Instead, Hasdrubal led his cavalry around the back of the Roman line to attack the Roman cavalry in the rear

As the infantry lines engaged each other, dust blew in the faces of the already sleep deprived men as the Roman troops slowly became enveloped by the Carthaginian line as Hannibal has his centra slowly move backwards creating a crescent formation

This damaged the cohesion of the Roman line as they ran into the gaps of the managed retreat of Hannibal’s centre. They were soon compacted so close together that they had little room to move while also ignoring the un-engaged Carthaginian troops on their flank

Then, at the perfect moment, Hannibal’s cavalry charged into the Roman rear while his flanking infantry fully encircled the panicking Romans.

Now trapped, there was no escape.

It was a slaughter. One estimate has six hundred legionaries being killed every minute until darkness brought an end to the battle.

(I've read somewhere that the Carthaginian started to take prisoners because their arms were too tired from the stabbing)

In total 50,000 Romans fell in the slaughter.

2 quaestors, 29 of the 48 military tribunes died including the consul of the previous year, Geminus, along 80 men of senatorial class.

One historian equates the death toll with the first day of the Somme in 1916.

The Roman ability to carry on after successive & crushing defeats is nothing short of a miracle & testament to their indomitable spirit

Livy wrote that ‘No other nation surely would not have been overwhelmed by such an accumulation of misfortune.’

They simply raised new legions

While some Romans who survived held up in a nearby town were discussing what to do, a few were shamed into suggesting leaving Italy to serve as mercenaries.

It was at this point where Publius Cornelius Scipio stormed into the room with his sword drawn and said

teasing part 2.
I'll be seeing you all soon enough.

Pompeii in the night.

Starfield (2023)

the desolate, isolated, creeping feeling of loneliness in space is what makes this game special.

Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus,

A man whose strategic brilliance forever altered the course of the Second Punic War.

Born into the esteemed Cornelii Scipiones family in 236 BC, young Scipio was destined for greatness.

Yet, it wasn't merely his lineage that shaped him; it was his actions and choices that carved his path to immortality.

Scipio's early years were steeped in the tumult of the Punic Wars.

As a teenager, he witnessed first-hand the devastation wrought by Carthage, Rome's formidable adversary.

These experiences were not scars but sparks that ignited his military genius.

Scipio was not just a product of his era; he was a shaper of it.

His ascension began when he was elected as curule aedile in 213 BC.