Read The Ghosts of Cannae: Hannibal and the Darkest Hour of the Roman Republic Online
Authors: Robert L. O'Connell
Tags: #Ancient, #Italy, #Battle of, #2nd, #Other, #Carthage (Extinct city), #Carthage (Extinct city) - Relations - Rome, #North, #218-201 B.C, #Campaigns, #Rome - Army - History, #Punic War, #218-201 B.C., #216 B.C, #Cannae, #218-201 B.C - Campaigns, #Rome, #Rome - Relations - Tunisia - Carthage (Extinct city), #Historical, #Military, #Hannibal, #History, #Egypt, #Africa, #General, #Biography & Autobiography
4.
Ibid., 29.24.12.
5.
Ibid., 29.24.14; Lazenby
(Hannibal’s War
, p. 203) argues that the number is too large, since it was not until the Third Macedonian War, thirty years later, that the Roman army had legions this big. Goldsworthy
(The Punic Wars
, p. 287) counters that this argument “denies the essential flexibility of the Roman military system,” and Goldsworthy says that “it was normal to increase the size of legions when faced by an especially dangerous enemy.” Certainly, this was the case at Cannae.
6.
Lazenby,
Hannibal’s War
, p. 202.
7.
Livy, 29.1.13–14, 26.1.10.
8.
Ibid., 29.24.12.
9.
Scullard,
Scipio Africanus, p
. 111.
10.
Livy, 29.9.4–7.
11.
Ibid., 29.9.9–11.
12.
Plutarch, Cato the Elder, 3.5–6.
13.
Livy, 29.19ff.
14.
Ibid., 29.22ff.
15.
Livy does not state a date, but Lazenby
(Hannibal’s War, p
. 204) thinks the June-July time frame is a good guess.
16.
Livy, 29.25.12.
17.
Ibid., 29.28.
18.
Appian, Lib 9; Lancel,
Hannibal
, p. 165.
19.
Livy, 29.34.1–6.
20.
Ibid., 29.34.7ff.
21.
Lancel,
Hannibal
, p. 164.
22.
Livy, 29.28.7.
23.
Ibid., 29.35.10–11; Polybius, 14.1.14; Goldsworthy,
The Punic Wars, p
. 292; Lazenby,
Hannibal’s War
, p. 206.
24.
Polybius, 14.1.3.
25.
Livy, 30.3.1–7.
26.
Ibid., 30.4.9.
27.
Polybius, 14.4.10.
28.
Livy, 30.6.8; Lazenby,
Hannibal’s War, p
. 208.
29.
Polybius, 14.5.15.
30.
Livy, 30.7.6–9.
31.
Ibid., 30.7.8–9; Polybius, 14.7.6.
32.
Goldsworthy,
The Punic Wars, p
. 295.
33.
Polybius, 14.7.9; Lazenby,
Hannibal’s War, p
. 209; Lancel,
Hannibal, p
. 203.
34.
Lazenby,
Hannibal’s War
, p. 209.
35.
Scullard,
Scipio Africanus
, p. 129.
36.
Polybius, 14.8.8; Livy, 30.8.7.
37.
Lazenby,
Hannibal’s War
, pp. 209–211.
38.
Livy, 30.8.7.
39.
Goldsworthy,
The Punic Wars
, pp. 295–6.
40.
Livy, 30.8.12–13.
41.
Polybius, 14.10.7–9.
42.
Goldsworthy,
The Punic Wars
, p. 297.
43.
Polybius, 14.10.9.
44.
Livy, 30.10.12.
45.
Ibid., 30.11.5.
46.
Lazenby,
Hannibal’s War
, p. 212.
47.
Livy, 30.12.11ff.
48.
Diodorus (27.7) claims that before Hasdrubal Gisgo’s condominium with Syphax, Sophonisba had been the wife of Masinissa. But this seems unlikely, given the prince’s extensive time in Spain. According to Zonaras (9.11), Sophonisba was betrothed to Masinissa before marrying Syphax.
49.
Livy, 30.13.12–14.
50.
Ibid., 30.15.1–8.
51.
Lazenby,
Hannibal’s War, p
. 213; Scullard,
Scipio Africanus, p
. 134.
52.
