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„defendere nobis
si Capuam ereptum est dabitur circumdare Romam.‟
77
Pun. 12.505-6
„If the defence of Capua is denied me, I shall find it possible to
besiege Rome.‟
Duff, 1989, 185.
Hannibal reminds his men that Rome was their original target and declares that if
gaining Rome meant losing Capua, it was a price worth paying (Pun. 12.511-18). The
underlying „reality‟ in his declaration suggests that while Hannibal perceived Capua as
useful, the town was not critical for the Hannibal‟s overall strategy for war against
Rome. He was prepared to abandon Capua and not waste resources trying to defend the
town.
Hannibal‟s march on Rome in the Punica is intended to be a secret, and, in this
respect Silius Italicus is much closer to the Polybian tradition than to Livy over
Hannibal‟s success at maintaining secrecy. Hannibal reaches the Anio undetected and
remains undiscovered until he sets up a camp near where the Anio meets the Tiber 205
(Pun. 12.541-2; cf. Hist. 9.5.8). Therefore, as with Polybius, it is Hannibal‟s sudden
appearance outside Rome in the Punica which causes shock and panic within the city.
On the other hand, Silius Italicus, like Livy, depicts a Roman figure comprehending
that Hannibal‟s appearance outside Rome did not necessarily mean that he had
destroyed the army at Capua. The difference from Livy is that Silius Italicus more
plausibly voices it through Fulvius Flaccus than Fabius Maximus. Fulvius Flaccus was,
after all, pursuing Hannibal from Capua:
Fulvius antevolans agmen „quis nesciat‟ inquit
„non sponte ad nostros Poenum venisse penates?
a portis fugit Capuae.‟
Pun. 12.600-2
At the head of the army rode Fulvius. „It is an open secret,‟ he said,
„that Hannibal was no free agent when he came to attack our homes:
he was driven in flight from the gates of Capua.‟
Duff, 1989, 191. 206
Most notably, given Silius Italicus‟ predilection to name even the most minor characters
in the Punica, he makes no mention of two Roman figures who play particularly
205 About 3 miles from Rome, Duff, 1989, 186 n b.
206 „open secret‟ is a loose translation. Flaccus as the spokesman is more relevant for this point.