Quote:
Originally Posted by Amled
Good question.
With a reported casuelty count exceeding 15,000, Hanibal too was in serious need of recuperation.
So the question is, would he have been able to take Rome with what remained to him of combat effective soldiers?
Also he would have to manufacture siege equipment to overcome the walls and fortifications of Rome itself, besides which Rome; like the North during the American Civil War, had an unerring ability to field new armies in the wake of defeats.
IMO he should certainly have tried, after all what was he doing on the Italian Peninsular, if not defeat and conquer Rome. And having destroyed the best part of their military, he would never be in a better position to accomplish this aim.
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Actually, I think that was the problem for Hannibal. Firstly, he didnt have the equipment/men to take Rome without an enormous risk of defeat.
Secondly, Hannibal fully expected the Romans to reasonable. He was there to defeat the Romans, force them to sign a peace treaty that gave Carthage Spain, and restored their pre-emience in trade in the Med. After Cannae, Hannibal doubtless expected the Romans to give in. He reckoned without their utter bloody-minded determination to keep fighting, and their ability to create new armies from seemingly nothing.