"Hannibal Crosses the Alps Review" Topic

"When Hannibal wanted to provoke a war with Rome he did so by besieging and capturing the Roman-allied Spanish city of Saguntum, but he then faced a problem. Rome had shown that it could continually produce more troops when required thanks to its many Italian allies and possessions, so a war of attrition on Spanish or North African soil was always going to favour Rome. His solution was to take the fight to Italy, and hopefully persuade many of the Italians to reject Rome, leaving a smaller, weaker state that Hannibal and Carthage might hope to defeat. Invading Italy by sea was too risky thanks to Roman naval power, so the remarkable overland route over the Alps was chosen instead. The army that he marched toward northern Italy included some 37 elephants, yet Hannibal was aware that the Romans no longer had a fear of these creatures, and knew how to combat them in battle, and he would also have known that they would present particular difficulties in crossing mountains. Nevertheless they were an undeniable image of power and prestige, so perhaps that is why they were brought along. Only a handful made it across the Alps, and all but one died in the following winter, so their impact on Hannibal's battles was almost zero, yet they remain an evocative image and are probably the main reason many people have heard of Hannibal today…"

Full Review here

link

Amicalement
Armand

Wow! What an amazing set of plastic soldiers!

!

Phil

Those are really nice. Lots of character. A diorama waiting to happen.

Happy you like them guys! (smile)

Amicalement
Armand