WEBVTT

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- [Narrator] This video was
made possible by Incogni.

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Use code oversimplified in the link below

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for an exclusive 60% off
an annual Incogni plan.

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Also, make sure to grab
our Roman Consul Youtooz

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before it's too late.

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Don't make me mention it a third time,

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or I'll you know what.

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(ominous music)

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(dramatic music)

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Hannibal's army

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had survived its famous
crossing of the Alps,

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and he was now in Italy.

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With Hannibal's arrival,
the Roman Consul Scipio

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hit the ground running.

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In typical Roman fashion
he marched his army

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straight at the enemy, and
Hannibal began preparing

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for his first combat with
Rome on Italian soil.

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Before the battle, Hannibal
wanted to inspire his men,

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so he staged a gladiatorial death match

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between captured Celt prisoners

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with the winner getting
prizes and freedom.

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He then explained that the
whole thing was a metaphor.

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"A metaphor, for what?"

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"You, these warriors are you.

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You're trapped in Italy with no escape.

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Your only choice now is to fight and win."

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"What about the dead guy?"

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"That's you if you don't win."

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"And the prizes?"

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"That's what you stand
to gain by winning."

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"And the fact that I've soiled myself

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in all this excitement?"

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"That, no, that's not
part of the metaphor."

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"Okay."

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Hannibal also smashed
in the head of a goat,

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again for inspiration.

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Scipio, on the other hand,
now arriving in the area,

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opted for the more classic route

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of a rousing pre-battle speech.

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"Look at the men.

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Weak, starved by the Alps,

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while we are the strongest
military in the world.

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This will be easy.

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Like 10,000 horse-sized ducks
fighting a baby sized baby.

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It'll be like Mike Tyson in
his prime, kicking a baby.

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A tug of war between 10
sumo wrestlers and, uh,

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help me out here, Ralph."

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"A baby, sir."

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"Yes, yes, that's it, a baby.

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The point is, there is
absolutely no possible way

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we could lose a battle this easy.

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So if everybody's ready
on my mark, charge."

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(Roman soldiers yelling)

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(Roman soldiers screaming)

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The Battle of Ticinus was over

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almost as soon as it had begun,

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as the Romans found themselves
completely outmatched

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by Hannibal's famed lightning
fast Numidian cavalry,

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a key element in Hannibal's devastating

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double envelopment tactics.

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In the chaos, Scipio was wounded.

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Thankfully, according
to some ancient writers,

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his handsome 17-year-old
son, Scipio the Younger,

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saw his father fall.

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Scipio the Younger,
supposedly saved his father,

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and in the process earned
himself a lot of daddy's kisses.

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The Romans ended up fleeing the area,

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destroying the bridge
behind them as they went.

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For a nation so overtly
confident in victory,

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believing Hannibal to be an easy kill,

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the Romans found themselves running away

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with their tail between their legs.

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It was humiliating.

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And do you know who thought so as well?

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The Celts.

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They began flocking to Hannibal's
side just as he had hoped.

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Even Celtic troops fighting
for Rome in the Roman camp

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began to reconsider.

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"Man, I'm thinking we should
try to join Hannibal."

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"I hear you, maybe we
should bring him a gift.

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What do you think he'd like?"

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"Hmm,

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oh, I know."

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"Hey, Hannibal, we wanna join your side

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and we brought you a present."

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"A gift for me?

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I hope it's Roman heads."

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Oh, please, oh, please be Roman heads.

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How did you know?"

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Running away from Hannibal
was humiliating enough,

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but having dozens of Romans
beheaded in the night.

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Now that's embarrassing.

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Ticinus had been a
relatively small battle,

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but the psychological impact
it had early on was huge.

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And it was only just a taste

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of what Hannibal was capable of.

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Despite the shocking
initial loss, however,

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Rome still didn't seem to
fully understand the danger

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posed by the monster now
loose in their territory.

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The Senate was full of excuses.

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"It's those traitorous
Celts, that's why we lost.

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"Yeah, and it was a cavalry battle,

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wait until Hannibal faces
our almighty legions."

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"And our Consul was bald,

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once he faces our other
fully follicled Consul

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then he'll really pee his pants."

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That other Consul, Longus

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had been in the south all this time,

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preparing to invade Africa.

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He had seen some success
even capturing Malta,

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but then he heard the news,

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"Hannibal's in Italy, and
I'm being ordered home.

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But, but I was gonna be the big boy.

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I was gonna invade
Carthage and win the war."

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"Well, you can be a big boy at home."

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"No."

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"Does somebody need a nap, sir?"

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"No, no, no!"

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And so Longus brought his army
on the long journey north,

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when he arrived in the area

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to decisively neutralize Hannibal.

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The two Consuls joined
their forces together,

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creating a double consular army.

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But the two Consuls weren't
exactly on the same page,

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"Having a nice rest there, old man?"

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"I'm wounded, Longus."

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"Pathetic."

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"You don't understand.

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He's more dangerous than we thought."

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"Maybe for you, whoops."

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"Listen, we can't just march

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straight at him like we normally do.

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We need to train our
man through the winter

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and we'll try again in spring."

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"Sorry, I don't take advice
from a bowling bowl."

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"H-hey, I'll kick your ass, Longus."

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"Any day now."

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"I'm coming, just you wait."

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"Oh, Scipio, you feeble old man."

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(Longus screeches)

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Scipio was apparently quite cautious

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after his recent encounter with Hannibal,

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while Longus, typically Roman,

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couldn't wait to give Hannibal a swirly.

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So who would get their way?

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Well, when two Consuls
joined their forces,

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it turned out the Romans had
an interesting system in place.

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They would each take turns
being the one in charge.

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Consul one would lead one
day, then Consul two the next,

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back and forth, back and forth.

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As you can imagine, when the
two Consuls didn't agree,

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things didn't go so well.

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In this case, due to Scipio's injury,

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Longus probably assumed even
more command than normal.

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Hannibal had Celtic
spies in the Roman camp.

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He fully understood the Roman system

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and Longus's hotheaded nature,

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and he knew he could exploit it.

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"For goodness sake."

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"What's wrong, sir?"

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"I'm trying to order some pizza,

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but I keep getting fed
all these personalized ads

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about being a hothead.

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I'm not a hothead, am I?"

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"No, sir."

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"Look at this, butt insurance?

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Who would buy butt insurance?"

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"Yeah, that sounds really stupid."

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"Sir, it seems like a lot of data brokers

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have collected data on you.

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They could sell that data to Hannibal."

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"What?"

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"But don't worry because
you can get rid of that data

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with today's wonderful sponsor, Incogni."

00:07:13.177 --> 00:07:14.610
"Hooray."

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I've been getting at you for some time

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to protect your personal data online.

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But you're a nimwit, aren't you?

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You didn't do it, did you?

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Typical, and now would you look at that?

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Tons of data brokers have collected

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a heck of a lot of your personal data

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and might sell it to third
parties like advertisers

00:07:32.699 --> 00:07:35.849
or insurance companies
without you even knowing.

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Ever wonder where Sally from
the butt insurance company

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got your name, number, address,
social security number,

00:07:41.639 --> 00:07:45.779
and favorite color from,
probably a dirty data broker.

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We could painstakingly contact

00:07:47.610 --> 00:07:49.770
the hundreds of brokers that have our data

00:07:49.769 --> 00:07:52.139
and politely ask them to delete it.

00:07:52.139 --> 00:07:54.479
That process would only
take the average human

00:07:54.480 --> 00:07:58.740
about 3000 years, and
that's why you need Incogni.

