Carthage, an important city in antiquity, was located very close to present-day Tunis. Its inhabitants were skilled traders and expanded throughout North Africa and Hispania. Defeated by Rome, they ceded Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, and reached an agreement in Hispania: the Ebro River would be the frontier.
Hannibal was born in 247 B.C. and was the son of Hasdrubal, a Carthaginian military leader. Despite his youth, Hannibal accompanied his father to Hispania; they captured Carthago Nova and fought in Saguntum. Alliances with local tribes were sought by both Romans and Carthaginians. Hasdrubal died fighting the Romans, and Hannibal took over. He had learned much during those years.
He devised an expedition to reach Rome from the north, crossing the Alps—something unthinkable, especially in winter, and with elephants. Hannibal managed to reach northern Italy and defeated Roman legions along the way. He stood out in the Battle of Cannae. He was a brilliant strategist and unpredictable. He traversed the Italian peninsula from north to south without attacking Rome. Meanwhile, his brothers and a brother-in-law fought in Hispania.
Rome’s power prevailed, and the final battle would be fought on African soil. The Carthaginian Barca family faced a distinguished Roman family: the Scipios. Hannibal was forced to fight Scipio Africanus. Scipio had landed in Africa in 204 B.C., and the Battle of Zama decided the outcome of the war.
Hannibal survived, retiring from public life. He returned briefly a few years later, then went to the East and served under Antiochus. There, he fought against Rome again but chose death rather than fall into Roman captivity. A valuable source is, among others, the texts of Polybius. The account is essentially military, but it also provides insight into customs and general history of that era.