And One More

 

Yet More DoG Fun

 

Hannibal on an Elephant

Attributed to Nicolas Poussin, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

 

A Great General Hannibal 247-c 181 BC (9)

1. From whch city did Hannibal come?

Hannibal was from Carthage in North Africa, an important trading hub, and a town already mentioned in the book in the chapter on the Phoenicians. Today it is in Tunisia.

2. Why did Hannibal use elephants?

Purton suggests that it was simply for the height they gave enabling Hannibal's soldiers to shoot down on the Romans. Other sources suggest that they were a powerful psychological weapon, their strangeness and their monstrous size and scent being likely to break enemy morale instantly. The elephants would be driven directly into enemy infantry lines to shatter their tight, organised formations, creating gaps for Hannibal's soldiers to exploit. Their sight, smell and terrifying sound would have caused Roman and allied horses to bolt, neutralising the Romans' mounted units. During Hannibal's infamous trek over the Alps in 218 BC the formidable appearance of the elephants helped deter raids from hostile local tribes.

3. Pretend you are Hannibal and tell of your adventures

Having consulted with my men, I decided that the best way to surprise the Romans and overpower them was to come at them from the north, over the alps, in order to catch them by surprise. It took months of preparation and a long time to get to the point of attack but it was a good strategy and when they first saw us, especially the elephants, they were clearly terrified. However, they are a powerful nation and after a while they readjusted and they were able in the end to defeat us.