Great Battles in History

Cannae, Part 1-Introduction

October 04, 2020 Darryl Dee Season 1 Episode 2
Great Battles in History
Cannae, Part 1-Introduction
Show Notes

A note to listeners: In addition to the complete episode, I am publishing the Battle of Cannae in eight parts. 

On August 2, 216 BCE, at Cannae in southern Italy, the largest army ever fielded by the Roman Republic was wiped out by the Carthaginian warlord Hannibal Barca and his army of African, Spanish, and Gallic veterans. The battle of Cannae is a tactical masterpiece that has been studied ever since by scholars and soldiers. It remains a byword for slaughter, for the total annihilation of an army. For Hannibal, Cannae confirmed that he was one of the greatest military geniuses in history. It also brought him to the brink of final triumph over Rome. For the Romans Republic, Cannae was the darkest hour in its history.