本帖最后由 choi 于 4-22-2021 14:33 编辑
(2)
(a)
(i) Punic Wars
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punic_Wars
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(ii) Punics
hhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punics
(iii) Punic (adj; from Latin [adjective] pūnicus)
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Punic
(b)
(i)
(A) The Alpine Crossing. Encyclopaedia Britannica, undated
https://www.britannica.com/biogr ... The-Alpine-crossing
("[Gauls] attacked the rear of Hannibal's column in an ambush, possibly along the Isère at the 'gateway to the Alps' (near modern Grenoble], France]) * * * Finally, on the 15th day, after a journey of five months from Cartagena, with 25,000 infantry, 6,000 cavalry, and most of his original 37 elephants, Hannibal descended into Italy")
(B) Without explanation, Wikipedia says the five-month period was "May/June – late October 218 BC."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannibal%27s_crossing_of_the_Alps
(table)
Why he started the crossing so late, I do not know.
(ii) Hannibal
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannibal
(map/ "Carthage at the time was in such a poor state that it lacked a navy able to transport his army. * * * Hannibal departed Qart Hadasht (New Carthage) [in Spain] in late spring of 218 BC. * * * His exact route over the Alps has been the source of scholarly dispute ever since (Polybius, the surviving ancient account closest in time to Hannibal's campaign, reports that the route was already debated). * * * In 203 BC, after nearly fifteen years of fighting in Italy, and with the military fortunes of Carthage rapidly declining, Hannibal was recalled to Carthage to direct the defense of his native country against a Roman invasion under Scipio Africanus")
So Hannibal spent 15 years (218-203 BC) in the entire journey. He did not come close to Rome.
reiteration: Hannibal's departure from Spain to arrival at Italy took five months, the last stretch of which, crossing the Alps, last 15 days. If the last phase was kind of short, that was in part because there was no enemy in the Alps and in part because the mountain range snowed, supplying incentive to accelerate (although most of his elephants perished in the Alps).
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