Polybius in particular, is famed for being openly critical of Carthage (he was allegedly present for the final destruction of the ancient capital), and in particular the Barcids, so his accounts are heavily biased towards Rome and can almost be considered propaganda.Īlthough the power plays of Julius Caesar, and the formation of the Roman Empire under Octavian, were still many years away, Rome’s victory over Carthage and its confederates laid the foundations for Rome the superpower. It was released on 3 September 2013, for Microsoft Windows. Many accounts of the Second Punic War come from Polybius and Livy, neither of whom were alive when the events they describe took place and wrote only from Rome’s perspective. Total War: Rome II is a strategy video game developed by Creative Assembly and published by Sega. After weathering the worst of Hannibal’s assault, Rome struck back under the brilliance of Scipio and finally, on the field at Zama, Carthage’s dream came crashing to an end. The brilliance of Hannibal as a strategist and tactician cannot be denied he came closer than anyone else ever had or would to toppling Roman power, but his failure was underestimating Rome’s ability to endure. Catastrophic defeats at Trebia, Lake Trasimene and Cannae shattered any faith Rome’s allies had in them, and almost imploded the Republic. It was a hard fought victory for Rome, however Hannibal Barca’s campaign in Italy, following his daring crossing of the Alps, nearly brought Rome to ruin. Common sense alone dictates that eradicating the Scots is the key to the opening moves. It marked the end of a contest for power in the Mediterranean - the establishment of Roman hegemony over the entire Italian peninsula and deep into Iberia. England has an enviable starting position in that it can very easily have 7 secure & safe provinces very early in the game with a beachhead province in Caen. The Second Punic War is, arguably, the most sweeping, destructive war of ancient times.

Rome total war 2 strategy guide