Second Carthaginian War: The Second Punic War

The Second Punic War is also known as the Second Carthaginian War. This happened between 218 and 201 B. C. This war was one of the many wars that were fought between the Roman Republic and the Carthaginian (Punic) Empire. It is very important to note that the outcome of this war was the creation of the Roman hegemony over the entire western Mediterranean. The Second Punic War also had other names. The Roman called this war the Hannibalic War and the War Against Hannibal. One thing we should know about the Second Punic War is that this war was to a considerable extent initiated by Carthage at Saguntum in Spain and is marked by Hannibal's surprising overland journey and his costly crossing of the Alps, followed by his reinforcement by Gallic

Following a prolonged siege and a bloody struggle, in which Hannibal himself was wounded and the army practically destroyed, the Carthaginians finally took control of the city. Many of the Saguntians chose to commit suicide rather than face subjugation by the Carthaginians. You will importantly realize that the Second Punic War saw Hannibal and his troops–including as many as 90,000 infantry, 12,000 cavalry and a number of elephants–march from Spain across the Alps and into Italy, where they scored a string of victories over Roman troops at Ticinus, Trebia and Trasimene. Hannibal’s daring invasion of Rome reached its height at Cannae in 216 B.C., where he used his superior cavalry to surround a Roman army twice the size of his own and inflict massive casualties. After this disastrous defeat, however, the Romans managed to rebound, and the Carthaginians lost hold in Italy as Rome won victories in Spain and North Africa under the rising young general Publius Cornelius Scipio who was later known as Scipio Africanus. In 203 B.C., Hannibal’s forces were forced to abandon the struggle in Italy in order to defend North Africa, and the following year Scipio’s army routed the Carthaginians at