When I was young, maybe 12 or so, I was fascinated by Hannibal and his amazing march across the Alps and his descent into Italy where he destroyed several Roman armies. As time went by, I began to see that the real remarkable story was that the Romans were able to survive those calamaties and eventually grind the Carthaginians down as they did all their foes.
For some reason Hannibal never marched on Rome. Nobody really knows why. Maybe he didn’t think he could take on the city but there was really nothing in his way. As his brother put it, (paraphrased) “Hannibal knows how to gain a victory, but not how to use it”
The Romans were stubborn and defeat was not in their vocabulary. You can thank Scipio (the younger) Africanus for saving Rome. The Senate decided to send an expeditionary force to Spain but no one would take the job. At 24 Scipio took the job and showed himself to be a brilliant tactician. Carthage couldn’t afford to lose their assets in Iberia so they wouldn’t resupply Hannibal so he had to send his brother Hasdribul to fight Scipio and the ruling oligarchs in Carthage cut off Hannibal. Hannibal is an enigma. One of the greatest generals in history driven by hate but not a strategic thinker. Are you familiar with the meeting of Hannibal and Scipio with Antiochus III. Fascinating story?