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The life of Hannibal, one of the greatest military leaders in history who brought a hundred thousand soldiers and their elephants across the Alps to defeat the Romans.With a new introduction, comes the story of Hannibal, often regarded as a successor to the mantle of Alexander the Great, at a time when Carthage, in North Africa, and Rome were rivals for land and power across the Mediterranean sea. A masterful tactician, a resourceful planner and courageous general, Hannibal famously crossed the Alps with a vast army of 100,000 soldiers and their elephants to make his mark on history, winning a series of battles across the Roman territories, holding much of Italy for over 15 years without ever quite overthrowing the Roman Republic.
FLAME TREE 451. The bestselling paperback series on myths, legends, warriors, leaders and epic literature. Although Norse, Greek and Celtic mythology dominate the popular imagination in Western countries, there are so many other tradition around the world that contribute to the rich exploration of our collective past and create new perspectives on events of the past, and the lessons of the future.
About the author
Lindsay Powell is a historian and writer on commanders and campaigns in the Roman Empire and ancient history. His critically acclaimed books include Augustus at War, Germanicus, Marcus Agrippa and Bar Kokhba. He is news editor of Ancient Warfare and Ancient History magazines. A graduate of Aston University, England, he lives in Austin, Texas.
Jake Jackson has written, edited and contributed to over 20 books on mythology and folklore. Related works include studies of Babylonian creation myths, the philosophy of time and William Blake's use of mythology in his visionary literature.
Summary
Hannibal, famous for invading Italy over the Alps with his elephants, was a great leader at the time of the early republic of Rome, in 200BCE. He was a general of Carthage, on the North African coast, a bitter rival to the authority of Rome, and was regarded as a match for the feats and exploits of Alexander the Great in the previous century.