Considered to be the worst defeat ever suffered by the Roman army, the battle of Cannae was fought on the plains of central Italy on August 2, 216 BC. Although a crushing defeat for the Romans, Cannae was Hannibal's finest hour. In fact, the tactics he employed there are still studied and used today. Due to the combination of Hannibal's tactical genius, the superior Carthaginian cavalry, and the poor leadership of the Roman army, the Carthaginians were able to completely defeat the Romans.
For the past fifty years, the Romans and Carthaginians had engaged in a series of struggles known as…
