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Where Livy‟s Hannibal gains a new respect for Roman power after his attempt
against Spoletium, the epic Hannibal develops a fear of the basis of Roman power, the
individual Roman soldier. Hannibal surveys the dead Romans at Trasimene, their anger
still showing on their faces:
„et vereor, ne, quae tanta creat indole tellus
magnanimous fecunda viros, huic fata dicarint
imperium, atque ipsis devincat cladibus orbem.‟
90
Pun. 5.674-6
„It misgives me that this land, the fertile mother of such noble heroes,
may be destined to hold empire, and may, even by its lost battles,
conquer the world.‟
Duff, 1996, 281.
Punica 6 resumes with the survey of the battlefield; in one case the dead Roman‟s anger
is converted to epic fury 229 as the soldier, for want of a weapon, has used his teeth and
bitten the nose off his opponent, also dead (Pun. 6.47-53).
Hannibal‟s fear does not prevent him continuing with a plan to march on Rome. He
does not turn toward the Adriatic because he is confident of ultimate success as
suggested by Polybius, or because he has gained new respect for Roman power after
failing to take a Roman colony, as in Livy. The only thing that eventually stops the epic
Hannibal‟s determination to march on Rome is direct intervention by Jupiter:
„haud umquam tibi Iupiter,‟ inquit,
„o iuvenis dederit portas transcendere Romae
atque inferre pedem.’
Pun. 6.600-602
„Never shall Jupiter permit you, young man,‟ he said, „to pass the
gates of Rome and walk her streets.‟
Duff, 1996, 325.
Jupiter then hurls four 230 thunderbolts to make his point (Pun. 6.605-8). The tradition of
divine intervention and Jupiter preventing Hannibal marching on Rome after Trasimene
is not exclusive to the Punica. Appian wrote that „divine Providence‟ 231 turned Hannibal
away toward the Adriatic (Appian, Hann. 3.12.1).
229 Braund and Gilbert, 2003, 275-6 argue for cannibalism as symbolic epic anger that goes beyond the
moral bounds. However the focus of the text is on anger, not cannibalism; there is no suggestion of
hunger on the part of the Roman soldier. See also Livy‟s scene at Cannae, Livy 22.51.
230 Spaltenstein, 1986, 433 notes that „four‟ is a less prestigious number than „three.‟
231 White, 2002, 323.