Dr Simon Elliott

From a Carthaginian perspective in particular, this is not a war of choice.

They know the Romans are in a position to beat them on land and sea unless they seize the initiative.

So you have the great Hannibal Barca doing his Hail Mary invading Italy.

He's three great victories in 218, 217 and 216 at Trebia, Trasimene and Cana.

The losses at Cana were astonishing.

And yet the Romans come back.

The Romans come back.

So the system is secure enough to take that kind of hit.

And Hannibal's system isn't secure enough to fight a long war.

And ultimately, again, he gets defeated at Zama.

And that's it.

That's it for the Carthaginians at the end of the Second Punic War.

Third Punic War doesn't really matter.

Because after that point, they've absolutely won.

But something happens in the Second Punic War, which is then very relevant to the next part of the story.

So they burst out of Italy and they're really... And now the Eastern Mediterranean.

Oh, okay.

Because there's an idiot in Macedon.

And this idiot is called Philip V.

who is the king of Macedon, is the latest of the Antigonid dynasty, founded by Antigonus the One-Eyed, and then with his son Demetrius the Procedure.