question: What was so important about Hannibal Barca crossing the Alps with elephants?
comment: Well, Hannibal was Phoenician from the state of Carthage. Looking At a map, Carthage used to be around North Africa, specifically around Tunisia. At the time Phoenicians were one of the larger empires and occupied most of the coastal regions around the Mediterranean Sea. In any case, pulling up a map of Italy, you can see that nothern Italy blocked by the Alps which served as a natural barrier against invasion. This is mostly because at the time there were no road systems capable of supporting an invasion force and it would be really easy to set up a defensive position (look up battle 300). Because of this rationale the Romans didn't set up heavy defenses in the north, in stead they focused on the South, where it's easier to invade plus you get naval support. So Hannibal's decision, was strategically crazy because he took his invasion forces and marched across the Alps. He then proceeded to decimate Roman forces even though they had the advantage in numbers and turf. Within I think 2years of fighting Rome had lost almost 20% of their male population? Also his tactics were so profound that the Germans were studying them during WWI.
passages: He encamped there to give his men time to rest after their exhausting work, and to collect further rations. Hannibal then addressed his army, and we are informed that they were made to appreciate the extent of the effort they were about to undergo and were raised to good spirits in spite of the difficult nature of their undertaking.
   There are many thousands of accounts of pas d'armes during this period. One notable and special account is that of Suero de Quiñones who in 1434 established the "Passo Honroso" ("Pass[age] of Honour") at the Órbigo bridge in Castile. This road was used by pilgrims all over Europe on the way to shrine at Santiago de Compostela and it was June when thousands would pass. Suero and ten knights promised to fight 300 times ("break 300 lances") before leaving the pas d'armes.
   Hannibal was the largest animal ever exhibited on this continent. His height was eleven feet eight inches, and weight was ascertained to be 15,000 pounds, or seven and one-half tons. He consumed three hundred pounds of hay, three bushels of oats, and forty-six gallons of water per day. He was supposed to be in his sixty-fifth year at the time of his death. For thirty-six years he traversed this continent, at an average of 3,000 miles per year, the greatest curiosity ever exhibited to the wondering millions.
   From 2004-2008, Patrick Hunt, a scholar from Stanford University (USA), has led numerous archaeological expeditions through the Col de Clapier to research the possibility and likelihood of Hannibal using this pass to traverse the Alps with his army. Hunt's research has involved topographical surveys, soil and rock sampling, exploration of the Col de Clapier's various modern and historic routes, and comparisons of Polybius' and Livy's accounts of Hannibal's passage to the regional and local geography. See "Hannibal in the Alps: Stanford Alpine Archaeology Project 1994-2006".
   During the Second Punic War in 218 BC, the Carthaginian general Hannibal probably crossed the Alps with an army numbering 38,000 infantry, 8,000 cavalry, and 37 war elephants. This was one of the most celebrated achievements of any military force in ancient warfare, although no evidence exists of the actual crossing or the place of crossing. The Romans, however, had built roads along the mountain passes, which continued to be used through the medieval period to cross the mountains and Roman road markers can still be found on the mountain passes.
   Hamilcar had three sons, Hannibal, Hasdrubal and Mago, who were all to have distinguished military careers. An unnamed fourth son is often referred to, but details are lacking.
  
  Section::::Hamilcar's legacy: The Grand Strategy.
   BULLET::::- For mid-range weapons, the Jida Lance was tested against the Soliferrum in eliminating a moving target from horseback. Although the Jida was longer and more likely to achieve a kill, the edge was given to the Soliferrum since it could be used as a missile-weapon and that Hannibal would be carrying several of them.
   Little is known of Hasdrubal's early life. He was present, along with his brother Hannibal, when his father, Hamilcar, besieged the city of Helike. Hamilcar was forced to flee and drowned in the Jucar River. Little is known about his activities during the time Hasdrubal the Fair led the Punic forces in Spain, or during the campaigns of Hannibal Barca in Spain and his Siege of Saguntum.
   BULLET::::- 2011, William Kelso, "The Shield of Rome", 216 BC. The novel is set in the aftermath of Hannibal's stunning victory at Cannae and Rome's heroic response.
  