00:07:58.740 --> 00:08:00.300
I was shocked to find

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how many data brokers Incogni had tracked

00:08:02.730 --> 00:08:04.920
potentially selling my data.

00:08:04.920 --> 00:08:08.129
But all I had to do was
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give them permission to work on my behalf,

00:08:10.379 --> 00:08:14.129
then sit back and let them
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00:08:14.129 --> 00:08:16.843
And since these data
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Incogni will continuously work

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That's incogni.com/oversimplified.

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And as always, you'll be
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So thank you.

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Now, where were we?

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Oh yeah, Roman heads, a double
consular army and a hothead.

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Hannibal needed to keep
smashing the Romans in battle

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in order to maintain the
loyalty of the Celts.

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And so he was eager to
fight another battle.

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The combined Roman force
possibly outnumbered him.

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So he carefully crafted a clever trap,

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and he made sure to spring it,

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while Longus was still in charge.

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The plan began with his army
getting an early night's sleep.

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"All right, boys, time for lights out."

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(Carthaginian soldiers whine)

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"Sorry, but we got a big day ahead of us.

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Tomorrow we're gonna massacre the Romans."

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(Carthaginian soldiers cheer)

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"Goodnight boys, dream of revenge."

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(door clicks)

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"Gorzog, send out the cavalry."

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(dramatic music)

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That night, Hannibal's Numidian cavalry

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made their way over to the Roman camp

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arriving just before dawn.

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"Hey, Romans, wakey, wakey."

00:09:42.817 --> 00:09:45.572
"What, what the, what's going on?"

00:09:45.572 --> 00:09:48.336
"Hey, Longus, your butt
smells like a butt."

00:09:48.336 --> 00:09:49.799
"It does not.

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Scipio, awaken the troops."

00:09:51.756 --> 00:09:53.849
"Longus, these playground insults

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are clearly meant to lure you out."

00:09:55.297 --> 00:09:57.966
"Well, it's working, send out the troops."

00:09:57.966 --> 00:09:59.976
"Longus, it's clearly a trap."

00:09:59.976 --> 00:10:02.526
"And I'm falling for it,
send out the troops."

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"Hey guys, wake up, you're
heading out for battle."

00:10:05.226 --> 00:10:06.389
"What?

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But we haven't had breakfast."

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"We're skipping breakfast."

00:10:09.846 --> 00:10:11.340
"I don't think you can do that."

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As the Romans hurried out of camp,

00:10:13.049 --> 00:10:14.939
the Numidians began luring them back

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to the Carthaginian camp,
where these gentle angels

00:10:18.809 --> 00:10:21.636
were just awakening from their slumber.

00:10:21.636 --> 00:10:24.791
"Eat up boys we're having pancakes."

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(Carthaginian soldiers cheer)

00:10:26.820 --> 00:10:27.930
While the Carthaginians

00:10:27.929 --> 00:10:29.849
were enjoying their hearty breakfast.

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The starving Romans
were still on their way.

00:10:33.037 --> 00:10:35.370
"Hurry up, we have to
catch those Numidians.

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Hey, why have you stopped marching?"

00:10:37.356 --> 00:10:40.476
"Longus, there's a freezing
river in front of us."

00:10:40.476 --> 00:10:44.371
"Well get your gluteus
maximus in the water."

00:10:44.371 --> 00:10:47.346
(Roman soldiers yelling)

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"All right, boys, time to lather up.

00:10:49.649 --> 00:10:51.634
This oil will insulate you from the cold.

00:10:51.634 --> 00:10:53.802
It also smells like lavender."

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(Carthaginian soldiers hum)

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"There's the Carthaginian
camp, get ready to fight men."

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"Sir, I take the water from the river

00:11:02.100 --> 00:11:03.513
is beginning to ice over.

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I can't move."

00:11:05.947 --> 00:11:08.460
"Oh, oh, I'm sorry, you
thought war would be fun.

00:11:08.460 --> 00:11:10.139
Sitting around a nice hot campfire

00:11:10.139 --> 00:11:11.759
playing truth or dare with your friends?

00:11:11.759 --> 00:11:13.777
Welcome to the real world."

00:11:13.777 --> 00:11:14.977
"Truth."

00:11:14.976 --> 00:11:16.016
"Who do you like?"

00:11:16.956 --> 00:11:17.789
"Sharon."

00:11:17.789 --> 00:11:18.622
"Ew."

00:11:20.136 --> 00:11:22.909
"Hey, look, guys, the Romans are here."

00:11:22.909 --> 00:11:25.919
(Roman soldiers shivering)

00:11:25.919 --> 00:11:28.019
Having perfectly orchestrated events

00:11:28.019 --> 00:11:30.840
so that his enemy was
cold, tired, and hungry,

00:11:30.840 --> 00:11:34.050
while his men were well
rested and covered in oil.

00:11:34.049 --> 00:11:36.240
When the two sides engaged one another,

00:11:36.240 --> 00:11:39.570
the Romans were in no condition to fight.

00:11:39.570 --> 00:11:41.430
And the cherry on top?

00:11:41.429 --> 00:11:43.799
The previous night, Hannibal had sent out

00:11:43.799 --> 00:11:45.839
an elite force of men led by his brother

00:11:45.840 --> 00:11:47.759
to go and hide behind a bush.

00:11:47.759 --> 00:11:51.809
They suddenly sprung out
encircling the exhausted Romans

00:11:51.809 --> 00:11:54.149
who were then cut to pieces.

00:11:54.149 --> 00:11:56.669
Once again, Hannibal's superior cavalry

00:11:56.669 --> 00:12:00.419
and double envelopment tactics
had flummoxed the Romans.

00:12:00.419 --> 00:12:03.719
But the key word at Trebia was control.

00:12:03.720 --> 00:12:05.910
Hannibal used his intel on the enemy

00:12:05.909 --> 00:12:07.889
and the environment of the battlefield

00:12:07.889 --> 00:12:10.710
to carefully control the
conditions of battle,

00:12:10.710 --> 00:12:13.200
creating lots of little
advantages for himself

00:12:13.200 --> 00:12:15.450
that paved the way to success.

00:12:15.450 --> 00:12:17.610
And concealing troops for an ambush?

00:12:17.610 --> 00:12:19.950
All of these things are what make Hannibal

00:12:19.950 --> 00:12:22.517
the genius he's remembered as today.

00:12:22.517 --> 00:12:25.920
As for Longus, he managed
to escape the battlefield

00:12:25.919 --> 00:12:27.839
with a small number of troops.

00:12:27.840 --> 00:12:29.940
Disgraced, he didn't want this Senate

00:12:29.940 --> 00:12:31.320
to find out what had happened,

00:12:31.320 --> 00:12:35.017
and he began obscuring
communications back to Rome.

00:12:35.017 --> 00:12:37.200
"Longus, where have you been?

00:12:37.200 --> 00:12:38.317
We've been looking for you."

00:12:38.317 --> 00:12:40.147
"Uh, nowhere in particular."

00:12:40.147 --> 00:12:42.810
"Longus, 30,000 men are missing.

00:12:42.809 --> 00:12:44.106
Do you know where they are?"

00:12:44.106 --> 00:12:46.447
"Uh, they're taking a bath."

00:12:46.447 --> 00:12:49.476
"30,000 men, all in a bath."

00:12:49.476 --> 00:12:50.437
"Yes."

00:12:50.437 --> 00:12:52.360
"Longus, what's under that rug?"

