army

In 218 BC, the Carthaginian general Hannibal Barca achieved one of military history's most extraordinary feats - leading an army of 46,000 men, 7,000 horses, and 37 war elephants across the Alps to invade Italy. For over two millennia, the exact route Hannibal took has been fiercely debated among historians and archaeologists. Now, a new study has approached the puzzle from a completely different angle, using movement ecology and bioenergetics to calculate the energy demands of moving such a massive army through the treacherous mountain passes. The findings provide compelling evidence that points to one specific route as the most viable option for the legendary commander. The team of researchers from the University of Oxford, the German Centre for Integrative