Filmmaker Giulia Clark’s documentary—part of the PBS-aired series Secrets of the Dead—attempts to resolve an issue that has bedeviled historians for centuries: namely, what route did Hannibal take in 218 B.C. when he led his Carthaginian army of 38,000 infantry, 8,000 cavalry, and 38 elephants across the French Alps for a surprise attack on the Roman Empire in the Second Punic War? There were no surviving records of the account from campaign participants, and the earliest write-up—by the historian Polybius years after the spectacular mountain march—failed to include specific geographical details on how Hannibal pulled off this military feat. This film argues that Hannibal could have taken one of four potential routes, with the most evidence pointing to what might have actually been the most dangerous option, across icy and rocky terrain. Although no fossils or artifacts from the Carthaginians’ campaign has been found, sampling of bacterial soil points to signs that this route might have seen an abnormally large amount of equine traffic at one time. Still, it is astonishing to imagine that an army traveling with horses and elephants could have maneuvered along treacherously narrow paths while fighting off the cold, loss of supplies, and attacks from local tribes who were not happy to see this North African military caravan marching through their land. Serving up a fascinating mix of ancient history, modern geology, and travelogue-worthy cinematography, this is highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (P. Hall)
Hannibal in the Alps
(2018) 60 min. DVD: $24.99 ($54.99 w/PPR). PBS Video. ISBN: 978-1-5317-0497-1. Volume 33, Issue 6
Hannibal in the Alps
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