  BULLET::::- In Poul Anderson's time travel story "Delenda Est", two adventurers from the future join Hannibal's army, use modern weapons to help him defeat the Romans, but then assassinate Hannibal and take over Carthage.
   Bazzicaluva earned the praise of another powerful man of his time, Alessandro Visconti, who, by family tradition and personal inclination, fancied hunting, and he dedicated a series of "hunts" to him: the "Departure", the "Return", the "Wild Boar Hunt", the "Navigable River", the "Stop", as well as the "Appointment", a "Landscape" in a round frame and a "Strange Entrance to the Monastery".
   In 1960, Hoyte published a report on the expedition as "Trunk Road for Hannibal: With an Elephant Over the Alps". Expedition member Cynthia Pilkington published the book "Elephant Over the Alps" in 1961, telling the story of the expedition.
  
  Section::::External links.
  
  BULLET::::- The Stanford University course Hannibal by Patrick Hunt - Episode 7 features John Hoyte narrating the story in 2007.
  
  BULLET::::- A picture of John Hoyte on "Jumbo" can be found in
  
  BULLET::::- The Elephant Boot at the BBC/The British Museum "A History of the World" depicts one of the boots made for "Jumbo".
   Section::::The expedition.
  
  In 1955, "The Times" published a debate about the route Hannibal might have taken over the Alps. This debate came to the attention of John Hoyte, then an engineering student at Cambridge University. Hoyte had an interest in both history and mountain climbing, and spent the summer of 1956 with friends hiking the Alps and comparing possible routes to the ancient descriptions. The group came to the conclusion that the Col de Clapier was the most likely pass, an opinion still supported by some modern historians.
   Hannibal's Bridge
  
  Hannibal's Bridge is apparently one of the oldest structures, dating back to Roman imperial times, in the city of Rapallo, Italy, which sits on the Ligurian Coast. This bridge was possibly used by Carthaginian commander Hannibal during his campaign against Rome in the second Punic War, where he possibly unloaded supplies on the Tigullia coast (region from Portofino to Anzo di Framura). The bridge could also be connected to the battle of Trebbia (218 BC).
   The second, or central, column crossed the Ebro at the oppidum of Mora and from there information is fairly sparse. It proceeded through a number of valleys in this country, and had orders to subdue any tribes that resisted its advance. It eventually rejoined the principal column when it had completed its task.
   Reuvens moved his family and two of his students into a country house on the purchased land. He organized tours and hired locals for menial tasks. A wide range of artifacts were discovered on the site. These included coins, shards of pottery, jewelry, a bronze statuette of a dog, and even human remains.
   BULLET::::- 1443: Alfonso V of Aragon's triumphal entry into Naples was "the earliest of the triumphal entries "all'antica" in Europe" Unlike most lathe-and-plaster painted triumphal arches, its permanent commemoration is the arch before the Castel Nuovo. The event, portraying Alfonso as a classical hero of Antiquity, set iconographic examples for his nephew in the Royal entries of Ferdinand of Aragon. The published account by Antonio Beccadelli, "Il Panormita", circulated widely.
  
  BULLET::::- 1457: The Entry of Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, into Ghent
   In Ford's obituary, commonly attributed to Sir William Stirling-Maxwell, "so great a literary achievement had never before been performed under so humble a title." Ford marked, with George Borrow the eccentric English traveller, an interest in Spain that would continue through the twentieth century on the part of British writers: Gerald Brenan, Norman Lewis and George Orwell were among the most eminent of these successors, with Jason Webster (the author of "Duende", "Andalus" and "Guerra") and Chris Stewart (the author of "Driving Over Lemons") being contemporary.
   Hannibal caused great distress to many in Roman society. He became such a figure of terror that whenever disaster struck, the Roman senators would exclaim "" ("Hannibal is at the gates!") to express their fear or anxiety. This famous Latin phrase became a common expression that is often still used when a client arrives through the door or when one is faced with calamity.
   After the Carthaginian defeat in the First Punic War of 264–241 BCE, Hamilcar Barca secured an extensive territory in the Iberian peninsula for Carthage. At the beginning of the Second Punic War in 218 BCE, his son Hannibal took an army of perhaps 50,000 men and 37 war elephants from Hispania (modern-day Spain) to Italy, where he led a 15-year campaign against Rome. Hannibal avoided the coastal route, and took his army over the Alps. His march has been described by ancient historians Polybius and Livy. The exact route, however, has been subject of long but inconclusive scholarly discourse. In his 1955 book "Alps and elephants: Hannibal's march", Gavin de Beer lists 12 possible candidates from 30 different books.
   Section::::Crossing the Rhône.
  
