Campaign
Hannibal
Over the Alps to invade Rome, 218–202 BC
The story, place by place
Hannibal
In 218 BC, a general from Carthage marched an army, and its war elephants, from Spain over the Alps to invade Rome.
The oath
When Hannibal was nine years old, his father Hamilcar made him swear at an altar never to be a friend of Rome.
Today: Carthage, a suburb of Tunis: a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Plan a visit: Tunis, Tunisia →The march begins
In the spring of 218 BC, he set out from New Carthage, in Spain, with a huge army and his war elephants.
Today: Cartagena, Spain: its Roman theatre is now a museum
Plan a visit: Spain →Elephants on rafts
At the Rhône, his engineers floated the elephants across on rafts covered with earth, so that the animals would think they were still on land.
Today: The lower Rhône near Avignon; the exact crossing is still debated
Plan a visit: Marseille, France →Over the Alps
He crossed the Alps as winter closed in. Fifteen days later, he came down into Italy with only about twenty-six thousand men. Nobody knows for sure which pass he used.
Today: The western Alps between France and Italy; his pass is still debated
Plan a visit: Lyon, France →Battle of the Trebia
At the Trebia, in the snow of December, he lured the Romans into wading an icy river. Then his brother Mago sprang an ambush from a hidden stream bed behind them.
Today: The Trebbia river, near Piacenza in northern Italy
Plan a visit: Milan, Italy →The ambush in the mist
At Lake Trasimene, a Roman army marched along the shore on a misty morning. Hannibal's men were waiting in the hills. About fifteen thousand Romans died, among them the consul Flaminius.
Today: Lake Trasimeno, Umbria: walking trails near Tuoro mark the battlefield
Plan a visit: Florence, Italy →Battle of Cannae
At Cannae, in 216 BC, his centre gave way on purpose while his wings closed around the Roman army. Tens of thousands of Romans died in a single day.
Today: Canne della Battaglia, Puglia: the old citadel and a small museum
Plan a visit: Italy →Battle of Zama
But Rome would not give in. In 202 BC, at Zama in Africa, Scipio's legions opened lanes for Hannibal's elephants to charge through, and Hannibal lost the war.
Today: Inland Tunisia, south-west of Tunis; the exact battlefield is unknown
Plan a visit: Tunis, Tunisia →Follow Hannibal's route
He never took Rome, but soldiers still study Cannae today. Follow Hannibal's route on Next Stop Atlas.