Fabius the Delayer may have saved Minucius from disaster at Geronium, but he would not always be there to protect his impetuous colleagues from rushing into trouble. Following Fabius's relinquishment of the dictatorship, one of the newly-elected consuls, Gaius Terentius Varro, accused Fabius and the patricians of intentionally prolonging the war. Instead of continuing to follow Fabius’s delaying tactics, Varro urged the Romans to immediately engage Hannibal to obtain decisive victory. Despite the protests of his fellow consul, Lucius Aemilius Paullus, Varro's counsel won out. The Senate raised four new legions in addition to the four which typically served. Fielding the greatest army she had ever raised - 87,000 men total - Rome challenged Hannibal for the third time at the small Apulian town of Cannae.
Link to the Episode 41 page on the Layman's Historian website which includes pictures and diagrams of the Battle of Cannae
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
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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 40 - The Delayer: Part II
Episode 39 - The Delayer: Part I
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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