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Introduction
This thesis sets out to explore the view of Hannibal in later Roman culture through a
comparative study of the literary and historiographic treatment of certain episodes that
became emblematic of his career and of the Second Punic War: his childhood oath and
enmity to Rome; his crossing of the Alps; his march on Rome; his greatest victory at
Cannae; the emasculation of his army in Campania; his defeat at Zama; his
encouragement of foreign powers to make war on Rome; and his suicide.
In parte operis mei licet mihi praefari quod in principio summae totius
professi plerique sunt rerum scriptores, bellum maxime omnium
memorabile quae unquam gesta sint me scipturum, quod Hannibale
duce Carthaginienses cum populo Romano gessere.
Livy, 21.1.1
In this preface to a part of my history I may properly assert what many
an historian has declared at the outset of his entire work, to wit, that
the war which I am going to describe was the most memorable of all
wars ever waged, the war, that is, which, under the leadership of
Hannibal, the Carthaginians waged with the Roman People.
Foster, 1949, 3.
Livy‟s opening sentence to the third decad glorifies the Second Punic War as the most
memorable war that Rome ever fought and elevates Hannibal by naming him before
anyone else (Livy also prioritises populo Romano, i.e., Rome as a community, over any
individual Roman). 1 The story of Hannibal 2 and the Second Punic War (218-202) 3
between Rome and Carthage was one of enduring interest to the Romans and, as shown
by Livy‟s opening remarks, the effects of Hannibal‟s impression can be traced in their
texts for centuries after his lifetime.
In that this thesis compares the presentations and representations of Hannibal through
events and themes associated with him in Roman cultural imagination, it is not aiming
1
Appendix 2 gives a brief overview of the use and importance of named figures in the major texts
relevant to this study.
2
Some recent works with a focus on Hannibal: Seibert, 1993; Hoyos, 1998, 2003, 2008; Goldsworthy,
2000, 2001; Lancel, 1995, 1998. See Hoyos, 2003, 212-222 for a comprehensive summary of ancient
sources on Hannibal; also Hoyos, 1998, 280-296; 2003, 215-7; Hoyos, 2006, xxiv, echoes Livy, 21.1.1:
„Hannibal‟s war was the zenith of Roman heroism, virtue and toughness.‟ Also Caven, 1980; Bagnall,
2005; Cornell, Rankov and Sabin, 1996.
3
All dates are BC unless otherwise stated.
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