#punic wars
Some pages from Chapter 4 detailing the rise and fall of the Roman Republic. If you’re interested in learning more, Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History had an excellent podcast series awhile back called Death Throes of the Republic on this topic.
The paperback version of Part 1 is almost finalized and will soon be up on Amazon! If you’re interested, I’ll be updating this Tumblr soon with more details. As always, the ebook version is available on Gumroad, currently for $3 with the code TUMBLR.
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Let’s see you make a way where there is none -
says Fate;
Through ice, through storms, through iron, blood. It’s not
too late -
Settle down. Be a good boy. Let them have what they want
so much.
They might trample you last, and you’ll get gold
shackles -
It’s a good trade, worthy of Hanno, so
play nice.
Nobody likes a warmonger - don’t trust
your eyes,
Nor your ears. The wolves can be reasoned with. Just
obey,
And learn to call thralldom peace, like a well-
fed slave.
Losers get pity, at least. Fight - and you are the
villain,
Named traitor by traitors, cruel by those
who grind
Nations to dust. Is Qart Hadasht worth it? (Yes, it is.)
The winds
Change - any sailor will tell you. Those who
resist
Are salt, are ash, are crow dinner - they fall:
tragic.
Don’t court Aiskhylos. You never liked him anyway.
catch it -
The current. Guess it can take you somewhere;
who cares -
Well, besides you. Is victory worth eve-
rything?
An eye, sleepless nights, scars… say, where are your
brothers?
It all ends in poison. But Cannae still
thunders -
Laughter in inevitability’s
blank face,
Something greater even than Qart Hadasht
(It hurts,
That name.) You would still go to the ends of
the earth
For the idiots. Here is an ancient secret
I guessed:
You would still do it all over again.
Ancient Worlds - BBC Two
Episode 5 “The Republic of Virtue”
The Battle of Cannae (in the summer of 216 BC) is one of the greatest battles of the Second Punic War and one of the worst defeats in Roman history.
The army of CarthageunderHannibal Barca (247 - 183/182 BC), the Carthaginian military commander and tactician, fought and defeated a larger army of the Roman Republic under the consuls L. Aemilius Paullus and C.Terrentius Varro.
Having crossed the Alps with his elephants, Hannibal descended into Italy and quickly won major victories at both TrebiaandLake Trasimene. In July 216 BC the Romans pinned down the Carthaginian army in the neighborhood of Cannae (Apulia, southeast Italy). The battle was engaged on the second of August. Hannibal’s tactics were successful and the Roman army, with its heavy infantry was effectively destroyed as a fighting force. Around 70.000 Roman and allied infantry died that day. The consul Paullus died in the battle, while Varro managed to escape.
After this event, many Roman allies switched sides. Sardiniarevolted;Capua, the richest and most populous city inCampania, became Hannibal’s new base and he promised that once he’d conquered Italy, Capua, rather than Rome, would be capital in Italy. His brother Mago Barca was sent to Carthage to announce the victory. He made quite an impression when he poured out hundreds of golden rings taken from the bodies of the Romans killed in action at the entrance of the Carthaginian Senate building.
Hannibal occupied much of Italy for 15 years until he was forced to return to Carthage. He was decisively defeated at the Battle of Zama in 202 BC.
There is a single column which commemorates the battle near the area where most historians think the battle was fought.
Picture n. 3: bust of Hannibal Barca
‘Cannae Battlefield’, Barletta, Apulia , Italy
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