Rome's second great war with Carthage the other major city-state power in the Western Mediterranean, from 218-201 BC was arguably the greatest single war ever to have been fought in classical Antiquity. Unlike the first war with Carthage (264-241 BC) which was essentially an external war - including many naval battles - for the control of the island of Sicily, the Second Punic War involved fighting on at least three major fronts, one of them being Italy itself (the others were Spain and North Africa). The armed expedition led by the great Carthaginian commander Hannibal into the heart of Italy (from 218 to 203) inflicted not only colossal military defeats on Roman armies in Italy, but also incited some significant defections amongst Rome's Italian allies (e.g., the wealthy south-central Italian city of Capua). It also caused widespread destruction of rural lands and depopulation of the southern Italian countryside.
Despite these unparalleled military threats, and the material devastation consequent upon them, Roman armies and their leaders managed to hold out. The Second Punic War was therefore a quintessential test for the Roman ruling elite. Plutarch gives us the biography of one of the greatest of the Roman commanders: Quintus Fabius Maximus ('the Greatest'). Fabius Maximus was chosen as Dictator by the people following terrible Roman military defeats at the Battle of the Trebia (December 218) and Battle of Trasimene (June 217). His hesitancy to join battle with Hannibal, and his purposefully careful tactics earned him the nickname Cunctator ('the Delayer').
Some Questions: In reading the life of Fabius Maximus, concentrate not so much on the details of the individual events as on the commander himself as an example of Roman military 'virtue' at the top of his society. What sort of expectations did the Romans have of their military men? What sorts of values were they expected to exhibit? What sorts of motives and rewards moved such men to action? What relationship did they have to 'ordinary' political power in the Roman state, and by what means did they establish a public 'reputation' for themselves?
Discussion and Questions Copyright 2000/2001,Prof. Brent D. Shaw.