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Hannibal

The journey of Hannibal, a strategic genius whose audacity and brilliance reshaped the course of ancient history during the Second Punic War.

The Story of Hannibal: The Nightmare of the Roman Empire (Video)

In the tapestry of ancient conflicts, the clash between Rome and Carthage etches a defining chapter. Carthage, a maritime power commanding critical Mediterranean trade routes, resisted Rome's...
Detail depicting of the famous crossing of the Alps by Hannibal’s elephants. Hannibal's Crossing of the Alps by Heinrich Leutemann. Source: Public domain

Unsolved Mystery: The Mysterious Origins of Hannibal's Elephants

The saga of the perilous journey of the Carthaginian general Hannibal across the Alps during the Second Punic War was immortalized not only by his military prowess but also by the awe-inspiring...
10 ancient unsung heroes reshaped history.	Source: W Parkinson/ CC BY-SA 4.0, Assassin's Creed Wiki/CC BY SA, CC BY-SA 3.0, Public Domain

10 Most Fascinating Unsung Heroes of Ancient History

History was built by heroes - both small and great. But heroes are not made only in battles. They can be scholars, sages, explorers, commanders, religious figures, and anything in between. And for...
Aftermath of Romans Conquering (furyon/ Adobe Stock)

The Roman Empire’s Pragmatic Puzzle Of Provinces

The popular conception of the Romans, mainly fostered by movies and television, extends to their all-conquering dominance, their armies, gladiators, blood and gore, sex and violence, mad emperors,...
Roman legions at the last battle in the Second Punic War. 	Source: vukkostic/Adobe Stock

The Second Punic War – Hannibal’s Infamous Offensive

In the annals of ancient history, there emerges a clash of titans that shook the foundations of the Mediterranean world—the Second Punic War. It was an epochal struggle that pitted Rome, the rising...
Hannibal of Carthage is most famous for having crossed the Alps along with his African war elephants. Source: vitanovski / Adobe Stock

Hannibal of Carthage: Military Commander and Greatest Enemy of Rome

Throughout time there have been great military leaders, whose skills and strategic prowess have shaped and defined the path of human civilization. One such military leader was Hannibal of Carthage. A...
Spanish guerrilla resistance to the Napoleonic French invasion of Spain at the Battle of Valdepeñas (Public Domain)

Guerrilla Warriors Who Overthrew History

Guerrilla warfare is a particular type of combat that is generally fought by trained civilians fighting for freedom from oppression and independence, rather than an official military unit. History is...
Hannibal: The Carthaginian General Who Took on the Romans

Hannibal: The Carthaginian General Who Took on the Romans

Hannibal Barca was a Carthaginian general who lived between the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC. He is perhaps best remembered for his military campaign against the Romans in the Second Punic War. Thanks to...
The Mûmakil Elephant Slayers Of The Ancient World

The Mûmakil Elephant Slayers Of The Ancient World

In the ancient world elephants were worshiped as divine symbols, harbingers of good luck and the carriers of wisdom, but they were also deployed to intimidate opposing armies and as highly-...
Representation of Hannibal and the Carthaginians before battle.       Source: Iuliia KOVALOVA / Adobe stock

New Site Identified For Battlefield Of Hannibal’s First Great Victory

Archaeologists in Spain have discovered the lost battlefield where the legendary Hannibal won his first great victory before his march on Rome. Hannibal was the famous Carthaginian statesman and...
The Battle of Zama. Source: Art Institute of Chicago / Public domain

When Hannibal Met His Nemesis: The Battle of Zama

The Battle of Zama was a decisive battle of the Second Punic War (also known as the Hannibalic War, or the War Against Hannibal), which was fought between Rome and Carthage. The battle was won by the...
Peace between Hamilcar and Rome by Jacopo Ripanda. Musei Capitolini - Rome (José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro / CC BY-SA 4.0)

Hunting Hamilcar: The Battle of the Saw Uncovered

Hamilcar Barca , the father of the battlefield genius, Hannibal , is considered even today as one of the greatest military commanders of all time, yet so little is known about the man and his battles...
A magical sword, in a Fairy Tale fores

Espada de Anibal - The Mystery Behind Hannibal’s Magical Lost Sword

Ancient Origins’ readers were recently delighted with the news that Hannibal’s first battlefield, fought on the river Tagus in Spain in 220 BC has finally been found . But for historian Ricky D...
Hannibal crossing the Alps on elephants by Nicolas Poussin

Military Historian Discovers Hannibal’s Long-Lost Battlefield

The history of Hannibal Barca , one of the greatest military commanders of the ancient world, is one which has fascinated historians and generals throughout the last two millennia, and yet his final...
Hannibal crossing the Alps on elephants by Nicolas Poussin

2,200-Year-Old Moat with Artifacts Linked to Hannibal Unearthed in Spain

Spanish university students trying to retrace Hannibal’s war march through northeastern Spain found a huge buried moat with ancient objects in it. The moat may have been meant to protect the ancient...
Modern representation of a Carthaginian war elephant.

War Elephants: The Military ‘Tanks’ of the Ancient World

“A few only of Ptolemy's elephants ventured to close with those of the enemy, and now the men in the towers on the back of these beasts made a gallant fight of it, striking with their pikes at close...
The Battle of Cannae was a major battle of the Second Punic War that took place on 2 August 216 BC in Apulia, in southeast Italy. The army of Carthage, under Hannibal, surrounded and decisively defeated a larger army of the Roman Republic

Analysis of Roman Coins Proves Roman Empire Got Rich on Iberian Silver

An analysis of Roman coins has revealed information about the defeat of the Carthaginian General Hannibal and the rise of the Roman Empire . The scientists who examined them suggest that the defeat...
Hannibal Barca (by Sébastien Slodtz) and Battle of Zama, 202 BC

Inside the Mind of Hannibal: What Caused Him to Become Rome’s Most Hated Man?

Watching your father’s brave, heroic and selfless act in order to preserve your own life must leave a permanent mark. They were fearsome and powerful Vetton warriors, and when they saw his father’s...
Replica of the Sarcophagus of Scipio Barbatus at the Scipios Tomb.

Hannibal’s Conqueror Brings Everlasting Glory to the Scipios Family Tomb

A monument created for one man stands in the heart of Rome, but it became an eternal house for his entire family. The remarkable construction conceals the secrets of generations of people whose fame...
 Drawing of Balearic Slinger and Castelo Branco - Jardim do Paco

A History of Hamilcar: Akre Leuca, Dream City of Hamilcar Barca– Part II

Like ancient Carthage, Akre Leuca was not only a military center but also a culturally-advanced city in its time. There was no other city like it. If evidence in the urban structure of Castelo Branco...
Hannibal crossing the Alps on elephants.

How Ancient Horse-Dung Bacteria is Helping Locate Where Hannibal Crossed the Alps

Chris Allen / The Conversation Despite thousands of years of hard work by brilliant scholars, the great enigma of where Hannibal crossed the Alps to invade Italy remained unsolved. But now it looks...