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28:15
Transcript
0:00
- [OverSimplified] This video
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Hey! What are you still doing here?
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I said go and buy it now!
(dramatic music)
0:40
All right, our beloved
mercenaries. Let's hear it.
0:45
Okay, thank you one and
all for your hard work
0:48
fighting in the First Punic War.
0:50
Would've been nice if you'd won.
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0:51
Maybe tried a little harder.
0:53
But this isn't the finger
pointing convention.
0:56
I know you all have one
thing on your minds.
0:59
"Hey, when are we all getting paid?"
1:01
(crowd cheering)
1:02
All right, all right, simmer down!
1:05
Remember you lost, you, okay.
1:08
Jim, why don't you tell them?
1:10
I'm not telling them, you tell them!
1:12
Ugh.
1:13
Look, you're not getting paid.
1:15
(crowd gasps)
What?
1:16
We lost the First Punic war
1:18
and owed the Romans a ton of reparations.
1:20
Of course we can't pay you in full.
1:23
Let's burn this place to the ground!
1:25
(crowd cheers)
1:27
Hey! Hey!
1:29
Don't burn this place to the ground!
1:31
Come on, fellas.
1:32
Will killing us really
make you feel better
1:35
about your money?
1:37
Yes.
1:40
Way to go, sir.
1:41
Shut up, Jim! You're fired!
1:43
I guess that makes two of us.
1:45
Huh? (yells)
1:48
(suspenseful music)
1:52
In the aftermath of the First Punic War,
1:54
Carthage's disgruntled mercenaries
1:57
left unpaid for all
their hard work revolted
2:00
and Carthage found itself caught up
2:02
in an extremely destructive Mercenary War.
2:05
The panicked Carthaginians
hired more mercenaries
2:08
to fight the mercenaries
they couldn't afford to pay,
2:10
and Carthage came dangerously
close to collapse.
2:14
All the while, across the
water, there was Rome.
2:18
Ha. Look at those morons.
2:21
We just kicked their
in the First Punic war
2:23
and now their own
mercenaries are revolting.
2:25
Ha ha. Yeah.
2:27
Wait, First Punic War?
2:29
You mean there's gonna be a second one?
2:30
Well, we're definitely taking
advantage of this situation,
2:33
so almost certainly yes.
2:35
The Romans did in fact take
advantage of the situation.
2:38
Amongst the chaos,
2:39
rebels on the Carthaginian
Island of Sardinia
2:41
sent out a cry for help to Rome.
2:43
"Hot diggity dog," said the Romans,
2:45
"that's free real estate."
2:47
And so in they went.
2:49
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
2:51
That's our island! Get the hell off!
2:53
Hey, they requested our
help. We're simply helping.
2:57
Oh, no, you don't.
2:58
Look, we're sending our own army
3:00
to deal with the rebels, okay?
3:02
But just to be clear,
3:03
we're not trying to
start a fight with you.
3:05
So you know, don't declare
war on us or anything.
3:07
War!
3:08
We surrender!
3:09
Great and as part of the peace treaty,
3:11
we get to keep these islands.
3:14
No!
3:17
The Carthaginians we're hopping mad.
3:19
As if their humiliating loss
3:21
in the First Punic War wasn't bad enough,
3:23
the Romans now took advantage
of their mercenary problem
3:26
and stole their islands.
3:28
This shocking land grab
was pretty hard to justify
3:31
even by Roman standards.
3:34
Additionally, the Romans now
demanded Carthage pay them
3:37
even more money on top
of what was already owed.
3:40
If Rome was trying to make
Carthage as mad as possible,
3:43
they were doing a fantastic job.
3:46
The seeds of a Second
Punic War were being sown,
3:49
and they were being watered
with Carthaginian tears.
3:53
Resentment in Carthage
only continued to grow.
3:57
Eventually, Carthage solved
their mercenary problem
4:00
thanks to Carthaginian military genius
4:02
and hero of the First
Punic War, Hamilcar Barca.
