The Punic Wars Article Study
ARTICLE ONE: The Truth About Hannibal's Route Across the Alps- Philip Ball
1. Why did Hannibal's path through the Alps catch the Roman's off guard?
2. What hardships did the Carthaginian army face in the mountains?
3. What debate still exists about the journey and how do Historians attempt to verify their theories?
4. What proof can be found in the mud? What do they still hope to find?
ARTICLE TWO: The Mystery of Hannibal's Elephants- John Noble Wilford
1. What species of Elephant would have been ideal for Hannibal's forces? Why?
2. What theories are used to potentially explain where the war elephants came from? Where are they believed to have come from?
3. Why were they so effective in battle?
4. What evidence remains to show the connection to Carthage and the use of Elephants?
ARTICLE TREE: Ancient Rome's Darkest Day: The Battle of Cannae- Evan Andrews
1. After suffering multiple defeats, what initial tactical change did the Romans make?
2. How did the Roman military change their plans? What was their goal?
3. How large was each army at the battle of Cannae? What strategy did the Romans intend to employ?
4. How did Hannibal counter this approach?
5. Describe the effect of Hannibal's plan.
6. Sketch and label a rough layout of the battle after Hannibal had executed his plan.
7. What were the casualties on both sides?
8. How did the Roman people at home initially react to the defeat?
9. What was the Roman response to Hannibal's victory? How did they rebuild their forces?
10. How did Hannibal fair after Cannae?
11. In the end, how was Hannibal's legacy remembered by the Romans and by more recent military minds?
ARTICLE FOUR: The Battle of Zama- Peter Fitzgerald
1. Leading up to Zama, what side had been more successful?
2. What changes did the other side make to turn the tide of the conflict?
3. Were these changes effective? Why?
4. What counter measure did Scipio's forces use against the charge of the War elephants? What was the result?
5. What happened to the Carthaginian Flanks and how did this lead to the loss of the battle?
ARTICLE FIVE: Why Hannibal Lost- Richard A. Gabriel
1. Explain the difference between Battle Tactics and Strategies.
2. Why could Hannibal's campaign be considered a successful defeat or a victorious loss?
3. How did the perspective of war differ between Hannibal and the leaders of Rome?
4. What key objective did Hannibal's view on war prevent him from achieving or even attempting?
5. What could Hannibal have done to help Carthage to achieve their objectives? What were they?
6. Who did Hannibal feel defeated him? Why?
7. Despite the success at Cannae, why did Carthage not feel the need to support Hannibal's campaign any further?