CANNAE

In 216 BCE the Roman authorities carried out an appalling act of human sacrifice – burying four poor souls alive beneath the Forum. After years of martial dominance, Rome was on the brink of ruin – the dreaded Carthaginian general Hannibal had slaughtered up to 70,000 soldiers in a single afternoon, despite being totally outnumbered. How had it come to this? And why did it lead to this grim scene at the Forum?

Rome first went to war with Carthage across Sicily and its surrounding seas during the First Punic War, spanning 264 to 241 BCE. As the two greatest powers in the Mediterranean world, a violent showdown between the warlike forces had long been inevitable. Under the general Hamilcar Barca, Carthage had slaughtered 17 percent of Rome’s male population, and yet, thanks to its determination, inventiveness, adaptability and vast reserves of manpower, Rome emerged victorious.

In 241 BCE, after 23 exhausting years of war, Carthage surrendered and agreed to pay the colossal amount of 3,300 talents in just a decade. But what Rome did next sowed the seeds of a far bloodier war that would bring death and destruction to the heartlands of both empires. After backing a mercenary rebellion against Carthage in 237 BCE, Rome stole both Sardinia and Corsica, violating its own treaty and adding 1,200 talents to their enemy’s fine.

The Greek historian Polybius remarked