  Much of Hannibal's marches are shrouded in debate, especially the debate concerning the path he opted to employ over the Alps. However, modern historians agree on where Hannibal encamped his army on the western bank on the Rhône and see the river crossing as clearly conceived and crisply executed.
   BULLET::::- A stag gallops before a hunter. A small person can be seen between its antlers. This illustrates the legende of Saint Eustace. This represents the Quest for God.
  
  BULLET::::- Saint Michel, standing with a shield, slays the dragon.
  
  BULLET::::- An angel plunges towards the person seated on a chair and seizes his hands; this is the Deliverance of Saint Peter-in-Chains.
  
  In the centre, two angels raise a small seated man. An inscription says: 
   By Livy's account, the crossing was accomplished in the face of huge difficulties. These Hannibal surmounted with ingenuity, such as when he used vinegar and fire to break through a rockfall. According to Polybius, he arrived in Italy accompanied by 20,000-foot soldiers, 4,000 horsemen, and only a few elephants. The fired rockfall event is mentioned only by Livy; Polybius is mute on the subject and there is no evidence of carbonized rock at the only two-tier rockfall in the Western Alps, located below the Col de la Traversette (Mahaney, 2008). If Polybius is correct in his figure for the number of troops that he commanded after the crossing of the Rhône, this would suggest that he had lost almost half of his force. Historians such as Serge Lancell have questioned the reliability of the figures for the number of troops that he had when he left Hispania. From the start, he seems to have calculated that he would have to operate without aid from Hispania.
   BULLET::::- Diving and Sailing, demonstrated by Cockburn and Davies, are first recorded in the Epic.
  
  BULLET::::- Organised warfare with uniformed soldiers carrying standardised weapons is first recorded 4,500 years ago on the Standard of Ur.
  
  BULLET::::- Buoyancy aids made from inflatable goatskins, demonstrated by Cockburn, allowed armies to cross rivers.
  
  BULLET::::- The wheel used on war chariots and siege engines recreated by Cockburn and Jopsom was developed over 4,000 years ago.
  
  Section::::Episodes.:Episode seven: "The Egyptians".
   The next exponents of expeditionary warfare in the ancient world of the Mediterranean Basin were the Carthaginians who introduced two entirely new dimensions to the use of naval forces by staging not only operations that combined naval and land troops, but also eventuated in combining strategic multi-national forces during the land phase of the operation when Hannibal in his most famous achievement at the outbreak of the Second Punic War marched an army, which included war elephants, from Iberia over the Pyrenees and the Alps into northern Italy.
   The brothers hit the road, cycling up the east coast of Spain, passing through the palms of Elche, the beaches of Benidorm and Valencia's zoo before arriving at Sagunto, where Hannibal's war against the Romans truly began. On the way, they meet Australian cycling champion Matthew Lloyd and they talk to the elephants - and their keepers.
  
  BULLET::::1. "Barca! Barca! Barca!" – 26 July 2010
  
  BULLET::::2. "Crossing the Rhone" – 2 August 2010
  
  BULLET::::3. "Over the Alps" – 9 August 2010
  
  BULLET::::4. "Hannibal the Great" – 16 August 2010
  
  BULLET::::5. "Hannibal at the Gates" – 23 August 2010
  
  Section::::External links.
  