"Furious but not so fast"

When I read in my local newspaper that a Hollywood studio was seriously considering making a movie about the mighty Carthaginian warrior Hannibal, I was beside myself with glee. Hannibal is the indomitable north African military genius who caught the Roman empire napping in 218BC when he turned up with a vast army in northern Italy after miraculously crossing the Alps. What particularly impressed the Romans was the fact that Hannibal's retinue included a number of colleagues mounted on elephants. If nothing else, this bold gesture demonstrated a certain element of panache.

For the next 10 years, Hannibal raced up and down the countryside wreaking havoc hither and yon. All the while, the Romans cowered behind their walls, fearful of facing him in open battle. Only when Hannibal was recalled to Carthage to defend the city-state against the depredations of one Scipio Africanus - and defeated at the epic battle of Zama - was Rome freed forever from the scourge of its insolent neighbours across the Mediterranean.

Full Article : guardian.co.uk