BATTLE OF CANNAEChristian Geer + Jessica Osborn

PRECURSOR TO THE BATTLE

• The battle of Cannae took place in the second Punic war and was both a Major win for Carthage and a humiliating lost for Rome.

• The battle is regarded as one of the most impressive tactical feats in history.

CARTHAGE

• Leaders

• Hannibal: Carthaginian Republic’s Leader

• Maharbal: Hannibal’s Cavalry Commander

• Mago: led forces against Roman Republic in Hispania, Gallia Cisalpina, and Italy

• Forces: 50,000• 32,000 heavy infantry

• 8,000 light infantry

• 10,000 cavalry

ROME

• Leaders

• Gaius Terentius Varro: Roman consul and Commander

• Lucius Aemilius Paullus: Roman consul and Commander

• Forces: 86,400• 40,000 Roman infantry

• 40,000 Allied infantry

• 2,400 Roman cavalry

• 4,000 Allied cavalry

WHERE UBI?

PRECURSOR TO THE BATTLE

• At this stage of the second Punic wars, Hannibal has already crossed the Alps and invaded Italy.

• Roman dictator Fabius had used attrition warfare against Hannibal’s army, cutting of there supply lines in an attempt to weaken them but this tactic wasn’t received well by the rest of Rome, who wanted a quicker end to the war. Lucius Aemilius Paullus and Gaius Terentius Varro were elected as consuls to end the war quicker.

TACTICS

• Hannibal uses an echelon style which evolves into a pincer maneuver.

• Rome uses a row structure.

AFTERMATH

• Rome total casualties: 70,000 (approx.)

• Carthage total casualties: 8,000 (approx.)

• The Carthaginians used this battle to deeply weaken the Roman forces, and using this advantage, they allied with some of Roman allies.