Tom Holland

So much blood has been evacuated that that dust is turning into a kind of mud.

So it is a pretty hideous scene.

It's interesting.

I think a surprising number of historians seem to take it as possibly expressing an authentic tradition.

And even if it doesn't, then the reason that it has the kind of resonance that it does – I mean, it's one of the iconic moments in ancient history – is because it does focus on this obvious question.

Why didn't Hannibal take advantage of his great victory to advance immediately on Rome?

Because we've said his family name, Barca, means lightning.

So why doesn't he strike?

And there are...

Various suggestions that have been made as to why he doesn't follow Mahabal's suggestion.

So his men are obviously exhausted.

Slaughtering large numbers of enemy is really tiring.

I mean, your arms would just be...

Many of his own men are badly wounded.

It's been a pulverizing day.

On top of that, Rome is almost 300 miles away.

And so Mahabal and his light Numidian cavalry, they could have probably got there in about five days, but it would have taken the infantry a fortnight.

And what if Hannibal turns up in front of the walls of Rome and the Romans refuse to capitulate?

Hannibal does not have any siege equipment, so he'd have two options.

He could either...