Question: Please write a brief biography of Hannibal and explain whether or not you think his reputation (in Roman eyes) as a monster was deserved.

Question: Please write a brief biography of Hannibal and explain whether or not you think his reputation (in Roman eyes) as a monster was deserved.

Hannibal was born in 247 BC and grew up to be an amazing commander.  During his time the Roman Empire was gaining more and more power.  They had gained power in the Mediterranean.  In 221 BC Hannibal’s brother was killed allowing him to become the military commander of Carthage, a place taken over the in the Mediterranean.  In 218 BC Hannibal began one of his first military expeditions by traveling through the Pyrenees and killing off thousands of enemies.  Hannibal’s army traveled on war elephants making them hard to beat.  The war elephants were a big advantage.  Hannibal’s expedition took him to France and he defeated Rome there.  His journey took him to Italy where he won the battles of Trebia and Traismene.  One of his biggest battles was the battle of Cannae.  The Romans had around 90,000 troops and had a big advantage on Hannibal’s army.  The Romans immediately went to attack the middle while Hannibal’s left and right wings went behind the Romans and circled them in.  They killed all of the Romans and didn’t leave anyone alive.  This was one of Rome’s worse losses.  After this Hannibal was considered a monster in the eyes of the Romans and many people deeply feared him.  No wonder Romans feared him.  His unique battle technique resulted in a terrible loss for Rome.  No soldiers made it out alive.