Posted on 04/30/2020 6:30:41 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
The year was 220 B.C. and the young Carthaginian general Hannibal Barca had to return to his winter quarters in Qart Hadasht - now Cartagena in southeast Spain - after taking Helmatica - now Salamanca in the northwest of the country - from the Vettones tribe. It was spring or summer, and the 27-year-old and his troops had to overcome two obstacles to get to their destination: firstly, the wide rivers and high mountains that were difficult for their 40 elephants to cross; the secondly, the hostile local Carpetani, Vettone and Olcade tribes, who sought revenge for the destruction of their crops and cities.
With just 25,000 soldiers, Hannibal managed to defeat 100,000 enemies. Nobody knows where exactly this battle took place, only that it happened somewhere along the banks of the Tagus River, which stretches 1,007 kilometers from the province of Teruel in Spain to Lisbon in Portugal...
The new study not only takes these descriptions and pieces of evidence into account, it also considers the physical characteristics of the Tagus and the most logical route that Hannibal would have taken to return to his winter quarters in Cartagena.
The authors of the study are convinced that Hannibal used an ancient route which would later be improved by the Romans, joining Complutum, now Alcala De Henares in Madrid region, to Carthago Nova, now Cartagena in Murcia, crossing the Tagus River close to Driebes, not far from Carpentani fortified settlement of Caraca. "The decision to attack Hannibal there was made by the Carpetani, as they knew the area well and it would also give them a leadership role within the coalition formed with the Vettones and Olcades," explains Emilio Gamo.
(Excerpt) Read more at english.elpais.com ...
Maybe they've painted their toenails read and are hiding in the cherry trees.
Hannibal didn’t have any seige equipment so he couldn’t take the cities.
Rome had a tremendous ability to bounce back from crushing loses.
Rome finally developed some able generals and were thus able to win the war. (which lasted over 20 years).
Never saw a pachyderm in Africa, they are all over Asia, and they have Siberian tigers in Russia..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90B_eOBACWw&feature=emb_logo
Cool - thanks!
Enjoyed the good read, SC! Thanks
Carthage itself was founded as a trading post by the Phonecians, as were a number of cities around the Mediterranean.
Yep!
They are looking for the last remaining wild herd in Spain. Rogue elephants who escaped are hard to round up.
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