4:06
He sorted those naughty mercenaries out
4:08
with some good old fashioned atrocities
4:11
and the destructive
Mercenary War was over.
4:14
Still, all was not well.
4:16
In Carthage, mere decades ago,
4:19
they were the top dogs in
the Western Mediterranean.
4:22
Now, after the crushing
defeat in the First Punic War,
4:25
and a huge bill to pay the Romans,
4:28
Carthage was well and
truly under Rome's thumb.
4:32
What on earth were they supposed to do?
4:34
If they wanted any chance
4:36
at regaining their former strength,
4:37
there was one thing they
needed now more than anything.
4:41
Money.
4:42
But as long as they owed
Rome a bazillion dollars,
4:45
there was nothing they could do.
4:47
Fortunately for them,
4:48
amongst their ranks, there
was one big hunk of a man
4:52
with one big clump of a brain.
4:54
Me!
4:55
- [Senators] Hamilcar Barca?
4:57
- Yes.
4:58
Wait, why do you all have
the exact same voice?
5:00
(yells) I have it too!
5:01
That's right, hero of the First Punic War,
5:05
greatest general alive and
the poster above my bed.
5:10
Hamilcar Barca had an idea.
5:12
All right, we need money?
5:15
Well, I've got one word for you. Spain.
5:18
An area filled with lucrative silver mines
5:21
from which the silver
would flow like a river,
5:24
and our pockets would be stuffed
5:26
like Tony's mother at a buffet.
5:27
Hey!
So here's my proposal.
5:29
You send me with an army to Spain,
5:32
I'll expand our territory,
5:33
get those silver mines up and running,
5:35
and we'll be able to pay
the Romans back in no time.
5:38
Okay, but just to check,
5:41
you're not secretly raising the money
5:42
to go on a bloodthirsty revenge
spree against Rome, are you?
5:45
Because we can't afford that.
5:46
Hanno, my dear,
5:48
I'm simply going to pay them back.
5:56
Well, that wasn't reassuring.
5:57
Few in Carthage were as
bitter about their loss
5:59
in the First Punic War as Hamilcar Barca.
6:02
98% of his brain matter
had been reallocated
6:05
to thoughts of revenge.
6:07
He was also fed up with the
Carthaginian politicians
6:10
for what he deemed a cowardly betrayal
6:13
when they surrendered at
the end of the last war.
6:15
And so for Hamilcar, going to Spain
6:18
meant being able to act independently
6:20
from the weak Carthaginian government,
6:22
building his own strength,
6:24
and then perhaps somewhere
down the line, revenge.
6:28
However, he wasn't going
to Spain by himself.
6:31
Hannibal. Yes, father?
6:33
Would you like to come with me
to build an empire in Spain?
6:36
Oh boy, would I!
6:37
Barbara, mind if I take our
nine-year-old son with me?
6:40
I want to implant an intense
hatred of Rome in him
6:41
and prepare him for a glorious
campaign of vengeance.
6:43
(sighs) Just try not
to traumatize him dear.
6:46
No promises.
6:47
The young boy Hannibal
would accompany his father,
6:51
watching, learning.
6:53
Boy, you see that city over there?
6:56
Yes, father?
6:57
That is Rome. Do you know
what we do to Romans?
7:01
No, Father.
7:02
We hate them, Hannibal.
7:04
We hate them with every
fiber of our being.
7:07
But why, Father? Can't I
just play with my digimons?
7:09
No son! They took everything from us.
7:13
Our land, our wealth, our pride.
7:17
Those animals! I'll tear
them limb from limb!
7:21
I'll burn their pathetic
city to the ground!
7:25
Dad?
7:26
I'm sorry, son, I've just never
been so proud. Keep going.
7:30
I'll slaughter their people.
7:32
I'll cut off their faces
and wear them as masks!
7:34
(sobs) I love you, son!
7:36
After taking Hannibal
to the temple of Baal
7:39
and having him swear an oath
never to be a friend of Rome,
7:42
off dad and son went
7:43
for their lovely beach holiday in Spain.