00:12:52.360 --> 00:12:53.887
(flies buzzing)

00:12:53.886 --> 00:12:55.596
"Aurora Borealis."

00:12:55.596 --> 00:12:57.332
"Aurora Borealis?

00:12:58.817 --> 00:12:59.856
Oh."
(alarm beeps)

00:12:59.856 --> 00:13:01.559
"Well, that's my consulship over.

00:13:01.559 --> 00:13:03.869
Good luck with Hannibal, bye."

00:13:03.870 --> 00:13:07.080
Trebia had been a disaster for the Romans.

00:13:07.080 --> 00:13:10.170
And as even more Celts
began flocking to Hannibal,

00:13:10.169 --> 00:13:14.339
Rome largely lost its
control over Cisalpine Gaul.

00:13:14.340 --> 00:13:17.639
In Rome, complacency turned to alarm.

00:13:17.639 --> 00:13:20.220
Hannibal had outwitted
them on their own soil

00:13:20.220 --> 00:13:22.649
and inflicted a costly defeat.

00:13:22.649 --> 00:13:23.482
But with that,

00:13:23.482 --> 00:13:27.059
Scipio and Longus's terms
as Consul were over.

00:13:27.059 --> 00:13:29.097
They were replaced with two new Consuls,

00:13:29.097 --> 00:13:31.796
Servilius and Flaminius.

00:13:31.797 --> 00:13:34.320
The Romans may now have begun to realize

00:13:34.320 --> 00:13:35.790
the trouble they were in,

00:13:35.789 --> 00:13:39.569
and the genius Hannibal had
shown in invading Italy.

00:13:39.570 --> 00:13:43.080
The Romans had expected to be
the ones controlling this war.

00:13:43.080 --> 00:13:46.770
Remember, they thought they
were going to invade Carthage.

00:13:46.769 --> 00:13:49.019
Now their plans lay in ruins,

00:13:49.019 --> 00:13:51.299
and they were levying 11 new legions

00:13:51.299 --> 00:13:53.039
to deal with the threat,

00:13:53.039 --> 00:13:56.849
Hannibal had completely redefined the war.

00:13:56.850 --> 00:13:59.580
But Hannibal had a little
problem of his own.

00:13:59.580 --> 00:14:01.230
Things had gone well so far,

00:14:01.230 --> 00:14:03.360
but the Celts were notoriously fickle.

00:14:03.360 --> 00:14:06.180
And Hannibal needed to ensure
he maintained their alliance

00:14:06.179 --> 00:14:08.549
and his base of support in Italy.

00:14:08.549 --> 00:14:10.620
Any Celts he captured fighting for Rome

00:14:10.620 --> 00:14:12.240
he treated extremely well

00:14:12.240 --> 00:14:14.340
and allowed them to return to their homes.

00:14:14.340 --> 00:14:16.800
But the longer he hung
around in their territory,

00:14:16.799 --> 00:14:18.089
eating all their food

00:14:18.090 --> 00:14:20.250
and leaving beard
trimmings in their sinks,

00:14:20.250 --> 00:14:22.409
the more resentful they may become.

00:14:22.409 --> 00:14:25.829
They wanted to go south and
plunder some Roman booty.

00:14:25.830 --> 00:14:27.450
And Hannibal also hoped to sway

00:14:27.450 --> 00:14:30.870
Rome's other Italian allies
in the south to his side.

00:14:30.870 --> 00:14:33.235
So from here, the path was clear.

00:14:33.235 --> 00:14:35.836
Hannibal had to move south.

00:14:35.836 --> 00:14:37.680
Just one problem.

00:14:37.679 --> 00:14:39.000
There were two main routes

00:14:39.000 --> 00:14:41.250
Hannibal could take to move south.

00:14:41.250 --> 00:14:42.720
And wouldn't you know it?

00:14:42.720 --> 00:14:45.480
That's exactly where the
two new Roman Consuls

00:14:45.480 --> 00:14:47.639
had taken fortified positions.

00:14:47.639 --> 00:14:49.319
If Hannibal tried to move on them,

00:14:49.320 --> 00:14:51.810
he'd be fighting from a
disadvantaged position

00:14:51.809 --> 00:14:53.406
and could be bottled in.

00:14:53.407 --> 00:14:54.877
"There is a third option."

00:14:54.876 --> 00:14:56.016
"Ooh, tell me, tell me."

00:14:56.017 --> 00:14:58.620
"We could move through this
vast, impassable marshland

00:14:58.620 --> 00:15:00.779
flooded with dirty, stinky
disease infested water

00:15:00.779 --> 00:15:02.646
that at times would come up to our necks."

00:15:02.647 --> 00:15:05.910
"But there's no way we
would attempt that, right?

00:15:05.909 --> 00:15:07.409
That it'd be crazy, right?

00:15:07.409 --> 00:15:10.076
(playful music)

00:15:11.370 --> 00:15:12.202
Hannibal?"

00:15:12.202 --> 00:15:14.939
Hannibal's four day trek
across the Arno marshlands

00:15:14.940 --> 00:15:16.890
was hell on Earth,

00:15:16.889 --> 00:15:19.439
almost as crazy as when
he crossed the Alps.

00:15:19.440 --> 00:15:22.890
Imagine three full days
unable to sit or lie down

00:15:22.889 --> 00:15:24.929
because there's nowhere
to sit or lie down.

00:15:24.929 --> 00:15:27.419
Meaning four full days without sleep

00:15:27.419 --> 00:15:29.370
slugging through heavy mud.

00:15:29.370 --> 00:15:30.750
You contract cholera.

00:15:30.750 --> 00:15:31.917
Your foot falls off

00:15:31.917 --> 00:15:33.750
and Jimbob directly in front of you

00:15:33.750 --> 00:15:35.429
won't stop pooping in your path.

00:15:35.429 --> 00:15:38.250
In fact, everybody's pooping in your path.

00:15:38.250 --> 00:15:41.669
Some delirious sleepless
men would see clumps of mud

00:15:41.669 --> 00:15:44.483
and say, "Man, I could
just sink into that."

00:15:44.484 --> 00:15:46.350
And then they would.

00:15:46.350 --> 00:15:47.610
When Pack animals died,

00:15:47.610 --> 00:15:49.800
it gave nearby men a chance to rest,

00:15:49.799 --> 00:15:51.240
but only for a few moments

00:15:51.240 --> 00:15:53.460
before they were whipped back into line.

00:15:53.460 --> 00:15:56.977
Even Hannibal himself couldn't
escape the torture of it.

00:15:56.976 --> 00:15:59.699
"Hey, Hannibal, if we see
a Starbucks, can we stop?

00:15:59.700 --> 00:16:01.441
I need to take a leak."

00:16:01.441 --> 00:16:06.367
(Carthaginian soldiers screaming)

00:16:06.366 --> 00:16:07.199
"What?"

00:16:07.200 --> 00:16:08.730
"Geez, Hannibal looks like you picked up

00:16:08.730 --> 00:16:10.110
a nasty eye infection.

00:16:10.110 --> 00:16:11.190
Normally for this sort of thing,

00:16:11.190 --> 00:16:12.990
we'd just wash it out
with some clean water.

00:16:12.990 --> 00:16:15.269
But as you can see, water everywhere,

00:16:15.269 --> 00:16:16.927
but it's full of Jimbob's poop."

00:16:16.927 --> 00:16:19.947
"No worries, doc, I'll just
take care of it myself."

