Many books have been written on the Second Punic War and Hannibal in
particular but few give much space to his campaigns in the years from
213 - 203 BC'. Most studies concentrate on Hannibal's series of stunning
victories in the early stages of the war, culminating at Cannae in 216
BC, then refocus on the activities of his nemesis, Scipio Africanus, in
Spain until the two meet in the final showdown at Zama. But this has led
to the neglect of some of the Carthaginian genius' most remarkable
campaigns.
By 212 the wider war was definitely going against the Carthaginians. Yet
Hannibal, despite being massively outnumbered and with little support
from home, was able to sustain his polyglot army and campaign actively
across southern Italy for another ten years. His skillful maneuvering
and victory in numerous engagements kept several veteran armies of the
normally aggressive Romans tied up and on the defensive, until Scipio's
invasion of North Africa pulled him home to defend Carthage. Mike
Roberts follows the course of these remarkable events in detail,
analyzing Hannibal's strategy and aims in this phase of the war and
revealing a genius that had lost none of its luster in adversity.