Hannibal's crossing of the Alps

Overview

Hannibal's crossing of the Alps in 218 BC was one of the major events of the Second Punic War and one of the most celebrated achievements of any military force in ancient warfare.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

Hannibal's crossing of the Alps in 218 BC stands as one of the major events of the Second Punic War and ranks among the most celebrated achievements of any military force in ancient warfare. By leading his army over the Alps, Hannibal brought Carthaginian forces directly into the Italian peninsula, bypassing Roman naval dominance of the western Mediterranean and forcing Rome to fight on its own territory. The crossing fundamentally altered the strategic character of the war, compelling the Roman Republic to defend its homeland rather than project power outward toward Carthaginian holdings in Iberia and Africa. Commanders on both sides — including Publius Cornelius Scipio and Tiberius Sempronius Longus on the Roman side, and Hannibal alongside subordinates Hasdrubal, Mago, and Maharbal on the Carthaginian — would contend with the consequences of this strategic maneuver throughout the campaigns that followed.

Commanders (8)