Livy And Polybius Pinpoint As The Cause Of The Second Punic War

Great Essays
What do Livy and Polybius pinpoint as the causes of the Second Punic War? Why should historians treat their interpretations with caution?

The Second Punic War of 218-201BC demonstrated a challenge for Rome to prove its power against Carthage, and to finally establish itself as the greatest and most powerful city-state of the Mediterranean. The accounts of Roman historian Livy and Greek historian Polybius allow events surrounding the Second Punic War to be analyzed and explained in terms of significance and effect to determine what caused this infamous war. These ancient historians share related and also contrasting accounts, sources and ideas on what these causes were. However, it is important to treat these interpretations with caution, in
…show more content…
With influence from his father and his older brother Hasdrubal, Hannibal always looked to a powerful figure for inspiration of great warfare and power. Whilst Hannibal has been credited for having great leadership and military qualities, Livy states that ‘the man’s great virtues were matched by his enormous vices: pitiless cruelty, a treachery worse than Punic, no regard for truth, and no integrity, no fear of the gods or respect for an oath, and no scruples’ . Who Hannibal was as a soldier and leader was a large contributor to the ways in which the events leading to the war occurred. The attack and capture on Saguntum was a well thought out plan by Hannibal to ensure a reaction from the Romans. This failure on Rome’s part to protect Saguntum from Hannibal and the Carthaginians cost Rome any chance of gaining allies within Spain to fight against the Carthaginians. An elder from Volciani warned the Romans that no Spanish city will ever ally with them, and that ‘…the ruins of Saguntum will stand as an object lesson, as harrowing as it is striking, not to put ones trust in Roman loyalty or a Roman alliance.’ This moment is vital in understanding how Hannibal was able to advance through Spain and Gaul without much objection or protest by local …show more content…
The authors of these accounts had to meet particular requirements of Polybius in order to be deemed useful and reliable, to a degree. Fabius Pictor, one of the earliest Roman historians, was a key source in Polybius’ work. Other writers included a Sicilian praetor and a war-captive of Hannibal, L. Cincius Alimentus, a senator and historian of Rome, C. Acilius, and Roman consul in 151BC, A. Postumius Albinus. All of these sources, though they are written during the time of the war, are still problematic because they are bias towards Rome. Polybius often did not use Carthaginian sources, and was very skeptical and critical of using them. Champion explains that he was sharply critical of Chaereas and Sosylus of Lacedaemon, the latter of whom was Hannibal’s teacher of Greek and accompanied him on campaign . These decisions by Polybius proves that he chose not to include such sources on the basis that they may be bias towards Carthage and therefore describe Rome’s side of the war distastefully. Where Polybius relies largely on interviews and oral accounts, Livy uses written documents to write about the Second Punic War, largely because Livy wrote about the Second Punic War two hundred years after it happened. Livy acknowledges some of his written sources including Coelius Antipater, Valerius Antias, Cincius Alimentus, Fabius Pictor,

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Fig.5.1 The history cannot deny the presence that Hannibal Barca added to the universe, he was a child of Hamilcar Barca in the Punic of Carthage military belongings, for the most part considered one of the best military administrators ever. His dad, Hamilcar Barca, was the main Carthaginian officer among the start of Punic conflict, his other younger siblings were called Mago and Hasdrubal, he was his brother by the fact that he was married to Hasdrubal the myth. Hannibal’s family tree consisted of few sisters and two siblings, Hasdrubal and Mago. His brothers in-law by marriage as mentioned above were Hasdrubal the light and the Numidian ruler Naravas.…

    • 1415 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The battle of Lake Trasimene was a major battle in the second Punic war which was led by Hannibal. The Carthaginians defeated the romans with the consul of Gaius Flaminius Hannibal Barca, was a Punic military commander from Carthage, known as one of the greatest military commanders in history during the Second Punic War (218-202 BCE). His father Hamilcar Barca was the leading Carthaginian commander during the First Punic War (241 BCE); which ended in defeat of the Carthaginians against the Romans in Sicily. Due to the defeat Hamiclar Barca devoted the rest of his life as well as Hannibal’s swearing on getting indestructible wrath against the Roman Empire in Spain, to improving Carthaginian battle skills in order to cease the Roman Empire.…

    • 793 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Here he determined to entrap the enemy.” The next morning Hannibal ordered his brother, Mago, to lead a Numidian cavalry attack before breakfast to catch the Romans off guard. In order to do so, the cavalry hid in the bushes and at dawn crossed the river to the Roman camp. The Romans were awoken to the attack and quickly assembled to fend their camp.…

    • 901 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Although the exact reason is still unknown, the Romans began to expand, and they conquered their neighboring cities. In 264 BCE the Romans entered into a war against the empire of Carthage, which was more developed and wealthier than Rome. The Carthage Empire had a vast territory stretching from Tunisia to Spain, and they had a well-developed fleet. The Romans invaded Messina, an independent Greek state. Consequently, the Carthaginians sent warships to Syracuse, to oppose the Roman aggression, marking the beginning of the first Punic…

