Hannibals War A Military History Of The Second Punic War – John Lazenby

Nor was this to be the end of the subtleties of Scipio’s plan of attack, for, when the two armies were some seven hundred metres apart,54 he bade his Spanish allies in the centre continue to advance, but the Roman troops to their left and right to carry out a series of complica¬ ted manoeuvres. Polybius’ account of these (11.22.11-23.7), though difficult to under¬ stand, is more detailed and technical than Livy’s (28.14.14ff.), for although the latter appears to have followed Polybius or some common source, he compresses the narrative to the point of obscurity.

(See Map 17). First, then, Scipio ordered the infantry and cavalry on the right to wheel to the right, and those on the left to wheel to the left (Polybius 11.22.11): this manoeuvre could have been carried out by each individual man or horse turning to right or left, or by each unit of infantry and cavalry wheeling by pivoting on the right or left file leader, but the term used by Polybius (emorpecpeLu) is used by ancient technical military writers to mean the latter, and presumably Polybius here uses it in the same technical sense.55 Next, Polybius says (11.23.1-2), “(Scipio) himself taking from the right, and Lucius Marcius and Marcus Iunius (Silanus) from the left, the leading three squadrons of horse, and in front of these the usual velites, and three maniples – this unit of infantry is called a “cohort” among the Romans – wheeling them to the left in the former case, to the right in the latter, they led them forward straight at the enemy, advancing rapidly with those next in order always backing up and following the wheel round.”

Here again, Polybius appears to be using technical terms (ireptK Xdoavrec: and Tiepin Xante) which refer to a column of troops wheeling to right or left. 56 It is clear that Polybius believed that these manoeuvres were carried out by all the Roman troops on the right and left wings, for, in the passage immediately after the one translated above, he contrasts the Roman troops with the Spaniards in the centre, who, he says, were still some distance from the enemy because they had continued to advance slowly, and the result of the whole manoeuvre, in his words, was that “they (Le.

lo longer ‘ arty of the Boston pi . : Library, of this mater; a ■ pooefits the Ubraif!„ University of Oklahoma Press NORMAN — To my Wife — who first chose Hannibal, and then accepted me Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Lazenby, J. F. (John Francis) Hannibal’s war : a military history of the Second Punic War / J.F. Lazenby. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-8061-3004-0 (pbk.)

1. Punic War, 2nd, 218-201 B.C. 2. Hannibal, 247-182 B.C. I. Title. DG247.L39 1998 937’.04—dc21 97-38302 CIP The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources, Inc. °o Copyright © 1978 by J. F. Lazenby. New preface copyright © 1998 by J. F. Lazenby. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior permission of Aris & Phillips Ltd.

Oklahoma Paperbacks edition published 1998 by the University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Publishing Division of the University, by arrangement with Aris & Phillips Ltd., Teddington House Church Street, Warminster, Wilts. England BA12 8PQ. Manufactured in the U.S.A. First printing of the University of Oklahoma Press edition, 1998. 3456789 10 CONTENTS Preface to the Paperback Edition v Preface xi Bibliography xiv CHAPTER I — Rome, Carthage and the Origins of the War 1 CHAPTER II — Hannibal’s March to Italy 29 CHAPTER III – Blitzkrieg 49 CHAPTER IV – The Tide Turns 87 CHAPTER V – The War in Spain 125 CHAPTER VI — Macedonia and the Metaurus 157 CHAPTER VII — The Invasion of Africa 193 CHAPTER VIII – The Aftermath 233 APPENDIX I – The Sources 258 APPENDIX II — Glossary of Latin and other technical terms 265 APPENDIX III – The Diary of the March 275 Chronological Outline 278 Notes to Chapter I 284 Notes to Chapter II 286 Notes to Chapter III 288 Notes to Chapter IV 291 Notes to Chapter V 293 Notes to Chapter VI » 295 Notes to Chapter VII nj 297 Notes to Chapter VIII K * 298 Maps rij^ 299 Index 323 Plates between pp. 156-57 I : The Rhone at Beaucaire facing Tarascon 36 II : The confluence of the Rhone and Isere at Valence 37 III : The Gorges de la Bourne 46 IV : The Col de Clapier 47 V : Trasimene 62 VI : Caliculla and Mount Tifata 63 VII : Cannae 78 VIII : Syracuse 106 IX : Lamia and Acrocorinth 164 Maps and Plans.

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