7:45
But Spain was already inhabited
by many tribes people.
7:49
And when Hamilcar suddenly
showed up in their territory,
7:52
they were like, hey, who the hell are you?
7:54
What are you doing here?
7:55
I'm teaching my son how to
become a warrior like me.
7:58
Aw! Well, that's sweet.
8:00
Well then little guy,
let's see what you got.
8:04
Good boy.
8:05
As Hamilcar got to work
fighting the tribes of Iberia
8:08
and expanding Carthaginian influence,
8:10
Hannibal became a child of war,
8:13
even earning battle scars from a young age
8:15
and he grew to become a great
military leader himself,
8:19
making his father very proud.
8:22
I love you so much, son.
8:24
Dad, not in front of the enemy!
8:25
(army laughing)
8:29
You killed that guy so well, son.
8:32
(army laughing)
Dad!
8:34
The Barcas successfully
consolidated Carthaginian power,
8:37
got those silver mines up and running,
8:39
and were sending buckets of cash
8:41
back to a money-starved Carthage.
8:43
And symbolizing Carthage's
regrowing strength,
8:46
a beautiful new city would
eventually be founded in Spain,
8:50
New Carthage with a magnificent
palace at its center.
8:55
Carthage is back, baby!
8:58
What in the name of
Apollo is going on here?
9:01
(yells) Romans!
9:02
Flowing silver mines? Dancing elephants?
9:05
What are you up to, Hamilcar?
9:08
I'm simply gathering the
money to pay you back.
9:10
Oh. Oh, okay then.
9:12
Or are you rebuilding strength
9:14
to go on a bloodthirsty revenge spree?
9:17
Like I said, Claudius,
9:19
I'm simply trying to pay you back.
9:25
Aw, you guys are hugging.
9:28
No, we're not!
9:30
I was.
9:31
I was hugging! (sobs)
9:34
Hamilcar had practically carved out
9:36
a kingdom for himself in Spain,
9:38
free from the meddling
Carthaginian politicians.
9:41
His power was becoming immense.
9:44
But dad.
9:45
Yes, my son?
9:46
I'm confused. Are we really
simply paying the Romans back?
9:49
We're not gonna go on a
bloodthirsty revenge spree?
9:52
Of course we are.
9:53
I'm just saying that to get
the Romans off our backs.
9:56
Listen, here's the most
important life lesson
9:58
I have for you: vengeance is everything.
10:02
An all-encompassing thirst for vengeance
10:04
is great for your mental health.
10:05
Are you still confused?
10:06
No, no, I get it now.
10:08
But what if the Romans
find out what we're up to?
10:11
They won't find out.
10:12
Why?
10:13
Well Hannibal, because I use NordVPN!
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I'm confused again.
10:21
Do you like your computer being hacked,
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Me neither. And that's why I use NordVPN.
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And as always, you'll be
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11:29
So thank you. Now, where were we?
11:32
Oh yeah.
11:33
Carthaginian tears, a child of war,
11:37
and the Carthaginian conquest of Spain.
11:41
The Carthaginian recovery
had been staggeringly quick
11:44
and Rome was seriously alarmed.
11:47
But they were also preoccupied
with ongoing wars elsewhere,
11:50
including an expansionist war to the north
11:53
where they were enslaving
thousands of northern Celts.
11:56
So for now, to keep Carthage in check,
11:59
the Romans insisted on a new treaty.
12:02
See this river?
12:03
The two sides agreed
that everything above it
12:06
was in Rome's sphere of influence,
12:08
while beneath it was Carthage.
12:10
Under no circumstances
were the Carthaginians
12:12
to expand north of that river.
12:15
But for now, Hamilcar and
son were living it up.
12:19
Well son, here's to many more years
12:22
of successful campaigning in Spain.
12:24
Now if you'll excuse me, I just
have to go fight those guys.
12:28
See you later, son.
12:29
I love you!
12:33
What the? Aw crap.
12:36
I drowned? Oh well.
12:38
Always remember, son,
12:41
you are vengeance!
