carthage who
crossed the Alps with his elephants to fight the Romans. This happened
around 2,200 years ago.
Carthage
- with its capital near Tunis in modern-day Tunisia, North Africa - was
a trading empire that had co-existed with Rome for many centuries.
Eventually the two empires clashed in the series of three wars called
the Punic Wars. Rome defeated Carthage three times, finally destroying
the city and the empire.
Hannibal's
war was the Second Punic War - he started it by attacking Saguntum in
Spain and then invading Italy. He rampaged through Italy for 16 years,
inflicting horrific defeats on the Roman forces. He was never defeated
in a major engagement by the Romans in Italy but was gradually bottled
up in the south of the country. Finally Rome invaded his north African
homeland and he was recalled to defend it. There he suffered his first
major defeat, which ended the Second Punic War.
Hannibal
was then on the run and travelled through the Middle East, selling his
military skills - usually to the opponents of Rome's allies.
Finally Hannibal was trapped (in present-day Turkey) and took poison to avoid capture.
This
site can be approached from a number of directions: you can follow the
tours shown below: the Punic Wars or the life of Hannibal himself. You
can follow the life of Scipio Africanus. Or you can look at the people,
places and battles involved. For an historical overview look at the
different timelines. Or read excerpts from the historical sources.
Use the top of the page (row) and the left hand pane (column) to navigate. Look at the tips for advice on viewing. Have fun!
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