The Second Punic War Trivia Quiz

Answer: Saguntum

The Punic Wars were fought between Rome and the African city state of Carthage, which had an empire that spanned large parts of North Africa and Spain. Saguntum was in southern Spain, and well inside the acknowledged Carthaginian sphere of influence. However, the Romans had signed an alliance with the Saguntines and so when it was attacked they declared war.

Answer: Hannibal Lecter

Hannibal Barca (247-187 BC) was the son of Hamilcar Barca (? - 228 BC), the most successful Carthaginian general in the First Punic War, and Rome's mistreatment of Carthage after that war led to his hating Rome, and passing this hatred on to his son. There were two well known Carthaginian generals called Hasdrubal. One of these was Hannibal's brother and the other Hasdrubal was also related to him.

Hannibal Lecter is a character in a horror film!

Answer: No

Carthage was founded in North Africa by settlers from Phoenicia, which was roughly where Syria, the Lebanon and parts of northern Israel are now.

Answer: No

One of his generals (also called Hannibal) suggested teaching his men to eat human flesh in case supplies ran short, but this novel idea was rejected. Roman claims that Hannibal ate human flesh are either confusion between two people of the same name or propaganda based on his name.

Answer: Livy and Polybius

Most of the surviving histories of the wars were written by Romans, such as Livy, but the most accurate account is given by Polybius. He was an experianced general and politician, but he was also being held hostage in Rome and was probably influenced by that.

Answer: Because Hannibal marched from Southern Spain to attack Italy

This is one of the most famous marches in ancient military history. Hannibal marched his entire army, 100,000 strong with horses and elephants, from Carthago Nova (Cartagena) in southern Spain, over the Pyrenees, across the Rhone and over the Alps to attack Rome directly. Only 25,000 men survived. The Romans could not have predicted this, as it had been thought to be impossible.

Answer: False

They did the best thing they could do; they went ahead with the invasion of Spain, this prevented the Carthaginians from reinforcing Hannibal, and gradually his army was worn down by attrition, whilst the Roman army grew larger every year.

Answer: They refused to see Hannibal's ambassadors and carried on fighting

You have to admire Roman determination, they refused to even listen to Hannibal's peace offer, refused to ransom any prisoners, and simply raised more troops and kept on fighting. Hannibal must have known from then on that he couldn't win; that he didn't have enough troops to win a war of attrition, and that the Romans wouldn't surrender. Cannae was his greatest victory: outnumbered two to one, he destroyed his enemy utterly, using his superior cavalry to surround and destroy the Roman infantry.

Answer: Consul Nero followed by Publius Scipio, Jr

After their defeat a former Consul called Nero took control of the army. Later on he was to defeat and kill Hannibal's brother, Hasdrubal. He was followed by Publius Cornelius Scipio's son, Publius Cornelius Scipio, who finally expelled the Carthaginians from Spain.

Answer: Scipio won due to the support of a Numidian prince and his cavalry

At the beginning of the battle, Hannibal's elephants charged the Romans, who simply moved out of the way, then the Roman and Numidian cavalry drove off the Carthaginian cavalry (for once Hannibal's cavalry was heavily outnumbered), but gave chase leaving the battlefield.

The infantry fought a bloody and indecisive battle for hours, until the Roman horse returned in time to massacre the Carthaginian infantry. It was Hannibal's only defeat and Carthage sued for peace immediately afterwards.