How old was hannibal when he crossed the alps

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Hannibal rome
What did hannibal look like

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He lived and died more than 2,000 years ago but Hannibal is remembered as one of history’s most formidable military commanders and as “Rome’s greatest enemy”.

His daring crossing of the Alps, with an army that included war elephants, shines as evidence to his tactical brilliance.

The Carthaginian general’s innovative military strategies in his struggle against Rome give us a glimpse into why his fame endures.

An early hostility toward Rome

Hannibal Barca was born in 247 BCE in Carthage, an ancient city in Northern Africa, in what is now Tunisia.

His father is credited with instilling in Hannibal a hostility towards Rome, a deep-seated drive that would shape much of his military career.

Hannibal’s leadership qualities and the understanding of military tactics were honed through his experiences in the Carthaginian army.

Hannibal first came into prominence in 219 BCE when the Carthaginian army under his command attacked the city of Saguntum (in modern Spain), triggering the Second Punic War with Rome.

Then came his cunning stratagem that brought his army into Italy all the

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Hannibal’s Early Life and Attack on Saguntum

Hannibal was born in 247 B.C. in North Africa. Polybius and Livy, whose histories of Rome are the main Latin sources regarding his life, claimed that Hannibal’s father, the great Carthaginian general Hamilcar Barca, brought his son to Spain (a region he had begun to conquer around 237 B.C.) at a young age. Hamilcar died in 229 B.C. and was succeeded by his son-in-law Hasdrubal, who made the young Hannibal an officer in the Carthaginian army. In 221 B.C., Hasdrubal was assassinated, and the army unanimously chose the 26-year-old Hannibal to command Carthage’s empire in Spain. Hannibal swiftly consolidated control in the region from the seaport base of Cartagena (New Carthage); he also married a Spanish princess.

Did you know? According to Polybius and Livy, Hannibal's father Hamilcar Barca made the 9-year-old Hannibal dip his hand in blood and swear an oath of hatred against Rome.

In 219 B.C., Hannibal led a Carthaginian attack on Saguntum, an independent city in the middle of the eastern Spanish coast that had shown aggression a

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Hannibal

(247-183)

Who Was Hannibal?

Hannibal, general of the Carthaginian army, lived in the second and third century B.C. He was born into a Carthaginian military family and made to swear hostility toward Rome. During the Second Punic War, Hannibal swept across southern Europe and through the Alps, consistently defeating the Roman army, but never taking the city itself. Rome counterattacked and he was forced to return to Carthage where he was defeated. He worked for a time as a statesman before he was forced into exile by Rome. To avoid capture by the Romans, he eventually took his own life.

Early Life With Father Hamilcar Barca

Hannibal Barca was born in Carthage (present-day Tunisia) in approximately 247 B.C. He was the son of Carthaginian general Hamilcar Barca (Barca meaning "thunderbolt"). After Carthage's defeat by the Romans in the First Punic War in 241 B.C, Hamilcar devoted himself to improving both his and Carthage's fortunes. At an early age, he took Hannibal to Spain and made him swear eternal hostility toward the Roman Empire.

Wife Imilce

At age