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Abstract

In the Second Punic War, Hannibal planned to feed his army with the Roman grain supply, turn Italian cities against Rome, and seek reinforcements from any enemy of Rome. However, although Hannibalic tactics were ingenious in a short-term war, they were unsuitable for a long-term campaign. Unable to conquer mighty Rome, his plans backfired—especially in Spain and eventually in Africa, where Roman victories led to Carthage’s ultimate and total defeat. His ally, geography, turned into his enemy, because the war lasted far longer than he predicted and the Romans were able to use the great distance between Hannibal and his natural bases against him, as well as separate him from his garrisons and whittle away his army.

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