Random Facts About Ancient Military Genius Hannibal Barca You Didn't Learn In School (13 items)

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  (#4) Balearic Slingers Were Preferred Over Archers In Hannibal's Army

  The sling is the weapon that David used to slay Goliath: It is basically a rope that was used to hurl a rock at enemies. The most skilled ancient slingers were more accurate and had greater range than their archer counterparts, making them an important part of any ancient army. Hannibal, in particular, used them to great effect in his battles against the Romans.

  The most skilled slingers in the ancient world were from the Balearic Islands in the western Mediterranean. Trained from childhood, Balearic slingers wore a spare sling as a headband, carried a pouch of missiles on their side, and utilized three different sizes of slings for different ranges.

  When Hannibal marched on Italy, he brought 1,000 of these Balearic slingers with him. They were used at the outset of battle as skirmishers. Having greater range than their Roman archer counterparts, they proved more effective at bothering the enemy in the opening salvos of battle.
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  (#1) Hannibal's Father Was Undefeated In Battle

  As a General during the first Punic War, Hamilcar Barca, Hannibal's father, who was also known as "Barcas," fought on the side of Carthage against Rome in the 240s BCE. Though he never lost a land battle himself, ultimately, Carthage lost the battles over Sicily. Hamilcar was then in poor spirits when he returned home to his young son Hannibal.

  Hamilcar saw in young Hannibal what many fathers see in their sons: an opportunity to get revenge on his enemies. He raised Hannibal to be both a great general and the sworn enemy of Rome.
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  (#7) Publius Cornelius Scipio Was Defeated By Hannibal

  The father of the man who would ultimately defeat Hannibal was grossly defeated at the Battle of Ticinius. Publius Cornelius Scipio, was consul of the Roman Army at the time, and he allegedly wanted to beat Hannibal and get the war over with. So he charged into battle with his cavalry, a move that turned out to be full of stupidity.

  During the battle, Scipio was gravely wounded. He only escaped alive because his son, also named Scipio, rushed out with a few other cavalrymen to save him. This was the first of three crushing Roman defeats that the son, Scipio Africanus, was believed to have participated in as a soldier.
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  (#8) He Lost An Eye Due To An Infection, But He Kept Fighting

  During the invasion of Rome, Hannibal lost sight in one eye. While the army was crossing the Arno River marshes — basically a big swamp — he developed an infection. But that wasn't about to slow him down. Shortly thereafter, he maneuvered his army to defeat the Roman opposition at the Battle of Lake Trasimene, even without the aid of proper depth perception.
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  (#12) He Used Poisonous Snakes In A Naval Battle

  After he was chased out of Carthage, Hannibal found a second chance to fight Rome in 184 BCE, this time as an Admiral. Hannibal eventually ended up taking refuge with Prusias I of Bithynia, who at the time was at war with a Roman ally, Eumenes II of Pergamon.

  With his navy outnumbered, Hannibal decided to use the rather strange tactic of poisonous snakes in battle. He instructed his men to gather as many poisonous snakes as they could find and put them in pots. Using a ploy, Hannibal was able to determine which ship had Eumenes II on it. Hannibal then proceeded to catapult the jars of poisonous snakes onto said ship. With their enemies confused and covered in snakes, Hannibal's navy went on to win the battle.
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  (#11) After His Military Career Ended, Hannibal Became A Politician

  People really liked Hannibal in Carthage. They eventually appointed him as Suffete, the top official position in the city. He instituted constitutional reforms, including creating term limits. He also worked hard to root out corruption within the government.

  All this managed to anger the aristocracy, who had a pretty good racket going before Hannibal came along. So they called up Rome and told them that Hannibal was planning on getting a new team by aligning with Seleucid king Antiochus III the Great (of modern Syria) and invading Italy again. So the Romans sent people to arrest Hannibal.

  Hannibal predicted this move, so he ended up fleeing — to the Seleucid king Antiochus III the Great. He ended up with a minor navy instead of an army, though, which he did use to fight against Rome, although he was defeated.

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