Hannibal Barca

247 BCE – 183 BCE(lived 64 years)

Hannibal Barca (c. 247–183 BCE) was Carthage’s supreme field commander and one of history’s greatest tacticians. Sworn as a boy to hate Rome, he captured Saguntum in 219 BCE, crossed the Alps with war elephants in 218, and annihilated Roman armies at Lake Trasimene and Cannae. For over fifteen years in Italy he bled the Republic, sapping its alliances and will, before facing Scipio Africanus at Zama in 202 BCE. In this timeline, Hannibal is the crucible that forced Rome to learn the sea, reinvent strategy, and forge the alliances—especially with Numidian cavalry—that ultimately undid Carthage. His audacity tested whether a land power could survive genius at its gates.

Biography

Hannibal Barca was born around 247 BCE in Carthage to the prominent Barcid family, son of the seasoned commander Hamilcar Barca. As a child he accompanied his father to Iberia, where legend holds he swore an oath “never to be a friend of Rome.” Iberia forged him: he watched Carthage build a new power base of silver, soldiers, and cities after the First Punic War. Under Hasdrubal the Fair he learned siegecraft and diplomacy; upon Hasdrubal’s assassination in 221 BCE, the army acclaimed Hannibal general. Restless, multilingual, and intensely loyal to his veterans, he married the Iberian noblewoman Imilce and set about finishing his family’s project—making Carthage unassailable by striking at Rome’s alliances.

Key figure in Punic Wars

Hannibal Barca's Timeline

Key events involving Hannibal Barca in chronological order

-219

Hannibal Captures Saguntum

In 219 BCE, Hannibal took Saguntum, a Roman-aligned city south of the Ebro, detonating a diplomatic crisis over the frontier agreement. Stones crashed from engines, walls splintered, and the Ebro Treaty’s ambiguity snapped. From Rome to Carthage, envoys’ voices hardened into war [1][17].

military

View Event Details

-218

Outbreak of the Second Punic War

In 218 BCE, after Saguntum’s fall and disputes over the Ebro frontier, Rome declared war on Carthage. The Senate’s decree echoed under the marble vaults, then across the harbors of Ostia and Carthage. Both states prepared for a conflict that would carry armies from Iberia to the Alps and the fields of Apulia [17][1].

military

View Event Details

-218

Hannibal’s Crossing of the Alps

In 218 BCE, Hannibal led his army over the Alps into Italy, outflanking Roman plans. Livy’s scene is icy and loud—“everything… stiff with frost,” tribes harrying the columns, pack animals sliding above the Po Valley’s haze [21]. The descent put a Carthaginian army on the plains of the Po by sheer will [1][21].

military

View Event Details

-217

Battle of Lake Trasimene

In 217 BCE at Lake Trasimene, Hannibal annihilated a Roman army in a vast ambush, plunging the Republic into crisis. Fog hugged the water; horns blared from hills above the Via Cassia as Gaius Flaminius’s column shattered against hidden lines. Rome’s confidence broke with it [17][18].

military

View Event Details

-216

Battle of Cannae

In 216 BCE on the Aufidus near Cannae, Hannibal executed a double envelopment that destroyed a massive Roman army. Dust turned the sky saffron; the ring of shields closed; tens of thousands fell. “You know how to win,” Maharbal said afterward, “not how to use victory” [18][3]. Rome did not surrender.

military

View Event Details

-202

Battle of Zama

In 202 BCE at Zama, Scipio Africanus and Masinissa shattered Hannibal’s army. Elephants were channeled, lines reformed, and cavalry—Roman-Numidian—swept back onto Hannibal’s rear through yellow dust. By sunset, the field belonged to Rome, and Carthage sought terms [17][18].

military

View Event Details

Total Events

-219

First Event

-202

Last Event

Ask About Hannibal Barca

Have questions about Hannibal Barca's life and role in Punic Wars? Get AI-powered insights based on their biography and involvement.