Hannibal, famous for invading Italy over the Alps with his elephants, was a great leader at the time of the early republic of Rome, in 200BCE. He was a general of Carthage, on the North African coast, a bitter rival to the authority of Rome, and was regarded as a match for the feats and exploits of Alexander the Great in the previous century.

With a new introduction, comes the story of Hannibal, often regarded as a successor to the mantle of Alexander the Great, at a time when Carthage, in North Africa, and Rome were rivals for land and power across the Mediterranean sea. A masterful tactician, a resourceful planner and courageous general, Hannibal famously crossed the Alps with a vast army of 100,000 soldiers and their elephants to make his mark on history, winning a series of battles across the Roman territories, holding much of Italy for over 15 years without ever quite overthrowing the Roman Republic.

FLAME TREE 451. The bestselling paperback series on myths, legends, warriors, leaders and epic literature. Although Norse, Greek and Celtic mythology dominate the popular imagination in Western countries, there are so many other tradition around the world that contribute to the rich exploration of our collective past and create new perspectives on events of the past, and the lessons of the future.