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 32 - All the Nations of the Earth: The Carthaginian Army under Hannibal
Episode 31 - Men of Iron: The Polybian Roman Legion
Episode 30 - How We Know What We Know (About the Punic Wars)
Episode 29 - The Barcid Revolution
Episode 28 - The Truceless War: Part II
Episode 27 - The Truceless War: Part I
Episode 26 - Hamilcar Barca and the End of Carthaginian Sicily
Episode 25 - Gridlock
Episode 24 - Spartans and Elephants
Episode 23 - Clash of the Titans
Episode 22 - Rome takes to the Sea
Episode 21 - At Acragas
Episode 20 - So It Begins
Episode 19 - Pyrrhus of Epirus: Part II
Episode 18 - Pyrrhus of Epirus: Part I
Episode 17 - The Senate and the People of Rome
Episode 16 - The Diadochi: Heirs of Alexander
Episode 15 - The Keltoi: The Terror of Civilization
Episode 14 - North Africa and Spain
Episode 13 - Carthage: Her City, Her People, and Her Soul
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