Synopses & Reviews
On August 2, 216 BC, in the Italian town of Cannae, Hannibal won his greatest victory. In one of the bloodiest battles ever, his outnumbered mercenaries massacred the greater part of Rome's large army. For the Romans, Cannae became the yardstick against which all other defeats were measured; for generals centuries after, it became a perfectly executed model to draw on. Using primary sources and brilliant images, Goldsworthy tells the story of this epic confrontation and its devastating tactics.
Synopsis
On August 2, 216 BC, in the Italian town of Cannae, Hannibal won his greatest victory. In one of the bloodiest battles ever, his outnumbered mercenaries massacred the greater part of Rome's large army. For the Romans, Cannae became the yardstick against which all other defeats were measured; for generals centuries after, it became a perfectly executed model to draw on. Using primary sources and brilliant images, Goldsworthy tells the story of this epic confrontation and its devastating tactics.
Synopsis
and#8220;An excellent addition to scholarship on the Second Punic War and complements his own The Punic Wars...Goldsworthy devotes most of the book to the battle itself. He calls on ancient literary sources and topographical surveys and explains the tactics employed by each side...the author gives the battle narration a sense of urgency as he describes, with reasoned imagination, what the individual Roman soldier probably experienced.... Lavishly illustrated, engagingly written...the book will appeal to readers at all levels.and#8221;and#8212;
Choice. About the Author
"Adrian Goldsworthy is one of our more promising young military historians today."--John KeeganAmong Goldsworthy's many books are Roman Warfare in John Keegan's History of War series, and The Punic Wars.