12:48
Also, delete my browsing history.
12:49
Hamilcar Barca was tragically
ambushed at a river
12:52
and drowned.
12:53
His son-in-law and
possibly also his lover,
12:56
no further questions,
took charge for a while,
12:58
but he too was later assassinated,
13:00
leaving finally a 26-year-old Hannibal
13:04
in charge of the
Carthaginian armies in Spain.
13:07
Sources say the men readily
accepted him as their leader.
13:10
He chose to suffer the
same hardships as his men.
13:13
He lived in the same conditions,
13:15
was often the first into
battle, and the last one out.
13:18
And it also helped that he
looked a lot like his dad.
13:21
He had the total respect of his men.
13:24
If he said, "jump," they said "how high?"
13:26
If he said "tuck me in,"
they said "how tight?"
13:29
If he said, "talk to a girl
without peeing your pants,"
13:32
they said "that's impossible.
Nobody can do that!"
13:35
An army that would follow
him anywhere would be crucial
13:38
for exacting his vengeance against Rome.
13:42
Hannibal's army had become
13:44
a strong and loyal fighting force,
13:46
and that was making a certain
nation very uncomfortable.
13:50
Seeing Carthage restrengthened so quickly
13:52
was not something Rome had expected.
13:55
Yet here they were, paying off their debts
13:58
and expanding their territory.
14:00
It didn't feel very much like Carthage
14:02
was under Rome's thumb at all
14:04
and Rome wanted to put an end to it.
14:07
Tensions were strung tighter
than your lyre's g-string
14:10
and all it would take was one incident
14:12
to trigger all-out war.
14:16
And in 219 BC, a city in Spain
14:19
would find itself at the very center
14:22
of that fateful incident, Saguntum.
14:25
Remember that treaty
14:27
declaring everything south of this river
14:29
to be Carthage's sphere of influence?
14:31
Well, Saguntum should therefore
14:33
obviously be Carthaginian, right?
14:36
Wrong!
14:37
Saguntum had actually scored itself
14:39
an informal alliance with Rome
14:41
after Rome had helped it
with an internal dispute.
14:44
With Carthaginian encroachment,
14:46
Saguntum began to fear
for its independence,
14:48
and Rome declared itself
Saguntum's protector.
14:53
But this clearly went against
the Ebro River Treaty,
14:57
so what on earth was Rome doing?
14:59
Were the Saguntines and
the Romans truly just BFFs?
15:03
It's possible.
15:04
Or was Rome deliberately
trying to interfere
15:07
with Hannibal's Spanish expansion
15:08
and maintain a staging post
for a future war with Carthage?
15:12
More likely.
15:14
And Hannibal certainly viewed
this Rome-Saguntum alliance
15:17
as an outrage.
15:18
Yet another example of Roman arrogance.
15:21
At first, he left Saguntum alone.
15:24
But having learned from his
father to hate all things Roman,
15:28
and having inherited his father's dream
15:30
of bringing Rome to its
knees, more and more,
15:33
Hannibal may have begun to see
Saguntum as an opportunity.
15:38
Could this controversial alliance
15:40
be just what devilish
little Hannibal needed
15:43
to kickstart a second war with Rome
15:46
and restore Carthaginian dominance?
15:49
It's even possible that Rome
were also using Saguntum
15:52
to goad Hannibal into a fight
15:54
so they could go and
kick him out of Spain.
15:57
And as the two giants began
gearing up for round two,
16:01
the poor people of Saguntum had no idea
16:04
that they were about to be
crushed in the collision.
16:08
Hey, your alliance with
Saguntum is an insult
16:12
and we won't stand for it.
16:14
They're our friends Hannibal,
16:15
and if you lay a finger on
them, it'll be an act of war.
16:18
Yeah, Hannibal! Back the hell off!
16:21
War, eh?
16:22
I was thinking I might
just besiege their city
16:25
and massacre their people.
16:26
I hope you do, Hannibal!
Find out what happens.
16:29
Yeah, we hope you do, Hani- Wait, what?
