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S'està carregant… Cannae: The Experience of Battle in the Second Punic Warde Gregory Daly
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Apunta't a LibraryThing per saber si aquest llibre et pot agradar. No hi ha cap discussió a Converses sobre aquesta obra. No one who's interested in the ancient world or in military history can have gone without reading something about Hannibal's war against Rome. This book re-examines the battle of Cannae, where about 50,000 Romans and their allies were slaughtered in a morning. That's in the same ballpark as the dead at Nagasaki 60 years ago, or the American dead in Vietnam War. Daly spends a lot of his time looking at equipment, tactics, leadership, in an attempt to discover (despite Polybius' lack of attention) exactly what is likely to have gone on during the battle. He follows with an examination of how the battle is reported to have gone, teasing out some realistic/reasonable alternatives in interpretation. Sense ressenyes | afegeix-hi una ressenya
On a hot and dusty summer's day in 216 BC, the forces of the Carthaginian general Hannibal faced the Roman army in a dramatic encounter at Cannae. Massively outnumbered, the Carthaginians nevertheless won an astonishing victory - one that left more than 50,000 men dead. Gregory Daly's enthralling study considers the reasons that led the two armies to the field of battle, and why each followed the course that they did when they got there. It explores in detail the composition of the armies, and the tactics and leadership methods of the opposing generals. Finally, by focusing on the experiences of those who fought, Daly gives an unparalleled portrait of the true horror and chaos of ancient warfare. This striking and vivid account is the fullest yet of the bloodiest battle in ancient history. No s'han trobat descripcions de biblioteca. |
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Google Books — S'està carregant… GèneresClassificació Decimal de Dewey (DDC)937.04History and Geography Ancient World Italian Peninsula to 476 and adjacent territories to 476 Italian Peninsula to 476 and adjacent territories to 476 Punic wars 264-146 B.C.LCC (Clas. Bibl. Congrés EUA)ValoracióMitjana:
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Daly essentially uses Polybius' account since it is "The earliest extant account of the battle, it is clear, straightforward, and devoid of fanciful details." There are problems, but he is careful to use other evidence where it might apply.
The Carthaginians were outnumbered (about 42.000 to 86.000) but had greater experience and an advantage in mounted troops. The defeat of the Roman cavalry exposed the weak conscript troops in the flanks of the legions. A slow staged withdrawal by Hannibal's centre line concentrated his enemy while his strongest (Libyan) troops, engaged both flanks of the Roman army and drove it in from both sides. His cavalry returned to attack the Roman rear turning confusion into rout.
It's interesting to recreate the Carthaginian and Roman strategic decisions at this distance in time. ( )