00:16:21.320 --> 00:16:24.037
(Carthaginian soldiers gasp)

00:16:24.037 --> 00:16:25.259
"That'll be $3,000."

00:16:25.259 --> 00:16:27.059
When the now possibly one-eyed Hannibal

00:16:27.059 --> 00:16:30.911
and his army emerged from the
swamp, they were shattered.

00:16:30.912 --> 00:16:34.980
But he had just managed to slip 50,000 men

00:16:34.980 --> 00:16:38.639
right past the Romans
into Rich Etrurian lands

00:16:38.639 --> 00:16:40.649
where he could replenish his supplies

00:16:40.649 --> 00:16:43.079
and his Celt allies could go crazy

00:16:43.080 --> 00:16:45.540
securing Roman loot and booty.

00:16:45.539 --> 00:16:48.179
As fields and villages went up in flames,

00:16:48.179 --> 00:16:50.849
one Roman Consul couldn't help but notice.

00:16:50.850 --> 00:16:52.920
The hotheaded Flaminius,

00:16:52.919 --> 00:16:56.129
feeling it was his responsibility
to protect these lands.

00:16:56.129 --> 00:16:58.919
Rather than waiting for his
co-consul to come join him,

00:16:58.919 --> 00:17:02.009
immediately left to go chase Hannibal.

00:17:02.009 --> 00:17:05.400
Now this Flaminius was
an interesting character.

00:17:05.400 --> 00:17:08.220
He was what the Romans called a new man.

00:17:08.220 --> 00:17:11.700
He came from the lower plebeian
classes of Roman society,

00:17:11.700 --> 00:17:13.423
and as a result, he reportedly had

00:17:13.423 --> 00:17:16.859
kind of a screw you attitude
to the establishment

00:17:16.859 --> 00:17:19.500
and a big old, arrogant
chip on his shoulder.

00:17:19.500 --> 00:17:23.880
Picture Sid Vicious wearing
a toga, that's Flaminius.

00:17:23.880 --> 00:17:28.080
And Hannibal, thanks to
his spies, knew everything.

00:17:28.079 --> 00:17:30.990
Just as with Longus,
Hannibal knew Flaminius

00:17:30.990 --> 00:17:34.950
was just the kind of man
he could lure into a trap.

00:17:34.950 --> 00:17:38.190
Hannibal led Flaminius to
the entrance of a narrow pass

00:17:38.190 --> 00:17:40.740
along the north shore of Lake Trasimene.

00:17:40.740 --> 00:17:44.210
Flaminius watched as Hannibal's
army entered the pass.

00:17:44.210 --> 00:17:47.167
"I've done it, I've spotted the enemy."

00:17:47.166 --> 00:17:50.579
"Uh, sir, that big "Follow us" sign

00:17:50.579 --> 00:17:52.416
seems kinda like they're
trying to lure you in."

00:17:52.416 --> 00:17:55.057
"Yes, Gareth, and I'm taking the bait."

00:17:55.057 --> 00:17:57.217
"Sir, this really seems like a trap."

00:17:57.217 --> 00:18:00.090
"Yes, Gareth, and I'm falling for it."

00:18:00.089 --> 00:18:03.779
Daylight was fading, so for
now, the Romans set up camp.

00:18:03.779 --> 00:18:06.702
The two armies encamped across
the lake from one another

00:18:06.702 --> 00:18:10.049
and night fell over the two camps.

00:18:10.049 --> 00:18:13.319
In the morning, Flaminius
would catch up to Hannibal

00:18:13.319 --> 00:18:16.740
and he would be the hero of Rome.

00:18:16.740 --> 00:18:21.180
For now, the Romans got nice
and comfy in their beds.

00:18:21.180 --> 00:18:22.594
Goodnight, Flaminius.

00:18:22.594 --> 00:18:24.212
Good night, Rome.

00:18:25.259 --> 00:18:27.720
Good evening, Hannibal.

00:18:27.720 --> 00:18:30.509
During the night, Hannibal
ordered total stealth

00:18:30.509 --> 00:18:33.509
(Flaminius snoring)

00:18:34.589 --> 00:18:37.360
as tens of thousands of troops

00:18:37.361 --> 00:18:41.040
(Roman soldiers snoring)

00:18:41.039 --> 00:18:43.453
scaled the wooded hills above the pass,

00:18:43.453 --> 00:18:46.169
(Roman soldiers snoring)

00:18:46.170 --> 00:18:49.919
completely undetected by Rome's scouts.

00:18:49.919 --> 00:18:52.919
(Flaminius snoring)

00:18:53.878 --> 00:18:56.796
(upbeat music)

00:18:56.797 --> 00:18:57.900
"Let's go girls."

00:18:57.900 --> 00:19:00.630
Flaminius took off across the lake shore

00:19:00.630 --> 00:19:02.250
to try to catch Hannibal.

00:19:02.250 --> 00:19:06.660
As he did, even the weather
seemed to be on Hannibal's side.

00:19:06.660 --> 00:19:09.540
A thick fog rose from
the surface of the lake

00:19:09.539 --> 00:19:11.557
obscuring visibility.

00:19:11.557 --> 00:19:14.099
"Look at this, this is perfect.

00:19:14.099 --> 00:19:16.169
The mist will obscure our approach.

00:19:16.170 --> 00:19:18.531
Hannibal will never see me coming."

00:19:18.530 --> 00:19:22.206
(battle horns blast)

00:19:22.207 --> 00:19:25.320
"Sir, why does it sound
like 50,000 Carthaginians

00:19:25.319 --> 00:19:27.096
are charging down the hill towards us?

00:19:27.096 --> 00:19:29.910
"You mean 50,000 Carthaginians

00:19:29.910 --> 00:19:31.590
are charging right into my trap."

00:19:31.589 --> 00:19:33.509
(Carthaginian soldiers yelling)

00:19:33.509 --> 00:19:34.950
The Romans found themselves

00:19:34.950 --> 00:19:37.350
completely hemmed in on all sides.

00:19:37.349 --> 00:19:39.509
With zero visibility in the fog,

00:19:39.509 --> 00:19:42.480
the fighting was terrifying and chaotic.

00:19:42.480 --> 00:19:45.210
Troops were pushed into the
lake in their heavy armor

00:19:45.210 --> 00:19:48.090
where they were either
cut down or drowned.

00:19:48.089 --> 00:19:51.449
And Flaminius, who likely
stood out like a sore thumb

00:19:51.450 --> 00:19:53.807
in his Consul attire caught the attention

00:19:53.807 --> 00:19:55.860
of one Celt warrior.

00:19:55.859 --> 00:19:58.319
With his head possibly
swirling with thoughts

00:19:58.319 --> 00:20:01.379
of how the Romans had
decimated his homeland.

00:20:01.380 --> 00:20:05.973
According to the ancient writers,
this Celt took his chance.

00:20:08.671 --> 00:20:11.587
(triumphant music)

00:20:13.950 --> 00:20:18.180
In the three hour long massacre,
15,000 Romans were killed,

00:20:18.180 --> 00:20:20.310
and an equal number captured.

00:20:20.309 --> 00:20:23.369
An entire army completely wiped out

00:20:23.369 --> 00:20:25.379
along with their Consul.

00:20:25.380 --> 00:20:27.270
During the battle, the Roman vanguard

00:20:27.269 --> 00:20:29.129
had managed to break through at the front

00:20:29.130 --> 00:20:31.230
and climb the hill above the fog.

