Hannibal: The Military Genius Who Almost Conquered Rome

by Eve MacDonald, The Great Courses

Hannibal Barca is famous for marching an eclectic mix of troops across the Alps and into the Roman heartland during the Second Punic War. But how much do we know about the world Hannibal was born into and came of age in? About his family and their ties to the powerful port city of Carthage? About the Roman reaction to Hannibal’s wreckage and their approach to the war in general? About the Italian cities Hannibal either devastated or courted; the diverse and impressive army he built; the powerful Roman generals he confronted, bested, and often killed; and the obstacles he and his army endured the closer they came to Rome? And how much do we actually know about the real Hannibal—not the myth, but the nuanced and fallible man who lost brothers in battle, failed to succeed in a war he fought so hard to win, and died by suicide in exile—who remained a military legend.

In Hannibal: The Military Genius Who Almost Conquered Rome, get to know one of history’s most impressive generals from the political and military conflicts that defined his adolescence to the battles that made him famous. These 15 lectures will paint a portrait of not only Hannibal, but also his enemies and allies. Explore their world from the port city of Carthage and its sphere of influence to Rome and the terrains that Hannibal’s army crossed and sometimes occupied, en route on their mission of conquest. Learn about Hannibal’s family, follow his father Hamilcar on early military expeditions into Hispania and follow his brothers into battles during the Second Punic War. Accompany Carthaginian soldiers on their difficult journey across the Italian Alps, courting or confronting Roman-allied cities. Reconstruct key battles between Hannibal and a series of Roman generals, evaluating each side’s strengths, weaknesses, and strategy. And understand why Hannibal—an extremely successful general who terrified his rivals and impressed his contemporaries—ultimately lost his fight against Rome.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Biography, Adventure, War, Roman

15 pages, Audible Audio

Published March 3, 2023

Reviews

[Susan]

Hannibal: The Military Genius Who Almost Conquered Rome is a captivating and richly detailed exploration of one of history’s most extraordinary figures. Through 15 well-structured lectures, this audiobook provides a fantastic introduction to Hannibal’s life, his world, and his monumental challenges during the Second Punic War.

The content goes beyond Hannibal’s legendary military campaigns, such as his daring crossing of the Alps with a diverse army, to examine the world he was born into. It sheds light on his family’s influence in Carthage, the political and military conflicts that shaped his adolescence, and the strategies of his Roman adversaries. The book also explores the Italian cities he encountered, the remarkable army he assembled, and the personal tragedies that marked his journey.

What I loved most was how the audiobook humanises Hannibal, portraying him as a military genius and a complex, fallible man who endured immense loss and ultimately died in exile. The nuanced approach balances his remarkable achievements with the obstacles and failures that defined his legacy.

The narration is engaging, and the content is accessible, making it a great starting point for anyone interested in ancient history. Whether you're a history enthusiast or just curious about Hannibal, this audiobook offers a well-rounded and fascinating look at his life and times.

I highly recommend it to those who want to learn more about Hannibal and the broader context of the Punic Wars. It is an excellent listen that will inspire further exploration into this era!

[Dennis Murphy]

Hannibal: The Military Genius Who Almost Conquered Rome by Eve MacDonald is probably the best of the newer courses made by the Great Courses. It came out last spring, and MacDonald adopts a survey course on Hannibal that is both fairly comprehensive, and is done in a straight forward, chronological manner. MacDonald teaches, explains, and conveys knowledge on the ancient Mediterranean, and provides a very capable military and political history of Hannibal and his campaigns. The course is solid, and is probably the best one covering a subject during the period to come out since Fagan and Harl. It makes me want an extended course covering Carthage and North Africa, liberated to focus on political and military history, as well as the broader social history and thematic elements also relevant about the period. Given that this course demonstrated MacDonald's bona fides, I'm eager to see more.

