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or to news of his victory over Scipio. Livy turns directly from the action in north Italy to
the other consul, Tiberius Sempronius, and his successes in the Mediterranean. The
reaction at Rome is merely implicit in the urgent message that Tiberius Sempronius
receives from the Senate requiring him to travel at all speed from Sicily to assist his
colleague in the north (Livy, 21.49-51).
By the time Tiberius Sempronius arrives to join Scipio, the two opposing armies are
camped not far from each other near the river Trebia; Scipio is alive but wounded from
battle at the river Ticinus. Some sources, including Polybius and Livy, use Tiberius
Sempronius‟ arrival to foreshadow Cannae in the sense of showing that defeat is the
result for consuls who argue and cannot work together in order to defeat a common foe.
Tiberius Sempronius is eager to attack Hannibal whereas the wounded Scipio urges
caution. 221 The two authors offer different reasons for Tiberius‟ enthusiasm and Silius
Italicus offers yet another. According to Polybius, it is elation caused by a recent
success against the Carthaginians in a cavalry skirmish; Tiberius believes he can defeat
Hannibal (Hist. 3.70.1). Livy relates it to Hannibal‟s threat to Rome and Tiberius
Sempronius is eager to attack because the Carthaginians were camped „almost within
sight of Rome:‟
Castra Carthaginiensium in Italia ac prope in conspectu urbis esse.
Livy, 21.53.4
The Carthaginians were encamped in Italy and almost within sight of
Rome.
Foster, 1949, 157.
In the Punica, there is no disagreement between the consuls and Gracchus is eager to
fight simply because such spirit was a family trait (Pun. 4.495-6). 222 All three
representations of Gracchus‟ enthusiasm probably have a measure of validity.
Polybius does not directly present Hannibal intending to march on Rome following
the victory at the Trebia, and it might be stretching the point to read it in the description
of Hannibal‟s men chasing the retreating Romans and only to be stopped in their pursuit
by natural forces, in the form of a storm (Hist. 3.74.9-11). Except that the passage
221 Scipio argues for delay over winter because Hannibal is under pressure to impress the Gauls in the Po
Valley, he wants to fight the Romans while Scipio is sick and the Roman recruits raw (Hist. 3.70.1-12).
222 Silius Italicus‟ version of the battle also differs from others for the effects of the cold river. It is a more
plausible but more shameful explanation that, during the course of battle, Hannibal‟s army gradually
pushes the Romans into the cold water (Pun. 4.570-666). Cf. Polybius, Hist. 3.61.6-11, Livy, 21.54.5, the
Romans are lured through the cold water to fight on the other side. Appian, 7.2.6 has yet another version:
the Romans ford the cold river in order to provoke battle.
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