00:20:31.230 --> 00:20:36.000
When the mist cleared, what
they saw was a blood red lake

00:20:36.000 --> 00:20:39.123
and a sea of Roman bodies.

00:20:40.680 --> 00:20:43.289
Worse yet, when the other
consuls sent cavalry

00:20:43.289 --> 00:20:45.839
to try to aid Flaminius's doomed legions,

00:20:45.839 --> 00:20:48.000
they too were caught and defeated.

00:20:48.000 --> 00:20:50.432
A double disaster.

00:20:53.693 --> 00:20:55.980
(senators screaming)

00:20:55.980 --> 00:20:58.259
Rome went into a frenzy.

00:20:58.259 --> 00:21:01.920
For the second time, Hannibal
had completely decimated

00:21:01.920 --> 00:21:03.900
an entire Roman army.

00:21:03.900 --> 00:21:06.960
Romans were dying by
the tens of thousands.

00:21:06.960 --> 00:21:10.259
Common citizens began flocking
to the city for safety.

00:21:10.259 --> 00:21:13.019
Women waited by the city gates in tears,

00:21:13.019 --> 00:21:15.180
hoping to hear news of loved ones.

00:21:15.180 --> 00:21:17.340
This one man, having just led

00:21:17.339 --> 00:21:20.609
his battered army across
the Alps the previous year

00:21:20.609 --> 00:21:24.320
now stood less than a
hundred miles from Rome.

00:21:24.320 --> 00:21:27.449
To this point, he had been a problem.

00:21:27.450 --> 00:21:30.783
Now Hannibal was a crisis.

00:21:32.190 --> 00:21:36.150
And in a crisis, Rome
took desperate measures.

00:21:36.150 --> 00:21:38.040
They actually had a system in place

00:21:38.039 --> 00:21:41.759
when dealing with an
emergency of this magnitude.

00:21:41.759 --> 00:21:44.910
They would forego their two
Consul power sharing system,

00:21:44.910 --> 00:21:47.970
and instead, temporarily give one man

00:21:47.970 --> 00:21:50.279
near total power and authority

00:21:50.279 --> 00:21:52.319
to be as decisive as he needed

00:21:52.319 --> 00:21:54.809
and hopefully salvage the situation.

00:21:54.809 --> 00:21:57.929
This all powerful position
in Rome's government

00:21:57.930 --> 00:22:00.299
had a name, dictator.

00:22:00.299 --> 00:22:02.519
It's actually where we get the word.

00:22:02.519 --> 00:22:04.440
But unlike modern dictators,

00:22:04.440 --> 00:22:07.140
Roman ones didn't score
perfect rounds of golf

00:22:07.140 --> 00:22:09.540
or ride bears through the Siberian Tundra.

00:22:09.539 --> 00:22:11.909
They held their power for just six months

00:22:11.910 --> 00:22:14.153
before they were required to give it up.

00:22:14.153 --> 00:22:16.589
And in Rome's hour of need,

00:22:16.589 --> 00:22:20.669
the man chosen to be dictator in 217 BC,

00:22:20.670 --> 00:22:24.210
one of the most highly esteemed
members of the Roman Senate,

00:22:24.210 --> 00:22:26.309
Fabius Maximus.

00:22:26.309 --> 00:22:30.269
So how would Fabius as
dictator confront Hannibal?

00:22:30.269 --> 00:22:31.710
Well, Fabius understood

00:22:31.710 --> 00:22:33.420
that marching all of Rome's young men

00:22:33.420 --> 00:22:37.080
straight into a one-man meat
grinder was bleeding Rome dry.

00:22:37.079 --> 00:22:39.119
Hannibal was clearly too dangerous

00:22:39.119 --> 00:22:41.129
to face head on in battle.

00:22:41.130 --> 00:22:44.970
However, he was also
stuck in their territory

00:22:44.970 --> 00:22:48.420
with dwindling manpower and
forced to live off the land.

00:22:48.420 --> 00:22:51.840
It wasn't a sustainable
position to be in long term,

00:22:51.839 --> 00:22:54.569
and he could only remain
there for so long.

00:22:54.569 --> 00:22:57.269
So if Rome avoided battle with Hannibal

00:22:57.269 --> 00:22:59.293
to prevent any more crippling losses,

00:22:59.294 --> 00:23:03.240
and instead simply maneuvered
around him, blocking supplies

00:23:03.240 --> 00:23:05.940
and taking out smaller
contingents where possible

00:23:05.940 --> 00:23:08.610
Hannibal would gradually become weaker

00:23:08.609 --> 00:23:11.879
while they would
gradually become stronger.

00:23:11.880 --> 00:23:15.877
And so Fabius presented his
new idea to the Roman Senate.

00:23:15.876 --> 00:23:18.029
"Okay, guys, I have an idea.

00:23:18.029 --> 00:23:20.069
See if you can follow me here, okay?

00:23:20.069 --> 00:23:23.970
Instead of fighting
Hannibal when he approaches,

00:23:23.970 --> 00:23:26.217
we run away."

00:23:27.913 --> 00:23:30.747
(senators booing)

00:23:31.650 --> 00:23:35.040
Fabius's strategy couldn't
have been any less Roman.

00:23:35.039 --> 00:23:37.799
Romans were meant to march
headfirst into battle,

00:23:37.799 --> 00:23:39.659
not run away from it.

00:23:39.660 --> 00:23:44.310
It seemed cowardly and Fabius
was extremely unpopular.

00:23:44.309 --> 00:23:47.159
At this point, Hannibal
was continuing south.

00:23:47.160 --> 00:23:49.890
He had to stay on the
move to keep his army fed,

00:23:49.890 --> 00:23:50.910
and he was still aiming

00:23:50.910 --> 00:23:53.460
to undermine Rome's
alliances in the south.

00:23:53.460 --> 00:23:56.610
As he went in a calculated
display of aggression,

00:23:56.609 --> 00:24:00.629
he devastated the Roman
countryside and killed many Romans,

00:24:00.630 --> 00:24:03.787
all in plain sight of Fabius and his army.

00:24:03.787 --> 00:24:05.797
"We're just gonna stand here?"

00:24:05.797 --> 00:24:06.630
"Yes."

00:24:06.630 --> 00:24:07.687
"Are you a coward?"

00:24:07.686 --> 00:24:08.519
"No."

00:24:08.519 --> 00:24:10.567
"But Fabius, that's my farm."

00:24:10.567 --> 00:24:13.049
"Well, MacDonald, thank
you for your sacrifice.

00:24:13.049 --> 00:24:14.159
You're a hero now.

00:24:14.160 --> 00:24:15.860
Think of the stories you'll tell."

00:24:16.777 --> 00:24:21.297
"Old McDonald had a farm." (cries)

00:24:22.686 --> 00:24:23.519
"Shut up."

00:24:23.519 --> 00:24:26.849
But you know who else
hated Fabius's strategy?

00:24:26.849 --> 00:24:27.839
Hannibal.

00:24:27.839 --> 00:24:30.539
He understood the danger he was in.

00:24:30.539 --> 00:24:32.279
Turning Rome's allies against her,

00:24:32.279 --> 00:24:35.700
required Hannibal to keep
smashing the Romans in battle.

00:24:35.700 --> 00:24:38.789
He couldn't do that if
Fabius wouldn't fight him.

00:24:38.789 --> 00:24:42.359
Multiple times, Hannibal tried
to goad Fabius into a fight,

00:24:42.359 --> 00:24:44.579
but Fabius wouldn't bite.