16:32
Maybe I will.
16:33
Go ahead, kill them all.
16:34
Uh.
Okay, then.
16:35
Fine.
Fine.
16:37
Okay.
Guess I'll do just that.
16:39
Consul?
We look forward to it.
16:41
Consul? You're gonna protect
us though, right, Consul?
16:44
Consul?!
16:47
Oh no!
16:48
To top it all off,
16:49
when the Saguntine people
made the genius decision
16:52
of raiding into Carthaginian
territory, enough was enough.
16:56
In an action that was guaranteed
16:59
to provoke the Romans into war,
Hannibal besieged the city.
17:03
The siege of Saguntum
lasted eight cruel months
17:06
before Hannibal broke
through the city defenses
17:09
and turned Saguntum into a killing field.
17:12
It was a massacre.
17:15
What the hell?
17:18
Tell me I didn't just catch
you massacring our friends,
17:21
the Saguntise!
17:23
Well Consul, if you like
the Saguntise so much,
17:26
perhaps you should Sagundeez nuts!
17:30
(all cheering)
17:32
Hearing word of the attack on Saguntum,
17:34
Rome was understandably in an uproar
17:37
and all eyes were now fixated
on what would happen next.
17:41
As Rome sent a delegation to Carthage
17:44
led by one of the most highly
esteemed Roman senators,
17:48
Fabius Maximus.
17:50
He demanded an answer for Hannibal's sins.
17:53
All right, listen up scum.
17:56
You've got a rogue general in
Spain attacking a Roman ally.
17:59
What are we supposed to do about it?
18:01
Well, there shouldn't have even
been a Roman ally in Spain.
18:04
You're the aggressor here!
18:05
Hand Hannibal over to us as a criminal
18:08
so we can punish him severely.
18:10
No.
Yes.
18:10
No.
Yes.
18:11
No!
Look,
18:13
I hold in the folds of my
toga both peace and war.
18:17
Which one should I let drop?
18:19
Whichever one you want!
18:22
Then I choose war!
18:28
(dramatic music)
18:30
The Second Punic War had begun.
18:35
Pack it up boys we've got 'em!
18:38
We already destroyed these clowns once,
18:41
and we were the underdogs!
18:43
Now, we're the, over dogs?
18:45
Hotdogs.
Exactly.
18:47
This is gonna be E-Z. Here's the plan.
18:50
Consul Longus, you take your army
18:52
and sail straight for Carthage.
18:55
Burn that city to the ground!
18:57
And Consul Scipio, you
just head on over to Iberia
19:00
and make sure this Hannibal
guy doesn't do anything crazy.
19:03
I mean, what's he gonna
do? Cross the Alps?
19:05
(all laugh)
19:09
We're going to what?!
19:11
Cross the Alps!
19:13
We're going to what?!
19:16
I just told you.
19:17
Hannibal, we'll freeze to death!
19:19
Trust me, Jerome.
19:20
The Romans are expecting us to fight
19:22
the same way we did last time,
19:24
passively, taking no initiative.
19:26
They think it's gonna be E-Z.
19:30
So this time, we have to be aggressive.
19:33
We have to go on the attack!
19:35
It sickens me to say this,
19:36
but this time we have to
be a little more Roman.
19:40
(all gasp)
19:41
You mean we're gonna take
poops and baths together?!
19:43
But I'm insecure about my hairy legs!
19:45
No! I'm saying this time we're
gonna take the fight to them.
19:49
Think about it.
19:50
Rome thinks they're
simply going to invade us
19:52
and win the war.
19:54
So when they suddenly find
themselves being invaded
19:56
from the north, they'll freak out
19:59
like Tony's mother when the
buffet runs out of shrimp.
20:01
Hey!
20:02
I gotta admit, it's
actually kind of genius.
20:05
And my hairy legs will
insulate me from the cold!
20:07
That's the spirit!
20:08
Hannibal, you have my sword.
20:11
And my spear.
20:13
And my legs!
20:15
Bleugh.
