The Second Punic War pitted Rome against Carthage and its brilliant general Hannibal, who led an army from Spain across the Alps into Italy. He inflicted crushing defeats on the Romans at the Trebia, Lake Trasimene and, above all, Cannae, but could not force the Italian allies of Rome to abandon it. Rome adopted a cautious strategy under Fabius Maximus, fought Carthage in Spain, and finally sent Scipio to invade Africa. Hannibal was recalled and defeated at Zama, and the peace that followed stripped Carthage of its fleet and overseas possessions, leaving Rome the dominant power of the western Mediterranean.
Before and after
- from 240 BCE to 238 BCEMercenary War
- 232 BCEDeath of Ashoka
- from 221 BCE to 206 BCEQin dynasty
- from May 219 BCE to December 219 BCESiege of Saguntum
- from 218 BCE to 201 BCESecond Punic War
- 217 BCEHannibal destroys the Roman army at Cannae
- 214 BCEBattle of Beneventum
- from 214 BCE to 212 BCESiege of Syracuse
- from 214 BCE to 205 BCEFirst Macedonian War
More in Wars, politics & history
- 587 BCENebuchadnezzar destroys Jerusalem and the First Temple
- from 264 BCE to 241 BCEFirst Punic War
- 203 BCEScipio defeats Hannibal at Zama
- from 66 CE to 74 CEFirst Jewish-Roman War
- from June 68 CE to December 69 CEYear of the Four Emperors
- 293 CEDiocletian establishes the Tetrarchy
The era
This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires. You can also browse everything in the 3rd century BCE.