The Battle of Cannae (216 BCE)
The Battle of Cannae was fought on 2 August 216 BCE between the Roman Republic and Carthage during the Second Punic War. The Carthaginian army, commanded by Hannibal Barca, achieved one of the most famous victories in ancient military history by surrounding and destroying a much larger Roman army. The battle became famous for Hannibal’s use of double envelopment, in which the Roman army was attacked from the front while its flanks and rear were gradually surrounded. The resulting destruction was one of the worst military disasters in Roman history. ...