00:24:44.579 --> 00:24:48.240
Failing that he tried to
turn room against Fabius.

00:24:48.240 --> 00:24:49.829
According to the writer, Livy,

00:24:49.829 --> 00:24:52.109
he burned down all the farms he could.

00:24:52.109 --> 00:24:55.079
But any farm he learned
was owned by Fabius himself

00:24:55.079 --> 00:24:56.736
he left well alone.

00:24:56.737 --> 00:25:00.067
"Hey, Fabius, why isn't
he burning down your farm?

00:25:00.067 --> 00:25:03.217
You got some sort of a
secret deal with him."

00:25:03.217 --> 00:25:04.747
"What, of course not."

00:25:04.747 --> 00:25:06.427
"Hey, Hannibal!"

00:25:06.426 --> 00:25:07.449
"What?"

00:25:07.450 --> 00:25:09.997
"Burn my farm too, please."

00:25:09.997 --> 00:25:11.137
"What?"

00:25:11.136 --> 00:25:14.916
"Burn my farm too, please."

00:25:14.916 --> 00:25:19.016
"No, remember our secret deal."

00:25:20.053 --> 00:25:23.250
(sighs) Well, you gotta
admit he's a genius.

00:25:23.250 --> 00:25:24.690
Hannibal's problem, however,

00:25:24.690 --> 00:25:26.519
was that he had to stay on the move

00:25:26.519 --> 00:25:29.250
to keep supplying his
army from the local lands.

00:25:29.250 --> 00:25:31.500
At one point, he entered Campania,

00:25:31.500 --> 00:25:34.980
one of the richest regions of
Italy, great for resupplying

00:25:34.980 --> 00:25:36.779
and great for showing up Fabius

00:25:36.779 --> 00:25:39.269
in front of Rome's south Italian allies.

00:25:39.269 --> 00:25:41.279
But he was caught in a valley,

00:25:41.279 --> 00:25:44.247
and Fabius quickly moved
to block his escapes.

00:25:44.247 --> 00:25:46.350
"Ha ha, we've got him.

00:25:46.349 --> 00:25:47.250
After he's used up

00:25:47.250 --> 00:25:50.136
all the valley's supplies, he'll starve."

00:25:50.136 --> 00:25:53.519
"Uh, sir, what are all those
lights leaving the valley?

00:25:53.519 --> 00:25:54.966
Is he trying to escape?"

00:25:54.967 --> 00:25:57.030
"Lights in plain view?

00:25:57.029 --> 00:25:59.508
Well, that's a trap if
I've ever seen one."

00:25:59.508 --> 00:26:01.650
"And we're falling for it."

00:26:01.650 --> 00:26:04.343
Suspecting a trap,
Fabius refused to budge.

00:26:04.343 --> 00:26:07.890
But other Romans in the valley
rushed to confront Hannibal,

00:26:07.890 --> 00:26:09.990
only to find the Carthaginian army

00:26:09.990 --> 00:26:11.789
was actually just a herd of oxen

00:26:11.789 --> 00:26:13.889
with torches tied to their heads.

00:26:13.890 --> 00:26:16.663
They then found themselves
caught in an ambush.

00:26:16.663 --> 00:26:19.410
With the Romans distracted Hannibal's army

00:26:19.410 --> 00:26:23.061
was able to slip away
into the night unopposed.

00:26:23.060 --> 00:26:25.199
Classic Hannibal.

00:26:25.200 --> 00:26:27.990
For all his inaction,
the dissatisfied Romans

00:26:27.990 --> 00:26:31.259
mockingly dubbed him Fabius the Delayer.

00:26:31.259 --> 00:26:33.569
But the thing is, Fabius's strategy

00:26:33.569 --> 00:26:35.934
was probably the best
thing he could have done.

00:26:35.934 --> 00:26:38.970
He was right that constant
encounters with Hannibal

00:26:38.970 --> 00:26:40.680
were bleeding Rome dry.

00:26:40.680 --> 00:26:43.470
And the time he took allowed
Rome some breathing room

00:26:43.470 --> 00:26:46.500
to recover their forces when
they desperately needed to

00:26:46.500 --> 00:26:47.640
while putting Hannibal

00:26:47.640 --> 00:26:50.460
into an increasingly
more difficult position.

00:26:50.460 --> 00:26:53.130
Modern historians view Fabius's strategy

00:26:53.130 --> 00:26:55.440
as generally a good idea.

00:26:55.440 --> 00:26:58.650
To this day, the act of
not engaging an enemy,

00:26:58.650 --> 00:27:01.350
but instead gradually wearing them down

00:27:01.349 --> 00:27:05.459
is still referred to
as the Fabian strategy.

00:27:05.460 --> 00:27:08.490
But when Fabius's term
finally came to an end,

00:27:08.490 --> 00:27:11.069
the Senate couldn't have been happier.

00:27:11.069 --> 00:27:13.799
It was time to start fighting again.

00:27:13.799 --> 00:27:16.440
However, they probably had a little chat

00:27:16.440 --> 00:27:18.450
about how they were gonna go about it.

00:27:18.450 --> 00:27:22.710
See, Hannibal's tactics up
until now had been very sneaky.

00:27:22.710 --> 00:27:26.510
Or if you're a Roman, you
might say dishonorable.

00:27:26.510 --> 00:27:28.049
"I'm sick of it.

00:27:28.049 --> 00:27:30.240
Every time we try to take this guy down,

00:27:30.240 --> 00:27:31.740
we march straight at him.

00:27:31.740 --> 00:27:35.309
But then, oh, no,
Hannibal's hiding in a bush.

00:27:35.309 --> 00:27:38.009
Hannibal's got 30,000 men up a tree.

00:27:38.009 --> 00:27:40.500
At this point, I'm not convinced my wife

00:27:40.500 --> 00:27:42.494
isn't just Hannibal wearing a disguise."

00:27:42.494 --> 00:27:44.031
(senator's wife coos)

00:27:44.031 --> 00:27:45.126
(senator shudders)

00:27:45.126 --> 00:27:48.839
"Look, this time we obviously
have to switch something up.

00:27:48.839 --> 00:27:50.639
Now, granted, we're Roman,

00:27:50.640 --> 00:27:53.151
so we're gonna march straight
at him without thinking.

00:27:53.151 --> 00:27:55.678
That can't be helped, it's in our blood.

00:27:55.678 --> 00:27:59.250
But I have a proposition.

00:27:59.250 --> 00:28:01.859
This time when we march straight at him,

00:28:01.859 --> 00:28:04.259
we do it with a massive army.

00:28:04.259 --> 00:28:06.960
I'm talking like 80,000 men.

00:28:06.960 --> 00:28:09.630
It won't matter what kind
of shenanigans he pulls.

00:28:09.630 --> 00:28:11.970
He can hide in all the bushes he wants.

00:28:11.970 --> 00:28:16.970
There's no way he can
possibly beat off 80,000 men."

00:28:17.308 --> 00:28:18.497
(senators laughing)

00:28:18.497 --> 00:28:19.917
"Grow up, you know what I mean."

00:28:19.916 --> 00:28:22.919
And so it was with two new Consuls

00:28:22.920 --> 00:28:25.320
Rome put together a massive army.

00:28:25.319 --> 00:28:27.599
The biggest Rome had ever fielded

00:28:27.599 --> 00:28:30.359
to put Hannibal away once and for all.

00:28:30.359 --> 00:28:33.209
To gather them in required,
two thirds of them

00:28:33.210 --> 00:28:35.970
ended up being completely inexperienced.

