Hannibal Invades Italy: The Second Punic War

What happened

The Carthaginian general Hannibal marched an army — famously with war elephants — over the Alps into Italy, crushing Roman forces at the Trebia, Lake Trasimene, and catastrophically at Cannae in 216 BCE. Rome recovered, took the war to Africa, and Scipio Africanus defeated Hannibal at Zama in 202 BCE.

Why it matters

Surviving Hannibal's invasion and winning the war confirmed Rome as the dominant power of the western Mediterranean.

Sources

• World History Encyclopedia. Second Punic War · Reputable source