Random Facts About Ancient Military Genius Hannibal Barca You Didn't Learn In School (13 items)

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  (#6) The Celts Of Northern Italy Joined Up With Hannibal

  When Hannibal arrived in Northern Italy with a massive army and battle-ready elephants, he looked the part of a leader. So the Gallic tribes of the area, namely the Boii and Insubres, decided they would join up with the Carthaginian army. They hated Rome anyway, so this looked like a good opportunity to get out from under the Roman jackboot.

  The Gauls had a reputation as fearsome warriors. They had been defeated by the Romans just a few years earlier. The more Hannibal won, the more Gallic tribes joined him.
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  (#13) Hannibal Perished While On The Run From Rome

  Once Rome started chasing Hannibal, they weren't about to stop. Rome still feared him leading a battle-ready team. At the time, Hannibal was fighting for Bithynia, whose king gave Hannibal's location to the Romans.

  The Romans surrounded the house and — seeing that there was no way out — Hannibal decided to take poison instead of being captured. He is purported to have said, "Let us put an end to this life, which has caused so much dread to the Romans."
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  (#9) Hannibal Easily Defeated A Much Larger Roman Force At The Battle of Cannae

  This is probably Hannibal's most famous victory, and his win was so grand it is worth repeating. When the Roman army approached Cannae, it outnumbered Hannibal's troops two to one (about 80,000 to 40,000). If Hannibal was going to win this fight, it was going to take an act of military genius. Luckily, Hannibal had plenty of that.

  The Carthaginian army deployed in a crescent shape facing the Romans. Using their superior cavalry, the Carthaginian troops routed the Roman cavalry on both wings. Meanwhile, the Roman infantry was drawn into the center of the crescent, which gradually gave ground. Then, reserves on the wings of the crescent advanced, surrounding the Romans on three sides. The Carthaginian cavalry returned, flanking the Romans and surrounding them. Facing foes on all sides, the Romans fell into disarray and were crushed.

  By the end of the day, between 50,000 and 70,000 Romans were slain. About a thousand more were wounded or taken prisoner, bringing the casualty rates up to over 80%. It remains one of the bloodiest day in the history of ancient warfare. Comparatively, the Carthaginians lost about 6,000 men.
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  (#8) He Lost An Eye Due To An Infection, But He Kept Fighting

  During the invasion of Rome, Hannibal lost sight in one eye. While the army was crossing the Arno River marshes — basically a big swamp — he developed an infection. But that wasn't about to slow him down. Shortly thereafter, he maneuvered his army to defeat the Roman opposition at the Battle of Lake Trasimene, even without the aid of proper depth perception.
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  (#11) After His Military Career Ended, Hannibal Became A Politician

  People really liked Hannibal in Carthage. They eventually appointed him as Suffete, the top official position in the city. He instituted constitutional reforms, including creating term limits. He also worked hard to root out corruption within the government.

  All this managed to anger the aristocracy, who had a pretty good racket going before Hannibal came along. So they called up Rome and told them that Hannibal was planning on getting a new team by aligning with Seleucid king Antiochus III the Great (of modern Syria) and invading Italy again. So the Romans sent people to arrest Hannibal.

  Hannibal predicted this move, so he ended up fleeing — to the Seleucid king Antiochus III the Great. He ended up with a minor navy instead of an army, though, which he did use to fight against Rome, although he was defeated.
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  (#3) Hannibal Was Appointed General By His Soldiers

  At the age of 25, five years after his father Hamilcar was slain in battle and shortly after the killing of General Hasdrubal (his brother-in-law), Hannibal was named the leader of the Carthaginian army. 

  Although he was young, Hannibal was well-respected by his army. He is known for having a relatively peaceful tenure, as the varied group of men he led never attempted to overthrow him. He was also kind to the animals, like elephants and horses, that he used in battle.

   

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