One of Hannibal’s most notable achievements was his crossing of the Alps into Italy, where he sought to join up with anti-Roman allies in the region. There has been much scholarly debate as to Hannibal’s exact path through the Alps, but it is the consensus that the journey was treacherous. It was spring 218 BC, and Hannibal had more than 100,000 troops, and approximately 40 war elephants. Hannibal knew that the journey through the Alps would be very difficult, and he planned ahead by having scouts report to him on particular conditions. The army faced the harsh climate of the Alps, in addition to guerilla attacks from indigenous tribes. The tribes would roll heavy stones into the path of the army in attempts to prevent them from passing through.