    • 1140 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    (notes) This adoption was condemned by Cato the elder who saw it as a symbol of everything that was wrong with the Roman republic but could do nothing about it. The Third Punic War lasted from 149-146. At first the Romans did poorly and under pressure from the Roman people, the senate passed a law that allowed Aemilianus to have pro-consular authority. In 146 he destroyed Carthage.…

    • 1299 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Livy and Virgil both give accounts of the famous Hercules and Cacus tale. However, they are very different accounts, each having distinct changes. Virgil has an introduction of Aeneas, while Livy has Romulus and Remus. Cacus is known as a man to Livy, but a monster to Virgil.…

    • 766 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Hannibal was a Carthaginian general who is considered to be one of the most talented and able field commanders. Although the military strategies that were used during this time were few and far between, Hannibal, who would fight like no other, would use his wits to outsmart the Romans in many battles. Hannibal could be called the general who won the battle and lost the war because of his new military formation that would win the Battle of Cannae, his Hellenistic approach to war and his tactics that would later be used against him to end the Second Punic War. Hannibal began the Second Punic War when he attacked the city of Saguntum, which was a Roman ally, and then continued on his conquest and "terrified the Romans by marching troops and war elephants over the Alps into Italy", through northern Italy and into Roman territory, capturing cities along the way (Hunt, Martin, Rosenwein & Smith, 2012).…

    • 677 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    As he fought his way through the Gaulic tribes, many joined Hannibal in his conquest against Rome. In 216BCE Rome appointed two consuls, Gaius Terenitus Varro and Lucius Amelius Paullus. Instead of commanding separate armies, Varro and Paullus were forced by the Roman senate to combine their separate forces into one penultimate force. They commanded eight enlarged roman legions made up of approximately 5,000 infantry and 300 cavalry as opposed to the more traditional 4,000 infantry and 200 horse. Once the allied forces of Rome are taken into account, Varro and Paullus had command over some 80,000 to 90,000 men.…

    • 1108 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Punic wars are an important part of Roman history. The huge differences but the huge similarities in the first two wars are fascinating. War 1 was a naval war, where War 2 was a land war. Want for control was the reason of the first war and revenge started the second war.…

    • 589 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the first chapter of William V. Harris’s book, War and Imperialism in Republican Rome, the author makes use of primary sources, such as Polybius, and archeological evidence to analyze Roman attitudes towards war. Since warfare was an integral part of life for the Roman Empire, Harris attempts to provide the reasoning behind their desire to continuously engage in battle. Specifically, in the first half of chapter one entitled, “Roman Attitudes Towards War”, Harris looks at the aristocracy and their general feelings towards war. Overall, Harris claims there were multiple political and social reasons that Romans engaged in war. Specifically, Harris analyzes that with regards to the aristocracy, war gave them opportunities to further their political…

    • 1139 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Roman Empire Dbq

    • 1231 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Before the war Carthage was the major power in what is now modern day Tunisia. After laying waste to Carthage the Romans were now virtually in control of the entire Mediterranean. Besides their massive body count the Romans were able to employ a second war innovation. War ethos. The war ethos for the Roman people was far larger than any other empire…

    • 1231 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Herodotus and Thucydides are the first Greek historians credited for documenting history. Not only are Herodotus and Thucydides credited for writing the first accounts of ancient Greek history, but they each shaped the future of historical writing in their own unique ways. The Peloponnesian and Persian wars were both important conflicts that focused on independence. Herodotus earned the designation “The Father of History” because before his writings, the Greeks had no word for history in terms of writing a narration of past events in prose.…

    • 1418 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    "On Sparta" Book Review Plutarch 's take on the history of "On Sparta" was written in such a way that readers may not take every piece of information literally. One may be led to believe that Plutarch wrote this book with the idea that he was not trying to be historically correct. The exaggerated parts of the lives of Lycurgus, Agesilaus, Agis, and Cleomenes should be understood as more of a fable rather than an actual piece of history. “On Sparta" has a great balance between the lives and sayings of Spartan men and women sections. The Sayings section is almost comical.…

    • 913 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    While studying the history of the archaic forces that fought in the Punic Wars, it is important to understand the rise of each side involved. The Punic Wars were fought between the powerhouses of the Western Mediterranean. On one side was the well established Carthaginians and on the other was the up and coming Romans. Both dominant city states would expand and eventually rise to conflict against each other. This essay will delve into the aspects that allowed Carthage to reign successful and come close to overpowering the great and mighty Rome.…

    • 1030 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Explain the negative effects of the Roman Conquest Introduction The Roman conquest was the results of their selfish, ambitious, and avaricious, and who lacked the genuine taste and generous spirit which belong to the highest type of human culture (Morey, 1901). Although Rome had expanded their territories as the results of their conquest the negative effects led to the beginning of fall of the Roman Republic. Externally, Rome was viewed as the supreme power of the world.…

    • 1012 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays