Introduction

Hannibal had wrecked havoc in Italy for a decade, and there was no indication he would ever leave. The Fabian strategy of countering Hannibal's political moves without risking open battle was by now firmly entrenched. Even those commanders who broke from this tradition found themselves chasing after a ghost. If things kept going in this direction, Hannibal would find himself isolated in enemy territory abandoned by his country. It was fast turning into a replay of his father's war in Sicily. But entering 207 BC, the eleventh year since Hannibal had left new Carthage for Italy, the Carthaginian commander still had hope of a successful conclusion.