Hannibal's Road: The Second Punic War in Italy 213-203 BC

Most accounts of Hannibal concentrate on the spectacular opening years of the Second Punic War and then shift attention to Scipio Africanus. Mike Roberts instead focuses on the less familiar campaigns of 213–203 BCE, when the wider war was turning against Carthage but Hannibal remained active in southern Italy. Despite declining support and growing Roman pressure, he continued to manoeuvre effectively and keep substantial Roman forces occupied for years after Cannae.

Roberts reconstructs this prolonged phase of the Italian war in detail, examining Hannibal’s movements, engagements, strategic choices and efforts to sustain a diverse army far from home. The narrative follows the changing balance of the conflict until Scipio’s invasion of North Africa finally drew Hannibal back to defend Carthage. By concentrating on the years often compressed in broader histories, the book provides a useful study of Hannibal as a commander under increasingly difficult strategic conditions.