The Influence of Hannibal Barca
• Evaluation o Impact and Influence on his Time o Hannibal Barca (247-183/182 BC) “excited, frightened and – once safely dead – drew reluctant admiration from the Romans” (Hoyos, 2008). For an historian to assess Hannibal’s legacy they would need to acknowledge both his immediate impact on the Mediterranean world and his lasting influence on Rome. The most immediate effect Hannibal had on his time stemmed from his involvement in the Punic Wars. The tactics he employed and the threat he posed to Rome, led to changes in their military and magistracies and his influence in Carthage was to oversee it becoming “energetically outward-looking… constantly evolving and… more and more attuned to Hellenistic Greek civilization (Hoyos, 2008).
Hannibal’s influence came as a result of his involvement in the Punic Wars. The question of whether the Second Punic War was of Hannibal’s making is debated greatly amongst modern historians but regardless, it is unlikely it would have taken the course it did without Hannibal as the predominant leader of the Carthaginian forces. Both Polybius and Livy described Hannibal making an oath to his father at the age of nine that he would never become a friend of Rome. With this and his defiance of Rome by attacking Saguntum as evidence, many modern scholars have attributed the outbreak of war in 218 directly to Hannibal. Bagnall for example, suggests that “Hannibal was bent on war and Rome was not loathe to accept the challenge” (Bagnall, 1999) whilst Caven writes, “Hannibal was an impetuous young man in whom the principal driving force was a burning desire for military glory” (Caven, 1992). This modern interpretation of ancient sources would suggest a key impact of Hannibal on his time: the outbreak of the Second Punic War. Whilst numerous historians refute this being the main cause of the war, with Polybius for example suggesting that it was the seizure of Corsica/Sardinia or Scullard suggesting that “The Second Punic War was largely of
Hannibal’s influence came as a result of his involvement in the Punic Wars. The question of whether the Second Punic War was of Hannibal’s making is debated greatly amongst modern historians but regardless, it is unlikely it would have taken the course it did without Hannibal as the predominant leader of the Carthaginian forces. Both Polybius and Livy described Hannibal making an oath to his father at the age of nine that he would never become a friend of Rome. With this and his defiance of Rome by attacking Saguntum as evidence, many modern scholars have attributed the outbreak of war in 218 directly to Hannibal. Bagnall for example, suggests that “Hannibal was bent on war and Rome was not loathe to accept the challenge” (Bagnall, 1999) whilst Caven writes, “Hannibal was an impetuous young man in whom the principal driving force was a burning desire for military glory” (Caven, 1992). This modern interpretation of ancient sources would suggest a key impact of Hannibal on his time: the outbreak of the Second Punic War. Whilst numerous historians refute this being the main cause of the war, with Polybius for example suggesting that it was the seizure of Corsica/Sardinia or Scullard suggesting that “The Second Punic War was largely of