The Great Hannibal. 'The Enemy at the Gates!'

“Hannibal ad portas!” (“Hannibal at the gates!”) is a Latin expression that has become a catchphrase. No enemy throughout the history of Ancient Rome caused such terror. Never before had the Roman legions suffered such brutal defeats. No war ever required so much effort from the Eternal City and such monstrous losses—within 17 years of this slaughter, Rome lost half of its male population: Hannibal was simply “crushed by sheer weight” and “piled up with corpses”…

But do you know that the military genius turned out to be a genius of power as well? Soon after the war ended, Hannibal was elected suffete (the highest official) of Carthage and, with the support of the Popular Assembly, curbed the oligarchs, putting an end to plunder and corruption. Only the betrayal of wealthy men who joined a conspiracy with the Romans ended his political career. Yet the old hero never changed his oath until his death, and his tragic end only confirmed the prophecy of the Delphic oracle: “The worst will defeat the best”...

This book pays tribute to the greatest genius of the ancient world, whose name is translated as “a gift of the god,” and whose honorable nickname Barca means “lightning.”