The Alps, 218 BC: Hannibal Barca marches an army, cavalry and a herd of war elephants over the mountains to attack Rome, an approach that military planners describe as bold and the elephants describe as unfair
Unusual Route Chosen
THE ALPS, autumn 218 BC – The Carthaginian general Hannibal Barca has led his army over the Alps into northern Italy, in what Roman officials have described as an unexpected development. Rather than attacking Rome by sea, where Rome had the advantage, Hannibal marched from Spain through southern Gaul and across the mountains, bringing with him tens of thousands of soldiers, cavalry and, famously, war elephants. Ancient sources suggest he began the crossing with around three dozen elephants.
Why He Came
Carthage, the great trading power based in North Africa, and Rome had already fought one long war, the First Punic War, which Carthage lost. Hannibal father, Hamilcar, a Carthaginian commander, according to tradition made his young son swear an oath of eternal hostility to Rome. Hannibal kept it. When conflict erupted again in Spain, he launched the Second Punic War with a strategy of breathtaking ambition: take the war to Italy itself.
The Crossing
The crossing was brutal. The ancient historians Polybius and Livy describe snow, ice, narrow paths, landslides, freezing temperatures and attacks by local Alpine tribes who rolled rocks down on the army from above. At one point, according to Livy, a rockfall blocked the path, and the Carthaginians reportedly heated the rock with fire and poured sour wine on it to crack it, a detail historians have debated for centuries. Men and animals fell from the paths. By the time the army reached the plains of northern Italy, it had lost a very large proportion of its soldiers.
The elephants, remarkably, mostly survived the crossing itself, but many died in the following months from cold and fighting. By some accounts, only one survived for long, which Hannibal is said to have ridden himself. Historians note that elephants are not natural mountaineers and that, given the circumstances, they did extremely well.
The War
Hannibal went on to inflict a series of catastrophic defeats on Rome, culminating at Cannae in 216 BC, where his army encircled and destroyed a much larger Roman force, one of the bloodiest single days of battle in ancient history and a battle still studied by military academies. Yet he never captured Rome itself. Rome refused to surrender, rebuilt its armies and eventually took the war to Africa. Hannibal was defeated at Zama in 202 BC by the Roman general Scipio Africanus. Carthage itself was destroyed by Rome in 146 BC.
Meanwhile, in 2026
Family oaths and grudges remain powerful. The London Prat reports Prince William reportedly calling Earl Spencer and Harry traitors after an unnamed source claimed the heir believes his brother read their uncle memoir first. The memoir is about their late mother, and the uncle says he told everyone. Classical historians note that Hannibal spent his life fulfilling a vow made to his father, and suggest that families think carefully before passing grudges down to the next generation.
The London Prat has been crossing mountains of absurdity since 1961 at https://prat.uk/, with its royal row video on YouTube. Bohiney at https://bohiney.com/ covers American road trips, which involve fewer elephants.
Study Questions for Students
Why did Hannibal choose the Alpine route? How reliable are Polybius and Livy on the crossing? Why could Hannibal win battles but not the war? Discuss, and leave all elephants at home.
SOURCE: https://prat.uk/prince-william-called-earl-spencer-and-harry-traitors/