Livy, 30.16.4.
53.
Lancel,
Hannibal, p
. 170.
54.
Livy, 30.16.10–11.
55.
Ibid., 30.16.12.
56.
Appian,
The Punic Wars
, 32.
57.
Livy, 30.16.14–15.
58.
Lancel,
Hannibal
, p. 155.
59.
Lazenby,
Hannibal’s War
, p. 214.
60.
Livy, 30.19.1ff.
61.
Cicero
(On Divination
, 1.24.48) says the story came from Silenos, Hannibal’s resident historian.
62.
Delbrück (
Warfare in Antiquity
, p. 380) in particular draws attention to this time lag.
63.
Hoyos, “Hannibal: What Kind of Genius,” p. 179.
64.
Lancel,
Hannibal
, pp. 156–7.
65.
Appian,
The Punic Wars
, 134.
66.
Livy, 30.20.7–8.
67.
Goldsworthy,
The Punic Wars, pp
. 299.
68.
Appian,
The Punic Wars
, 34.
69.
Livy, 30.25.1ff; Polybius, 15.2.3–13.
70.
Lancel,
Hannibal
, p. 171.
71.
Polybius, 15.4.2.
72.
Polybius, 14.5.1–2.
73.
Lazenby,
Hannibal’s War
, p. 218.
74.
Appian,
The Hannibalic War
, 59.
75.
Polybius, 15.3.5–7; Scullard,
Scipio Africanus, p
. 141.
76.
Polybius, 15.5.4–7; Livy 30.29.2–3. Some doubt the story, since an almost identical tale exists in Herodotus (7.146.7), but it makes good tactical sense and Scipio was plainly capable of all manner of deception. He also knew Greek and may have actually gotten the idea from
The Histories
.
77.
Polybius, 14.6.4–8; Livy, 30.30–31.
78.
Polybius does not specify the size of the opposing armies. Appian (
The Punic Wars
, 40), who is generally good with numbers, gives Hannibal 50,000 total, while Lazenby
(Hannibal’s War, pp
. 220–1) estimates his infantry at thirty-six thousand.
79.
Polybius, 15.11.1; Lancel,
Hannibal, p
. 175.
80.
Lancel,
Hannibal
, p. 175; Goldsworthy,
The Punic Wars
, p. 302. Livy (30.26.3 and 30.33.5.) may have been trying to use this as a justification for Rome’s very aggressive behavior leading up to the Second Macedonian War.
81.
Goldsworthy,
The Punic Wars
, p. 303.
82.
Polybius, 15.11.1.
83.
Goldsworthy,
The Punic Wars, pp
. 202–3; Scullard,
Scipio Africanus
, pp. 150–1.
84.
Polybius, 15.9.6–10.
85.
Scullard,
Scipio Africanus
, pp. 149–50. See also J. Kronmayer and G. Veith,
Antike Schlachtfelder
, vol. 3 (1912), p. 599ff, and vol. 4 (1931), p. 626ff.
86.
Polybius, 15.12.8; Livy, 30.34.2.
87.
Livy, 30.34.3.
88.
Dodge,
Hannibal
, pp. 604–5.
89.
Polybius, 15.13.6–7.
90.
Ibid., 15.14.2.
91.
Polybius, 15.14.9. Appian
(The Punic Wars
, 48) maintain that twenty-five hundred Romans plus some of Masinissa’s men died at Zama.
92.
Polybius, 15.19.5.
93.
Lancel
(Hannibal
, p. 177) states that one Euboic talent was equivalent to twenty-six kilograms of silver, or 57.2 pounds. Thus ten thousand talents equaled 572,000 pounds of silver, or 9,152,000 ounces, at $13.25 per ounce spot price on March 5, 2009, which amounts to $121,264,000.
94.
Appian,
The Punic Wars
, 54.
95.
Scullard,
Scipio Africanus, p
. 159.
96.
Goldsworthy,
The Punic Wars, p
. 317.
97.
Toynbee,
Hannibal’s Legacy
, vol. 2, pp. 277–81.
98.
Livy, 31.14.1–2, 32.3.1–5.
99.
Scullard,
Scipio Africanus, p
. 185.
100.
Goldsworthy,
The Punic Wars, p
. 320.