Flapper Björn. The Greatest Generals of the Second Punic War: A Fair Comparison between Hannibal Barcas and Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus

University of Leiden, 2012. — 63 p.No war has cost Italy more than the Second Punic War. The Carthaginian general, Hannibal Barcas, led his army from the Iberian peninsula, across the alps into Roman lands. There he wreaked havoc upon the Romans and their allies. His attacks pushed the Roman resources to their limits. But Rome did not falter. And while Hannibal regrouped in the south, Rome send forces to the Iberian peninsula. The Roman leader on the Iberian peninsula was Scipio, the son of the commander that fell there. Through cunning and dare, he managed to tip the scales in Roman favor. He had learned much from the Roman defeats, fighting in a similar style to Hannibal. But just how comparable are these two generals? Hannibal and Scipio are destined to fight in the books until the end of times, that much is certain. Both have accomplished feats that most generals can only dream off. When they finally meet each other on the battlefield of Zama, neither general had tasted defeat. They both defeated several numerically superior armies with similar tactics. Of all the battles they both have fought, Zama showed a mere shadow of what they were both capable off.