Dominic Sandbrook

And as the Gauls and Spaniards retreat, space has opened up for the Libyans who are hitherto been held in reserve to crash into the flanks of the advancing Romans. And it happens exactly as Hannibal has planned. I mean, it couldn't go better because by now the Romans are so tightly packed that they haven't got any opportunity to maneuver.

And as the Gauls and Spaniards retreat, space has opened up for the Libyans who are hitherto been held in reserve to crash into the flanks of the advancing Romans. And it happens exactly as Hannibal has planned. I mean, it couldn't go better because by now the Romans are so tightly packed that they haven't got any opportunity to maneuver.

And as the Gauls and Spaniards retreat, space has opened up for the Libyans who are hitherto been held in reserve to crash into the flanks of the advancing Romans. And it happens exactly as Hannibal has planned. I mean, it couldn't go better because by now the Romans are so tightly packed that they haven't got any opportunity to maneuver.

And in fact, it's quite difficult for them even to kind of, you know, raise their sword arms. And you just have this kind of great scrum of Romans men who are being slowly crushed together by the Libyan phalanxes to their left and to their right. And ahead of them, the Gauls and the Spaniards who had been retreating, they get a second wind. They sense that the balance of the battle has changed.

And in fact, it's quite difficult for them even to kind of, you know, raise their sword arms. And you just have this kind of great scrum of Romans men who are being slowly crushed together by the Libyan phalanxes to their left and to their right. And ahead of them, the Gauls and the Spaniards who had been retreating, they get a second wind. They sense that the balance of the battle has changed.

And in fact, it's quite difficult for them even to kind of, you know, raise their sword arms. And you just have this kind of great scrum of Romans men who are being slowly crushed together by the Libyan phalanxes to their left and to their right. And ahead of them, the Gauls and the Spaniards who had been retreating, they get a second wind. They sense that the balance of the battle has changed.

They turn around. They block the Roman advance. And The absolute horror for the Romans is that one minute they think they're winning, the battle is won, and then suddenly they find themselves surrounded on three sides by people who are not fleeing at all. And the Libyans are completely fresh. And more than that, they actually look like Romans.

They turn around. They block the Roman advance. And The absolute horror for the Romans is that one minute they think they're winning, the battle is won, and then suddenly they find themselves surrounded on three sides by people who are not fleeing at all. And the Libyans are completely fresh. And more than that, they actually look like Romans.

They turn around. They block the Roman advance. And The absolute horror for the Romans is that one minute they think they're winning, the battle is won, and then suddenly they find themselves surrounded on three sides by people who are not fleeing at all. And the Libyans are completely fresh. And more than that, they actually look like Romans.

So it must have come as a massive surprise for the Romans to suddenly find them crashing into them. So a horrible situation.

So it must have come as a massive surprise for the Romans to suddenly find them crashing into them. So a horrible situation.

So it must have come as a massive surprise for the Romans to suddenly find them crashing into them. So a horrible situation.

Because they're trusting their weight of numbers, because... That's how they fight, because they're not geniuses like Hannibal, because the men that they have are not seasoned. They can't kind of think on their feet. They're not practiced at maneuvering. And that, of course, is the mark of Hannibal's genius, is that he's exploiting all of that.

Because they're trusting their weight of numbers, because... That's how they fight, because they're not geniuses like Hannibal, because the men that they have are not seasoned. They can't kind of think on their feet. They're not practiced at maneuvering. And that, of course, is the mark of Hannibal's genius, is that he's exploiting all of that.

Because they're trusting their weight of numbers, because... That's how they fight, because they're not geniuses like Hannibal, because the men that they have are not seasoned. They can't kind of think on their feet. They're not practiced at maneuvering. And that, of course, is the mark of Hannibal's genius, is that he's exploiting all of that.

And he's like a judo thrower, turning his enemy's strength into a weakness.

And he's like a judo thrower, turning his enemy's strength into a weakness.

And he's like a judo thrower, turning his enemy's strength into a weakness.

People may remember that they've swept away Paulus, who has gone to join the main body of the infantry. The rest of the Roman cavalry have been swept away from the battlefield. So what Hasdrubal does is he then turns around the length of the Roman infantry to go to the other wing, where the Numidians under Mahabul have been having a standoff with the Italians under Varroa.

People may remember that they've swept away Paulus, who has gone to join the main body of the infantry. The rest of the Roman cavalry have been swept away from the battlefield. So what Hasdrubal does is he then turns around the length of the Roman infantry to go to the other wing, where the Numidians under Mahabul have been having a standoff with the Italians under Varroa.