BATTLE OF CANNAE

Nov 16, 2016

Cdt 2Cl Beltran JD

Scope of Presentation
History of Battle of Cannae
Who fought the Battle?
History
was a major battle of the
Second Punic Warthat took place on 2
August 216 BC inApulia, in southeast
Italy. The army ofCarthage, under
Hannibal, decisively defeated a larger
army of theRoman Republicunder the
consulsLucius Aemilius Paullusand
Gaius Terentius Varro. It is regarded both
as one of the greatesttacticalfeats in
military historyand as one of the worst
defeats in Roman history
 Who fought the Battle?
Hannibal
And Carthage

Gaius Terentius Varro

And Rome
When/ Where did the Battle
Happen?
Why did the battle
happen?
It was the result of Second Punic Wars.
Moreover, Hannibal took the supply
depot of the Romans at Cannae in order
to cut the supply of Romans.
What kind of warriors fought in
Battle?
Carthage
Carthaginian army was a combination of warriors from numerous
regions, and may have numbered between 40,000 and 50,000
- 8,000Libyans,
8,000Iberians,
16,000Gauls(8,000 were left at camp the day of battle)
around 5,500Gaetulianinfantry
-Cavalry:4,000Numidian, 2,000 Iberian, 4,000 Gallic and 450 Liby-
Phoenician cavalry
-Archers:8,000skirmishers(Balearic slingersand mixed nationality
spearmen)

Romans
-79,000 men: 63,000infantryand 6,000cavalry,
plus, in the two fortified camps, another 2,600
heavily armed men and 7,400 lightly armed men
 Compare of Military
Systems?
Carthage
- heavily focused on cavalry, especially
using war elephants
-Reliant on using long range weapons like
slingers and peltast

Rome
-focused greatly in Roman legionaries
-having a disciplined and organized army
-Greater force means greater victory
What kind of weapons used in
the Battle?
Carthage
Infantry:
Variety of Equipment
Iberia: Swords, Javelins and various types of spears, Falcata
Gaul: No armor, long sword and taunting howl
Libya: Second hand armors , swords and shield taken from those
defeated Roman legionaries.
Skirmishers: Long slings and javelins
Numidian Cavalry: Lightly equipped, no armor, small shield, javelins and
longer blades

Rome
-Pila ( Heavy Javelins)
-Hastae (Trusting Spears)
- Traditional Helmets, Long Shields and Body armor.
Operational Setting of the
Battle
Battle
The Armies Meet
 Armies Engage
 The Trap
 The Trap Closes
Casualties
Carthage
-Killed:
5,700 (Polybius)
* 4,000 Gallic
* 1,500 Spanish and African
* 200 cavalry

Romans
-Killed:
53,50075,000 Romans and allied infantry
2,700 Roman and allied cavalry
Captured:
10,000
 Aspects of War
Political
-For a brief period, the Romans were in
complete disarray. Their best armies in
the peninsula were destroyed, the few
remnants severely demoralized, and the
only remaining consul (Varro) completely
discredited

However, Hannibal increased his fame

throughout his kingdom and his name
terrorized every Roman citizen in Italy
 Economic
-Carthage was economically highly
developed than Rome due to its vast
commercial network
Throughout the Mediterranean sea.
 Religion
-The roman army was relatively
homogenous. It always included priest
and purified beast for sacrifice to ry and
placate the Gods. It is likely the
Carthaginians did the same.
 Social
- the Carthage didnt have a hard time in
dealing with their troops since most of
them are mercenaries who are hungry for
battle. At the same time, the Roman
army manage their troops without
problems because it is also compose of
the same race
 Technological
- The Roman army were highly advanced
in terms of training and equipment. As we
seen how they fight and their equipment
especially their armor, sword and shield
were high quality than the Carthage.
Outcome of the Battle?
-Romans were in complete disarray.
-Carthage started to make peace with the
Romans.
-According to Durant, It was a supreme
example of generalship, never bettered in
history. It ended the days of Roman
reliance upon infantry andsetthe lines
of military tactics for two thousand
years
References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_C
annae
http://www.thefinertimes.com/Ancient-War
s/battle-of-cannae.html
http://www.roman-
empire.net/army/cannae.html