A Taste of Roman History - The Legacy of Hannibal
In Rome, design hotel accommodation will usually be centrally positioned so you can explore the great wonders of this marvellous city. It will also give you the opportunity to stay somewhere a little out of the ordinary and perhaps reflect on the wonderful history and culture of ancient Rome. Design hotel locations sit on top of some the world's most turbulent and brutal history.
When one thinks of Rome (design hotels aside!) and her great classical period past, it's easy to think of power, prestige and conquest. Yet it was all so very nearly much different - thanks to a man called Hannibal.
Before the empire
Some people think that Rome's rise to glory was inexorable, but in fact, it certainly wasn't built in a day! The city suffered a number of checks and near-catastrophes in its rise to global pre-eminence, and the greatest of those happened during what's called the Second Punic War (c200 BCE).
The problem at the time was that the Mediterranean was becoming an ever-smaller place, and two great cities, Rome and Carthage, were looking to expand into the western end of it. Rome's territories in those days were largely confined to the Italian peninsula and Sicily. Carthage sat on the coast of North Africa (modern Tunisia), and although she had previously lost Sicily to Rome, the city had quickly expanded into Spain to develop new colonies. There just wasn't enough political space for the two powers and conflict was inevitable.
Hannibal Barca
Hannibal was a Carthaginian leader whose father had been defeated by Rome previously. Sworn to exact revenge, he had quickly risen to prominence in Carthage's affairs and had moved his bases to Spain, where he built a powerful army. When war came, he marched his army into Italy to attack the power base itself, and his march with elephants across France and the Alps has become the stuff of legend over two millennia.
Under pressure
Initially Rome hugely underestimated Hannibal but that quickly changed when he defeated two of her armies in quick succession on Italian soil. It became apparent that he was a military genius perfectly possible of winning battles against overwhelming odds.
As Hannibal moved south, he steered away from the city itself and that gave time for the Eternal City to put its greatest ever army into the field - eight full legions, estimated at around 70,000 men, against a vastly smaller Carthaginian force under Hannibal. The two armies met at the battle of Cannae. The result was a catastrophic defeat for Rome and the slaughter of around 60,000 legionaries. It was the greatest defeat Roman armies ever endured. Hannibal's tactics that day are still mandatory reading in military institutions all over the world, even though 2,200 years have passed.
On the brink
Rome had little left to offer to defend herself, but then something strange happened.
Hannibal chose not to march directly on the city but instead to head further south, trying to encourage other Italian cities to rebel against Roman rule - a task he was subsequently largely unsuccessful in.
This gave the city the breathing space she needed to raise new armies; interestingly, these were never committed against Hannibal again, but were sent instead to Spain to challenge Carthage's economic power base there.
Hannibal and his army wandered around Italy more or less at will, but he lacked the resources to lay siege to the city itself. Militarily, his army became side-lined and was eventually recalled to Carthage when a Roman army was sent there.
Children's tales
Hannibal was eventually defeated (though only just) in Africa. However, Rome never forgot the years when its very existence hung in the balance due to the brilliance of a single man. For centuries afterwards, Roman mothers would quieten their children by saying €hush or Hannibal will come and get you€.
This is just one of the fascinating true stories worth keeping in mind when you're exploring Rome. Design hotel staff will be only too happy to offer their advice on how to explore other aspects of this fascinating city's history.
When one thinks of Rome (design hotels aside!) and her great classical period past, it's easy to think of power, prestige and conquest. Yet it was all so very nearly much different - thanks to a man called Hannibal.
Before the empire
Some people think that Rome's rise to glory was inexorable, but in fact, it certainly wasn't built in a day! The city suffered a number of checks and near-catastrophes in its rise to global pre-eminence, and the greatest of those happened during what's called the Second Punic War (c200 BCE).
The problem at the time was that the Mediterranean was becoming an ever-smaller place, and two great cities, Rome and Carthage, were looking to expand into the western end of it. Rome's territories in those days were largely confined to the Italian peninsula and Sicily. Carthage sat on the coast of North Africa (modern Tunisia), and although she had previously lost Sicily to Rome, the city had quickly expanded into Spain to develop new colonies. There just wasn't enough political space for the two powers and conflict was inevitable.
Hannibal Barca
Hannibal was a Carthaginian leader whose father had been defeated by Rome previously. Sworn to exact revenge, he had quickly risen to prominence in Carthage's affairs and had moved his bases to Spain, where he built a powerful army. When war came, he marched his army into Italy to attack the power base itself, and his march with elephants across France and the Alps has become the stuff of legend over two millennia.
Under pressure
Initially Rome hugely underestimated Hannibal but that quickly changed when he defeated two of her armies in quick succession on Italian soil. It became apparent that he was a military genius perfectly possible of winning battles against overwhelming odds.
As Hannibal moved south, he steered away from the city itself and that gave time for the Eternal City to put its greatest ever army into the field - eight full legions, estimated at around 70,000 men, against a vastly smaller Carthaginian force under Hannibal. The two armies met at the battle of Cannae. The result was a catastrophic defeat for Rome and the slaughter of around 60,000 legionaries. It was the greatest defeat Roman armies ever endured. Hannibal's tactics that day are still mandatory reading in military institutions all over the world, even though 2,200 years have passed.
On the brink
Rome had little left to offer to defend herself, but then something strange happened.
Hannibal chose not to march directly on the city but instead to head further south, trying to encourage other Italian cities to rebel against Roman rule - a task he was subsequently largely unsuccessful in.
This gave the city the breathing space she needed to raise new armies; interestingly, these were never committed against Hannibal again, but were sent instead to Spain to challenge Carthage's economic power base there.
Hannibal and his army wandered around Italy more or less at will, but he lacked the resources to lay siege to the city itself. Militarily, his army became side-lined and was eventually recalled to Carthage when a Roman army was sent there.
Children's tales
Hannibal was eventually defeated (though only just) in Africa. However, Rome never forgot the years when its very existence hung in the balance due to the brilliance of a single man. For centuries afterwards, Roman mothers would quieten their children by saying €hush or Hannibal will come and get you€.
This is just one of the fascinating true stories worth keeping in mind when you're exploring Rome. Design hotel staff will be only too happy to offer their advice on how to explore other aspects of this fascinating city's history.
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