00:28:35.970 --> 00:28:37.529
But how much experienced does it take

00:28:37.529 --> 00:28:39.329
to be expendable war fodder?

00:28:39.329 --> 00:28:43.589
As this massive army set
out in the summer of 216 BC

00:28:43.589 --> 00:28:47.279
the Romans knew they
needed to win this battle.

00:28:47.279 --> 00:28:49.230
Just one victory over Hannibal

00:28:49.230 --> 00:28:52.529
would likely be enough to
end his entire campaign.

00:28:52.529 --> 00:28:55.079
And this time, their overwhelming manpower

00:28:55.079 --> 00:28:57.720
gave them confidence they could do it.

00:28:57.720 --> 00:29:00.569
Hannibal had taken position
at the town of Cannae

00:29:00.569 --> 00:29:03.629
where he had captured an
important Roman Supply depot.

00:29:03.630 --> 00:29:05.820
With Fabius gone, Hannibal knew

00:29:05.819 --> 00:29:07.649
the battle was likely coming,

00:29:07.650 --> 00:29:10.302
and he was eager to fight it on his terms.

00:29:10.301 --> 00:29:13.649
But when his men looked
out at the Roman camp,

00:29:13.650 --> 00:29:16.507
they couldn't believe
what they were seeing.

00:29:16.507 --> 00:29:18.240
"That army's huge.

00:29:18.240 --> 00:29:20.880
There's no way we can possibly
beat off all these men.

00:29:20.880 --> 00:29:22.450
How are we gonna beat
off all of these men?"

00:29:22.450 --> 00:29:23.767
"Heh, heh."

00:29:23.767 --> 00:29:24.600
"You know what I mean."

00:29:24.599 --> 00:29:26.459
"I think he's right, Hannibal."

00:29:26.460 --> 00:29:28.687
Hannibal is then said to have replied,

00:29:28.686 --> 00:29:31.409
"Gisco, my friend, don't worry.

00:29:31.410 --> 00:29:34.230
There may be a lot of them,
but amongst their ranks,

00:29:34.230 --> 00:29:37.410
there's not a single man named Gisco."

00:29:37.410 --> 00:29:40.320
This joke was apparently so funny

00:29:40.319 --> 00:29:43.230
that his officers began
to laugh and laugh.

00:29:43.230 --> 00:29:45.450
And when his men in the
camp heard the laughter,

00:29:45.450 --> 00:29:47.870
they were like, "Hey, they're laughing.

00:29:47.869 --> 00:29:50.225
I guess that means we're
gonna win the battle."

00:29:50.226 --> 00:29:52.200
(Carthaginian soldiers cheer)

00:29:52.200 --> 00:29:55.019
As for the Romans, the
Consuls were another pairing

00:29:55.019 --> 00:29:58.559
between an inexperienced
hothead and a wise scholar.

00:29:58.559 --> 00:30:00.929
Although the main historian from this era

00:30:00.930 --> 00:30:03.090
was good friends with Paullus's family,

00:30:03.089 --> 00:30:05.099
so take that with a grain of salt.

00:30:05.099 --> 00:30:08.579
On his day of command,
the rash and hasty Varro,

00:30:08.579 --> 00:30:11.099
despite the apparent pleas from Paullus

00:30:11.099 --> 00:30:12.990
sent the army out for battle.

00:30:12.990 --> 00:30:16.019
And when Hannibal saw
this, he did the same.

00:30:16.019 --> 00:30:19.200
And here comes the single largest battle

00:30:19.200 --> 00:30:21.180
of the Second Punic War

00:30:21.180 --> 00:30:24.420
and one of the most
renowned battles in history.

00:30:24.420 --> 00:30:26.777
The infamous Battle of Cannae.

00:30:28.650 --> 00:30:30.330
In all the pre battle maneuvering,

00:30:30.329 --> 00:30:32.369
Hannibal was able to ensure his army

00:30:32.369 --> 00:30:34.049
was fighting from the south.

00:30:34.049 --> 00:30:37.589
This meant the seasonal dust
carrying winds were to his back

00:30:37.589 --> 00:30:41.129
and blowing directly into
the faces of the Romans.

00:30:41.130 --> 00:30:43.424
Like I said, control.

00:30:43.423 --> 00:30:46.470
After two years in Italy,
Hannibal's infantry

00:30:46.470 --> 00:30:48.720
had dwindled to about 40,000.

00:30:48.720 --> 00:30:52.170
The Romans possibly
outnumbered him two to one.

00:30:52.170 --> 00:30:53.730
Their army was so big

00:30:53.730 --> 00:30:55.829
that their maniple stretched far deeper

00:30:55.829 --> 00:30:57.149
than they normally would.

00:30:57.150 --> 00:31:00.090
The Romans plan to charge
Hannibal's thin weak line

00:31:00.089 --> 00:31:02.609
like a battering ram and break it.

00:31:02.609 --> 00:31:04.919
They also chose a narrow battlefield

00:31:04.920 --> 00:31:06.090
in the hopes it would prevent

00:31:06.089 --> 00:31:08.039
Hannibal's far superior cavalry

00:31:08.039 --> 00:31:10.349
from being able to outmaneuver them.

00:31:10.349 --> 00:31:13.469
They wanted an honorable
battle where pure strength,

00:31:13.470 --> 00:31:16.255
rather than trickery,
would decide the outcome.

00:31:16.255 --> 00:31:18.660
If Hannibal had his say, however,

00:31:18.660 --> 00:31:21.596
trickery might end up
having a lot to do with it.

00:31:21.596 --> 00:31:23.039
He ordered his line

00:31:23.039 --> 00:31:25.440
to position themselves as an outward bulge

00:31:25.440 --> 00:31:28.320
with his weakest troops
at the very center.

00:31:28.319 --> 00:31:31.079
Just behind them out of
sight from the Romans,

00:31:31.079 --> 00:31:33.599
stood the elite Libyan infantry

00:31:33.599 --> 00:31:36.359
waiting for their moment to strike.

00:31:36.359 --> 00:31:39.629
The battle commenced as
the massive Roman troops

00:31:39.630 --> 00:31:42.390
smashed into the Carthaginian center.

00:31:42.390 --> 00:31:44.040
The shape of Hannibal's line

00:31:44.039 --> 00:31:46.440
ensured the overwhelming
weight of the Romans

00:31:46.440 --> 00:31:48.750
hit his weakest troops first,

00:31:48.750 --> 00:31:51.359
and they were pushed back.

00:31:51.359 --> 00:31:54.269
Hannibal's outward bulge reversed inward

00:31:54.269 --> 00:31:57.839
with the Romans being funneled
in towards the weak center.

00:31:57.839 --> 00:32:00.329
Hannibal had positioned
himself at the center

00:32:00.329 --> 00:32:02.189
to encourage the troops to hold out

00:32:02.190 --> 00:32:05.400
as long as possible against
the Roman onslaught,

00:32:05.400 --> 00:32:06.233
because while the Romans

00:32:06.232 --> 00:32:08.519
were on leashing carnage on the center,

00:32:08.519 --> 00:32:12.059
Hannibal's cavalry needed
time to do their job.

00:32:12.059 --> 00:32:14.009
The heavy cavalry on the left

00:32:14.009 --> 00:32:17.670
after a barbaric fight sent
the Roman horse packing

00:32:17.670 --> 00:32:19.230
with the Consul Paullus

00:32:19.230 --> 00:32:21.599
even sustaining a severe head injury.