20:18
Hannibal's plan, a daring Alpine
trek to surprise the Romans
20:22
was a bold but risky strategy.
20:25
If it paid off, he could catch the Romans
20:27
with their pants down, but
he could also end up losing
20:30
a ton of men and supplies
20:31
in the hostile mountain conditions.
20:34
Nevertheless, in 218 BC,
with a fire in his eyes
20:38
and some vengeance in his belly,
Hannibal brought his force
20:42
of almost a hundred thousand
men across the Ebro River.
20:45
They spent months on the road
trekking through the cold,
20:48
hostile mountain conditions.
20:50
And when they finally
reached the other side,
20:52
they said, "Hooray! We did it.
20:55
We crossed the Alps."
20:57
No, those were the Pyrenees.
20:59
Those are the Alps.
21:01
(wind whooshing)
21:03
(army crying)
21:06
After crossing the Pyrenees,
21:07
the army then had to pass
through Southern Gaul,
21:10
a vast territory filled
with tribes people,
21:12
many of whom were hostile
to Hannibal's presence.
21:15
His journey to the Alps
was an ordeal in itself
21:18
as he was forced to fight his way through
21:20
and incurred pretty hefty losses
21:22
before even reaching the mountains.
21:24
His plan was almost stopped
in its tracks entirely
21:27
as the Roman Consul Scipio
on his way to Iberia
21:30
discovered Hannibal was
right on his doorstep.
21:33
Suddenly, Hannibal's journey became a race
21:37
as he rushed to get his massive army
21:39
across the vast Rhone River
21:41
before the Romans could intercept him.
21:44
The crossing was chaotic,
21:45
with the panicking elephants
causing several men to drown.
21:49
And the first combat of the war occurred
21:51
when small scouting parties from each side
21:53
encountered one another.
21:55
When Scipio finally caught
up to Hannibal's position,
21:58
what he found was an
empty Carthaginian camp.
22:01
Hannibal had slipped through his fingers.
22:05
The Roman Consul Scipio felt
the weight of the situation.
22:10
Quite unbelievably,
22:11
Hannibal was going to
cross the Alps into Italy
22:14
and the Romans had no idea
where he would emerge.
22:18
For the first time,
22:20
a Carthaginian force had the
Roman homeland under threat.
22:24
Scipio sent his men
onto Iberia as planned,
22:27
but he himself rushed
home to raise a new army
22:30
so that if Hannibal survived the crossing,
22:32
Scipio would be there waiting.
22:36
Would you look at that, boys?
22:38
We're here! The Alps!
22:40
Although it is a little
later than I expected.
22:43
Yeah, it's kind of chilly.
22:45
We'll set up camp here and
wait for spring, right?
22:47
It's way too cold, right?
22:52
Hannibal?
22:53
(wind whooshing)
22:56
Hannibal's famous crossing
of the Alps was brutal.
23:00
It was already autumn and
the men suffered terribly.
23:03
It was cold. Men would fall
off the sides of icy cliffs.
23:06
They starved, they fell off
the sides of icy cliffs.
23:10
Some sources say they had
to eat their pack animals
23:12
and would finish off dying comrades
23:14
in order to take their
clothes for extra warmth.
23:17
And then, they would fall
off the sides of icy cliffs.
23:20
Imagine an army of 50,000
men with all of their horses,
23:24
supplies and 37 elephants
trying to navigate
23:28
the most hostile mountain range in Europe.
23:31
And it wasn't just nature
that they were up against.
23:34
Tribes people lived in the mountains
23:36
and they couldn't believe
what they were seeing.
23:39
A tribe approached Hannibal and said,
23:41
hey man, geez, that's some
nice armor. What is that, gold?
23:45
Man, I'd really like that armor.
23:46
Hey boss! They've got food as well.
23:49
Shut up! Be cool.
23:51
Hey, why don't you let us guide you
23:52
through this narrow gorge?
23:54
We're not gonna kill you or nothing.
23:55
Just walk right on through
there. We're not gonna kill ya.
23:58
It's just right this way.
