The Diary of Hannibal Barca

Hannibal Barca's (247-183/181 BC) journey across the Alps with a large army and accompanying elephants is admired as one of the most audacious journeys of the classical world. His subsequent victories over the Roman Empire culminating in the incontestable Roman defeat at the Battle of Cannae is considered amongst the most esteemed and studied military expeditions of all time. This book aims to offer a day-to-day style chronology of Hannibal's journey to domination over the Roman Empire in a diary format. It is the first of its kind to offer a holistic view of daily events during the early stages of the 2nd Punic War, whose specific dates have been calculated to give accurate times and places. As part of the meta-chronology book series, it utilises Polybius' text as a core on which additional sources have been applied to calculate ancient dates with precision. This diary therefore presents a unique chronological perspective through which to better appraise the courageous journey and powerful rise of Hannibal passing through the mountain ranges of the Pyrenees and Alps followed by successive victories and the ensuing supremacy of Roman Italy.