00:32:21.599 --> 00:32:25.049
He managed to move into the
center to keep the battle going.

00:32:25.049 --> 00:32:27.269
Then the heavy cavalry turned

00:32:27.269 --> 00:32:30.089
and approached Varro's
cavalry from behind.

00:32:30.089 --> 00:32:33.429
At the first sight of the
coming Carthaginian envelopment

00:32:33.430 --> 00:32:37.289
Varro ordered his horsemen
to flee the battlefield,

00:32:37.289 --> 00:32:40.920
the Carthaginians had
won the cavalry battle.

00:32:40.920 --> 00:32:43.950
But back in the center,
according to some accounts,

00:32:43.950 --> 00:32:46.769
Hannibal's line did
eventually end up caving

00:32:46.769 --> 00:32:51.690
to the massive weight of the
Romans, and they began to flee.

00:32:51.690 --> 00:32:53.640
The Romans pushed deeper

00:32:53.640 --> 00:32:56.670
and organization within
the army likely broke down,

00:32:56.670 --> 00:32:58.408
as they became a giant mass

00:32:58.407 --> 00:33:01.889
trying to massacre the
fleeing Carthaginians.

00:33:01.890 --> 00:33:03.360
They didn't realize

00:33:03.359 --> 00:33:07.030
that they were playing
right into Hannibal's hands.

00:33:07.030 --> 00:33:10.230
At that moment, Hannibal's elite units

00:33:10.230 --> 00:33:14.069
having done no fighting yet,
and therefore fresh as a daisy

00:33:14.069 --> 00:33:16.919
turned and smashed into the Roman sides.

00:33:16.920 --> 00:33:19.560
Many of these troops were
wearing Roman helmets and armor

00:33:19.559 --> 00:33:21.839
they had picked up after previous battles,

00:33:21.839 --> 00:33:24.899
and the confused Romans
may not have even realized

00:33:24.900 --> 00:33:26.640
they were the enemy.

00:33:26.640 --> 00:33:30.090
As Hannibal managed to regain
the composure of his center

00:33:30.089 --> 00:33:32.490
and encourage them back into the fight,

00:33:32.490 --> 00:33:36.240
the Carthaginian cavalry
swooped in from behind.

00:33:36.240 --> 00:33:39.390
And look at what lies before you.

00:33:39.390 --> 00:33:42.210
A military general's wet dream

00:33:42.210 --> 00:33:45.750
the total encirclement
of a much larger force

00:33:45.750 --> 00:33:47.910
by a much smaller force.

00:33:47.910 --> 00:33:50.610
The Romans were trapped.

00:33:50.609 --> 00:33:53.609
Hannibal had unbelievably managed to use

00:33:53.609 --> 00:33:56.849
their own superiority
in numbers against them,

00:33:56.849 --> 00:33:58.769
rather than simply encircling them,

00:33:58.769 --> 00:34:03.089
he had actually allowed them
to use their own immense power

00:34:03.089 --> 00:34:07.409
and push themselves into
an encircled position.

00:34:07.410 --> 00:34:10.180
This was the genius of Cannae

00:34:11.940 --> 00:34:15.903
And with that, the annihilation began.

00:34:16.829 --> 00:34:18.900
For hours the Carthaginians

00:34:18.900 --> 00:34:21.960
slaughtered the helpless
Romans from all sides.

00:34:21.960 --> 00:34:25.769
The terrified Romans were so
tightly packed that at times

00:34:25.769 --> 00:34:28.889
they couldn't even lift their
arms to defend themselves.

00:34:28.889 --> 00:34:32.190
The killing went on so
long that the Carthaginians

00:34:32.190 --> 00:34:35.519
became exhausted from
the nonstop massacre.

00:34:35.519 --> 00:34:38.190
And by the time the
butchery came to an end,

00:34:38.190 --> 00:34:41.519
the grim toll spoke for itself.

00:34:41.519 --> 00:34:43.860
To Hannibal several thousand lost.

00:34:43.860 --> 00:34:48.860
The Romans suffered 60 to
80,000 dead or captured.

00:34:49.500 --> 00:34:54.420
Yet another entire army
wiped out by Hannibal.

00:34:54.420 --> 00:34:57.300
Many high-ranking Romans
met their end at Cannae.

00:34:57.300 --> 00:35:01.959
Paullus for one, but also
80 senators and more.

00:35:01.958 --> 00:35:05.069
It's been estimated that 20%

00:35:05.070 --> 00:35:10.070
of Rome's male population,
aged 18 to 50 died at Cannae.

00:35:10.590 --> 00:35:14.700
This was it, Hannibal's vengeance.

00:35:14.699 --> 00:35:16.469
The stunned Carthaginians

00:35:16.469 --> 00:35:19.409
as they searched for their
own survivors among the dead,

00:35:19.409 --> 00:35:21.509
couldn't believe the sight of it.

00:35:21.510 --> 00:35:24.720
An estimated 30,000 gallons of blood

00:35:24.719 --> 00:35:28.169
now lay spilled on the battlefield.

00:35:28.170 --> 00:35:32.849
Rome's defeat at Cannae sent
shockwaves throughout Italy.

00:35:32.849 --> 00:35:34.679
Just as Hannibal had hoped,

00:35:34.679 --> 00:35:38.669
most of southern Italy
now defected to his side,

00:35:38.670 --> 00:35:42.037
including the second largest
city on the peninsula.

00:35:42.036 --> 00:35:45.719
"Wow, Hannibal, this is incredible.

00:35:45.719 --> 00:35:47.797
What could possibly come next?"

00:35:47.797 --> 00:35:49.079
"Next?

00:35:49.079 --> 00:35:53.639
Jimbob, I've killed 150,000 Romans.

00:35:53.639 --> 00:35:55.949
I've turned her allies against her.

00:35:55.949 --> 00:35:59.159
That's it, that's vengeance.

00:35:59.159 --> 00:36:01.829
So let me tell you what comes next.

00:36:01.829 --> 00:36:03.353
Rome surrenders.

00:36:03.353 --> 00:36:05.339
(dramatic music)

00:36:05.340 --> 00:36:07.563
Their territories are reduced.

00:36:09.690 --> 00:36:12.213
We recover our lost islands.

00:36:14.039 --> 00:36:18.056
And Carthage dominates the
Mediterranean once again."

00:36:20.226 --> 00:36:23.016
"But sir, what if they don't surrender?"

00:36:23.016 --> 00:36:25.919
"Jimbob, did you miss what just happened?

00:36:25.920 --> 00:36:28.050
Of course, they're gonna surrender."

00:36:28.050 --> 00:36:30.810
Throughout his campaign
Hannibal had shown himself

00:36:30.809 --> 00:36:34.110
to be very adept at
reading the Roman mind.

00:36:34.110 --> 00:36:37.019
But if he now thought
that Rome might surrender,

00:36:37.019 --> 00:36:41.099
it was the first time he
severely underestimated them.

00:36:41.099 --> 00:36:42.839
And he was about to discover

00:36:42.840 --> 00:36:46.260
an extremely inconvenient fact about Rome.

00:36:46.260 --> 00:36:49.680
Rome never surrenders.

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At a Roman survivor's camp near Cannae.

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One young officer overheard some troops

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discussing how they would flee Rome.

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Drawing his sword he
threatened to cut down any man

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that would abandon Rome
in its hour of need.

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That officer was Scipio the Younger,

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but soon enough, the Romans
would come to call him

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Scipio Africanus, the hero of Rome.

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(dramatic music)