Following the disaster at Lake Trasimene, the Roman Senate took the drastic step of appointing a dictator - a single man with full military powers - to meet the crisis. The man chosen - Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus - differed greatly from the typical Roman aristocrat of his day. Cool-headed and steady handed, Fabius implemented a strategy of delay and harassment against Hannibal, hoping to whittle down the Carthaginian forces without risking another devastating defeat in open battle. Although effective at stabilizing Roman morale, the dictator's strategy proved extremely unpopular among soldiers in his own camp. His second-in-command, Marcus Minucius Rufus, soon became the ringleader of a growing band of dissidents, and the tension between the dictator and his lieutenant would lead to an open breach which Hannibal would be quick to exploit.
Recommended further reading:
The Histories by Polybius
Hannibal's War by Titus Livius
A Companion to the Punic Wars (Blackwell Companions to the Ancient World) Edited by Dexter Hoyos
Hannibal's Dynasty by Dexter Hoyos
Carthage Must Be Destroyed by Richard Miles
Implacable Enemies: The Barcid Armies at War by Karwansary Publishers
Clash of the Colossi: The First Punic War by Karwansary Publishers
Link to the Episode 39 page on the Layman's Historian website
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Episode 52 - The Fall of Carthage
Episode 51 - Carthago Delenda Est
Episode 50 - End of an Era
Episode 49 -Zama: Battle of Giants
Episode 48 - End of the Road
Episode 47- Last Gasp at the Metaurus
Episode 46 - No Easy Way Out
Episode 45 - The Mediterranean on Fire: Sicily
Episode 44 - The Mediterranean on Fire: Spain
Episode 43 - Capua: Hannibal's Albatross
Episode 42 - The Day After Cannae
Episode 41 - Cannae: Rome's Darkest Day
Episode 40 - The Delayer: Part II
Episode 38 - The Dark Waters of Trasimene
Episode 37 - First Blood
Episode 36 - Making a Way
Episode 35 - Into Gaul
Episode 34 - The Die is Cast
Episode 33 - The Lion's Brood
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