Hannibal Barca: Rome's Most Dangerous Enemy

07/13/22 • 39 min

After a six-week hiatus, weâre back and with a fast-paced adventure story that rivals even the best of Hollywood. Itâs the story of Hannibal Barca. When outnumbered by the Roman military two to one, this fearless Carthaginian general, complete with eye patch and riding atop a black stallion, defied all odds in one of the bloodiest battles in all of antiquity, thus becoming one of the greatest military commanders the world has ever known. Join us as we delve into the life and times of this extraordinary man.

Episode Notes:

The immediate predecessor of Hannibal in Spain was his brother-in-law, Hasdrubal the Fair (not to be confused with Hannibal's brother, Hasdrubal), who ruled from 229-221 BC., after which Hannibal in 221 at the age of 26 took over Carthaginian Spain.
According to some ancient sources, Hannibal did marry an Iberian woman named Imilce and they had a son, but we do not know this for certain.

Books:

The Punic Wars by Adrian Goldsworthy
A History of Rome by Michael Grant
Hannibal: The Military Biography of Romeâs Greatest Enemy by Richard Gabriel
The Histories by Polybius
A History of Warfare by John Keegan

Film:

Hannibal (2006) BBC Film
Hannibal: A March on Rome (2018) Documentary
Hannibal in the Alps (2018) PBS Documentary

Episode Notes:

The immediate predecessor of Hannibal in Spain was his brother-in-law, Hasdrubal the Fair (not to be confused with Hannibal's brother, Hasdrubal), who ruled from 229-221 BC., after which Hannibal in 221 at the age of 26 took over Carthaginian Spain.
According to some ancient sources, Hannibal did marry an Iberian woman named Imilce and they had a son, but we do not know this for certain.

Books:

The Punic Wars by Adrian Goldsworthy
A History of Rome by Michael Grant
Hannibal: The Military Biography of Romeâs Greatest Enemy by Richard Gabriel
The Histories by Polybius
A History of Warfare by John Keegan

Film:

Hannibal (2006) BBC Film
Hannibal: A March on Rome (2018) Documentary
Hannibal in the Alps (2018) PBS Documentary

Previous Episode

Cheating The Hangman

Imagine being hung three timesâ¦ unsuccessfully. Thatâs exactly what happened to Englishman, John âBabbacombeâ Lee in 1885. Or in the case of Herman GÃ¶ring, being slipped a cyanide pill just hours before you were scheduled to be hung. Or foiling your pursuers by killing yourself first and being laid out in full regalia upon their arrival. Here in Episode 46, we explore seven individuals who cheated the hangman one way or another.
Books:

Antony and Cleopatra by Adrian Goldsworthy
Queen Elizabeth I by J.E. Neale
Valiant Ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Fate of the American Revolution by Nathaniel Philbrick
"Babbacombe" Lee: The Man They Could Not Hang by John Lee
Jack the Ripper: The Definitive Casebook by Richard Wittington Egan
Inside the Third Reich by Albert Speer

Film:

Cleopatra (1963) with Elizabeth Taylor
Benedict Arnold: Hero Betrayed (2021) Documentary
Jack the Ripper (2017) Documentary with Trevor Marriott
Judgement at Nuremburg (1961) with an all-star cast
Downfall (2005) with Bruno Ganz as Hitler

Next Episode

Some of History's Greatest Imposters

There have been many impostors throughout history and in this 48th episode we deal with six of them, two related to English history and four related to Russian history. All at one time or another had many who believed in them (or at least tried to use them for advantage). All six went a long way to pulling off their ruse and we discuss many of the details in this episode.

Episode Notes: