Here, John Peddie provides a challenging re-evaluation of the Carthaginian's generalship of Hannibal, and asks how was it that a man so often described by historians as a military genius and a brilliant tactician could have plunged so deeply into a situation in which he was, almost inevitably, to fail?

John Peddie questions the role of the war-elephant, Hannibal's choice of route over the Alps, re-examines the purpose of the campaign and suggests the purpose of the campaign was not so much the destruction of Rome but the re-conquest of Sicily. Exploring the Carthaginian's generalship he concludes that Hannibal's War was lost at sea, not on land.

Foreword by: Richard Holmes