Monday, December 18, 2006

Today in history:

2224 years ago, a general by the name of Hannibal Barca had his first victory over a Roman consular army, handing Sempronius a stomping on the banks of the Trebia. He was 29 years old.
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9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sure, and who visits Carthage today to see the magnificient ruins, study the remants of the Empire of Carthage and its literature? No One!
Rome beat Hanibal and Carthage into the dirt literally. Rome took the city of Carthage, knocked down thew buildings, killed or enslaved the people and plowed the ground with salt so nothing would grow.
Where would you rather live, modern Rome or modern Carthage?

5:44 PM, December 18, 2006
Tam said...

So?

That doesn't in any way diminish Hannibal's brilliance as a general.

Even Scipio Africanus, who finally beat him on the battlefield at Zama, acknowledged his genius.

6:31 PM, December 18, 2006
Anonymous said...

Hurrah for old "One Eye".

8:35 PM, December 18, 2006
Don M said...

We know what happened when a Macedonian army faced the Romans. Pyrrus of Epiris tried it, from whence the term "pyrric victory".

8:37 PM, December 18, 2006
Anonymous said...

Hannibal was the Nathan Bedford Forrest of his day.

10:13 PM, December 18, 2006
Anonymous said...

"Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam." I'm not sure I understand the nature of Stonewall's complaint. First, it took the Romans a lot of haranguing by old Cato (and three Punic wars, spread over about 120 years)to finally delere Karthaginem. Second, we remember them because some Romans measured themselves against the enemies they faced, therefore never shut up about Hannibal (remember Caesar's line on Vercingetorix--presuming you also would not live in modern Alesia). Last, Patton went there, big time, and that would be enough for a lot of folks.

10:29 PM, December 18, 2006
Anonymous said...

Good one, anonymous, but you have to ask--who visits Chapel Hill TN to study the remnants of its literature? Must be gone with the wind. M.Rogers, aren't those the same lame-assed Persians the Three Hundred held up a few days, earning undying respect? The same ones who chased Xenophon's myriad 90 days march back to the sea, the sea? The ones Rome never took? Nothing against Hannibal, but *someone* must have thought the Persians a formidable foe...I mean before Jon Carry...

10:43 PM, December 18, 2006
Anonymous said...

"Last, Patton went there, big time, and that would be enough for a lot of folks."


Patton may have been there more than once, by some of his accounts...

TheSev

11:00 PM, December 18, 2006
Anonymous said...

"comatus said...
Good one, anonymous, but you have to ask--who visits Chapel Hill TN to study the remnants of its literature? Must be gone with the wind."

Probably because history books don't fawn over him, fungus boy.

11:24 PM, December 18, 2006

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