Course Overview

Hannibal Barca’s audacious campaigns against Rome during the Second Punic War remain among the most studied military endeavors in history. This 15-lecture course examines Hannibal’s world—from Carthage’s rise and the Barcid family to the crossing of the Alps, landmark battles like Trebbia, Trasimene, and Cannae, the wider strategic war in Iberia and Africa, and Hannibal’s eventual defeat, escape, and exile. Lectures combine political context, battlefield analysis, leadership study, and the perspectives of both Carthaginians and Romans to reconstruct why Hannibal terrified Rome yet ultimately failed to secure victory.

What you’ll learn

• The political, economic, and cultural foundations of Carthage and its rivalry with Rome

• Hannibal’s family background, training, and rise to command

• Operational and tactical analyses of key campaigns and battles (Alps, Trebbia, Trasimene, Cannae, Zama)

• Rome’s strategic response and the importance of other theaters (Iberia, North Africa, Macedonia)

• The human and historiographical portrait of Hannibal—myth versus the historical man

Video Lessons

01: The Phoenicians and the Rise of Carthage (36 min)

Evaluate primary ancient sources on Hannibal (Polybius, Livy) and trace Carthage’s origins and rise to Mediterranean power that set the stage for conflict with Rome.

02: The First Punic War (35 min)

Examine the origins and course of the First Punic War, Carthage’s naval and territorial losses, and how the conflict shaped Carthage–Rome relations before Hannibal’s generation.

03: Hamilcar and the Rise of the Barcids (34 min)

Learn about Hamilcar Barca’s campaigns, the emergence of the Barcid family, and the political aftermath in Carthage that influenced Hannibal’s formative years.

04: Young Hannibal in Iberia, 237–221 BCE (33 min)

Follow Hannibal’s youth in Iberia, the consolidation of Barcid control there, and the diplomatic frictions with Rome that prefigured the Second Punic War.

05: Hannibal Takes Command, 221–218 BCE (33 min)

Explore Hannibal’s ascent to leadership, his methods for securing troop loyalty and local support, and the provocation of war with the siege of Saguntum.

06: A New Hercules Prepares to Fight Rome (34 min)

Assess Hannibal’s preparations—logistics, intelligence, diplomacy, and army composition—as he readied Carthage for a bold campaign across Gaul toward Italy.

07: Hannibal Crosses the Alps, 218 BCE (33 min)

Reconstruct the crossing of the Rhone and the perilous Alpine march, including tactics for moving diverse forces and elephants and the immediate consequences upon entering Italy.

08: First Victories: Ticinus and Trebbia (30 min)

Analyze Hannibal’s early Italian engagements, his tactical successes at Ticinus and Trebbia, and what these battles revealed about Roman weaknesses and Carthaginian strengths.

09: The Romans Panic: Lake Trasimene, 217 BCE (32 min)

Study Hannibal’s masterful ambush at Lake Trasimene, Roman political and military reactions, and the psychological impact of the defeat on Rome.

10: Cannae: Hannibal’s Great Victory, 216 BCE (34 min)

Break down the Battle of Cannae—tactics, troop deployments, and aftermath—and why Cannae remains a case study in encirclement and operational genius.

11: Southern Italy Rebels against Rome (33 min)

Examine why Hannibal hesitated to march on Rome, the political fallout of his victories in Italy, the defection of Capua, and the limits of his strategic position.

12: Macedon and the Fall of Syracuse, 212 BCE (39 min)

Place the war in a wider Mediterranean context: Rome’s operations in Sicily, Syracuse’s fall, and the diplomatic-turning points involving Macedon and other states.

13: The Scipii and the 10-Year War for Iberia (36 min)

Trace Rome’s counter-campaign in Iberia under the Scipii family, how Rome regained control of the peninsula, and the strategic consequences for Carthage.

14: The Tide Turns against Carthage, 209–205 BCE (35 min)

Investigate key reversals for Carthage, including Hasdrubal’s defeats, Roman strategic adaptation, and how Rome turned Hannibal’s tactics back upon him.

15: Hannibal’s Defeat, Escape, and Final Years (37 min)

Conclude with the African campaigns, the Battle of Zama, Hannibal’s political and military decline, his exile and suicide, and the lasting legacy of his career.