Michael Grant's Short History of Rome, the Oxford Classical Dictionary, and Webster's Biographical Dictionary together provide a solid base on which to build a general crosschecked account of Hannibal's life and the Second Punic War. Theodor Hannibal's character, the focus of my future essay, was examined more closely in Mommsen's History of Rome and John Prevas' Hannibal Crosses The Alps. The dictionary sources provide only dry lists of events with no commentary, side notes or analysis. Grant does provide some of his own opinions on Hannibal's character and possible reasons for his eventual defeat, which I will discuss after first drawing out an outline of the Second Punic War.
The Second Punic War, fought between Carthage and the Roman Republic from 218-202 BC, was the final major Carthaginian military opposition to Rome's dominance in the Mediterranean. Hannibal, born in 247 as the eldest son of Hamilcar Barca , was trained under his father's command in Spain, who made him swore eternal enmity to Rome. …