24:02
We're not gonna kill ya!
24:03
Hannibal's army were
forced to fight their way
24:05
through the gorge
24:06
as massive boulders rained
down on them from above.
24:09
Some clever reorganization of
his line helped them survive,
24:12
and they were able to fend
off the opportunistic tribes.
24:16
But losses from the
constant attacks were heavy.
24:19
As the journey continued,
men who went over the sides
24:22
would get stuck on the ice sheets below
24:24
and had to make a grizzly choice
24:26
between starving to death or
just getting it over with.
24:30
When the deeply demoralized
army reached the summit
24:33
and rested for a couple days,
24:35
Hannibal tried to lift their
spirits with a rousing speech.
24:39
Look, men! down there, it's Rome.
24:42
These plains stretching
out in front of you
24:45
are bountiful with food
to eat and Romans to kill!
24:50
Move, Bessie!
24:51
Look! You have just
climbed the walls of Rome.
24:54
The hard part is over.
24:56
From here on out, it's all downhill
24:59
and nobody else will die!
25:02
Except for them.
25:04
The rest of us here, no one dies.
25:08
Starting now.
25:12
Okay, let's go.
25:13
Oh for goodness sake!
25:14
As it turned out, the descent
was as deadly as the way up
25:18
with the cold really starting to set in.
25:20
The path became even more narrow.
25:22
And at one point, the men spent three days
25:25
in the freezing cold
repairing a collapsed road.
25:28
When they finally reached the bottom,
25:30
Hannibal said look guys, we did it!
25:33
(army groaning)
25:36
Well, I thought it went really well!
25:38
When Hannibal left Spain,
25:39
he had about a hundred thousand men.
25:42
By the time he reached the Italian plains,
25:44
his numbers had dwindled to about 26,000.
25:48
He was now caught in enemy territory
25:50
without a supply line or a
source of reinforcements.
25:53
And any elephants who had
survived to this point
25:56
were almost certainly traumatized.
25:58
So what on earth was Hannibal up to?
26:01
This supposed military genius
26:03
had just led a starving and weakened army
26:06
right into enemy territory.
26:08
Any modern general who lost
half their men to mountains
26:11
would be immediately fired
26:13
and possibly even depantsed on live TV.
26:16
Here's the thing, while
Hannibal may not have planned
26:18
on losing quite so many men,
26:20
he had almost certainly
expected considerable losses,
26:23
and he always had a plan
for how to replace them.
26:26
Need men?
26:28
Northern Italy was full of
men, big burly Celtic men.
26:33
All the men Hannibal would
ever need to beat off Rome.
26:36
These Celts were filled with resentment,
26:39
having only recently
been conquered by Rome.
26:42
Hannibal hoped to be seen as a liberator,
26:45
convince the Celts to cut ties with Rome,
26:47
and instead join him in crushing Rome.
26:51
That way, he could gain a
source of reinforcements
26:53
and supplies right in Rome's backyard.
26:57
But sir, in order to win
the loyalty of the Celts,
27:00
we would need to make a
seriously favorable impression
27:02
on them.
27:03
How do we get 'em to like us?
27:05
Hmm.
27:06
Kill them.
(dramatic music)
27:08
One of Hannibal's first actions in Italy
27:10
was to obliterate a nearby
tribe who wouldn't join him.
27:14
This sent a clear message
to all the other tribes.
27:17
It was his wrath they
should fear, not Rome's.
27:21
The realization that a Carthaginian army
27:24
had just invaded them
27:26
must have been shocking for the Romans.
27:28
But when they looked at this rag tie group
27:30
broken by the Alps,
27:32
they couldn't have felt very intimidated.
27:34
However, Hannibal was now in Italy
27:38
and he was about to embark
27:40
on one of the most
astonishing military campaigns
27:43
in all of human history.
27:46
The Romans may not have known it yet,
27:48
but there was now a monster
loose in their territory,
27:51
and he was vying for Roman blood.
27:56
(dramatic music)
28:06
(dramatic music continues)
— end of transcript —
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