[Jnj]

"Hannibal: The Military Genius Who Almost Conquered Rome" ist ein Kurs voller faszinierender historischer Details. Dank dieser Details und der hervorragenden Vortragsweise des Referenten habe ich mit großem Interesse und fast ohne Unterbrechung zugehört. Das begleitende Informationsmaterial (PDF), für das ich sehr dankbar bin, ist ebenfalls sehr interessant und hilft wirklich dabei, dem Vortrag zu folgen. Alles in allem ein Kurs, den ich mit großem Interesse und Vergnügen verfolgt habe.

"Hannibal: The Military Genius Who Almost Conquered Rome" is a course packed with fascinating historical details. Thanks to this, and the presenter’s excellent delivery, I found myself listening with great interest and almost without interruption. The accompanying information material (PDF), for which I’m very grateful, is also very interesting and really helps me follow along with the lecture. All in all, a course I listened to with great interest and enjoyment.

[Ahmed Rashwan]

Although I had done this course before on 'The Great Courses'; I could not help but revisit this amazing title, narrated by the clearly passionate Eve MacDonald; I cannot think of a better lecturer on this topic. Also consider picking up her book Hannibal: A Hellenistic Life on the same topic.

Informative, educational, powerful and narrated beautifully, anyone who is interested in getting a very detailed picture of Rome's most iconic rival and adversary, and understanding the shifting tides of the Punic Wars in general and the 2nd Punic War specifically, then this is the audio book (or video course on The Great Courses) for you!

[Jeremy]

I listened to these lectures while I was reading The War with Hannibal: The History of Rome from its Foundation Books 21-30 and it was helpful to provide a broader context and other sources about the Second Punic War, as well as wrap up information after Livy's history breaks off.

I appreciated Professor McDonald's background and details about the history and the counters to the very pro-Roman sources that remain. Bringing in recent archaeological evidence to talk about what it confirms and what new things we learn was also beneficial.

This is a great resource for anyone interested in this period of history, whether reading Livy or not.

[Philmore Olazo]

Amazing narration about Hannibal's history. It truly felt like I was in a class with the professor explaining everything in detail.

Hannibal is one of those leaders I’ve only heard of in passing, partly due to the winners of conflicts often writing history to prop themselves up.

The main source here is Polybius' account of the campaigns the Carthaginian leader had against the Roman Empire and how these retaliated in many different ways. Interestingly propaganda played a great part in his eventual defeat.

But was it all just that factor? Like with many historical events, there are an innumerable amount of factors that led to Hannibal's eventual defeat, and I’d argue the most important one was money. The longer the conflicts lasted the more it cost him u til it eventually became impossible to continue.

Anyway. The more one learns with series like these.

[Ian Burrell]

The story of Hannibal and his war with Rome is well-known to anyone interested in military history.

However, Eve MacDonald brought fresh perspectives and challenged the historical sources that the Roman victors mainly wrote. The author delivers the lectures with clarity and with engaging prose.

This is a great place to start if you want to know about Hannibal.

[Scott Palmer]

The Great Courses has been an absolute wealth of knowledge for me over the past five years, and this course was no exception. It gave me exactly what I wanted out of it and then some. I particularly love how the programs are starting to narrow in on smaller parts of broader subjects. It's really making for an extensive lesson!

[Ryan Patrick]

While the audio quality of this production was not up to the usual standards I've come to expect from the Teaching Company, the content was good. We get a decent overview of the first two Punic Wars while never losing sight of the main subject: Hannibal.

[Enrico]

The course starts with lectures about Carthage, the first punic war and Hannibals father Hamilcar. After that the life of Hannibal from his youth to his death while taking a closer look at some specific battles of the second punic war.

[Susan]

Very comprehensive coverage of the First and Second Punic Wars including the major players and causes . Well spoken by Eve Macdonald .

[John Harris]

Excellent course on Hannibal. Starts from the beginnings of the Punic wars between Rome ansd Carthage that creates Hannibal. It's reviewed his rise, why he fought so long, and what finally caused his failure.

[Kara]

Surprisingly dull given the topic.

[tahae lowe]

4
Informative
Interesting
Slow

[Andres Felipe]

Proporciona un valioso contexto histórico a la narración, el curso es un buen insumo para tener una perspectiva bastante completa de la segunda guerra púnica