logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2025
55m 21s

Hannibal of Carthage: fearsome enemy of ...

Bbc Radio 4
About this episode
<p>Greg Jenner is joined in ancient North Africa by classicist Professor Josephine Quinn and comedian Darren Harriott to learn about Hannibal of Carthage and his war with Rome. Located in modern-day Tunisia, Carthage was once a Mediterranean superpower that rivalled Rome. In 218 BCE, the Second Punic War began between the two powers, with the Carthaginian ar ... Show More
Up next
Sep 11
History of Tea: Britain’s stolen brew
Greg Jenner is joined by Professor Yangwen Zheng and comedian Hugh Dennis to learn about the global history of tea, and how it became Britain’s national drink. Despite its popularity in the UK, much of our tea is grown in India and Kenya, while the tea plant itself is native to C ... Show More
54m 42s
Sep 4
Emperor Constantine the Great: Christianity and the Roman Empire
Greg Jenner is joined in ancient Rome by Professor Lucy Grig and comedian Ivo Graham to learn all about Emperor Constantine the Great and the Christianisation of the Roman empire. Born not in Rome but in the Balkans, Constantine’s life was shaped by the turbulent politics of the ... Show More
59 m
Aug 28
History of Underwear: from shirts and stays to bras and briefs
Greg Jenner is joined in western Europe by historian Dr Serena Dyer and comedian and actor Vic Michaelis to learn all about the hidden history of underwear. For as long as people have been wearing clothes, they have been wearing garments under them – Romans at Hadrian’s Wall were ... Show More
1 h
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2012
Hannibal
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the life and achievements of Hannibal. One of the most celebrated military leaders in history, Hannibal was the Carthaginian general who led an entire army, complete with elephants, across the Alps in order to attack the Roman Republic. He live ... Show More
42m 1s
May 2025
568. Hannibal: Rome's Greatest Enemy (Part 1)
Who was Hannibal, the flawed but brilliant Carthaginian general? What makes Rome vs Carthage in the third century BC one of the most totemic ancient rivalries of all time? How did Hamilcar, father of Hannibal, restore the fortunes of Carthage following their devastating defeat to ... Show More
55m 36s
Dec 2023
Rise of Hannibal
<p>He was one of the greatest enemies the Romans ever faced. An excellent general and a larger-than-life figure, he led an army across the alps and dealt a series of crushing defeats upon the Romans on Italian soil. His achievements have become a thing of legend and his name has ... Show More
1h 5m
Aug 2021
The Rise of Hannibal
<p>He was one of the greatest enemies the Romans ever faced. An excellent general and a larger-than-life figure, he led an army across the alps and dealt a series of crushing defeats upon the Romans on Italian soil. His achievements have become a thing of legend and his name has ... Show More
1h 5m
May 2025
569. Hannibal: Elephants Cross the Alps (Part 2)
Why did Hannibal choose to cross the Alps with his elephants in 218 BC, when invading Rome? Was it a brilliant stratagem or a military disaster? What was the secret to the Roman Republic’s growing military success at this time? And, why did Carthage, under Hannibal’s formidable g ... Show More
58m 28s
Feb 2024
Origins of Carthage
<p>Famed as one of Rome’s fiercest enemies, the city of Carthage was one of the jewels of the ancient Mediterranean world. Situated on the coast of North Africa on the tip of what is now Tunisia, it first rose to prominence as a Phoenician colony. But how did this once fledgling ... Show More
54m 33s
Jul 2025
Hannibal's March on Rome
<p>It was perhaps Hannibal’s greatest gamble — after years of victories, not least his famed trek across the snow-capped Alps, could he strike at Rome itself?</p><br><p>In this episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr. Louis Rawlings to explore the dramatic years a ... Show More
55m 55s
Feb 2024
424. Carthage vs. Rome: Total War (Part 4)
In the third century BC, a clash which had been brewing for centuries finally erupted: Rome, the ruthless imperialist upstart dominating Italy, against Carthage, the ancient but sinister apex predator of the Mediterranean. The conflict sparked in Messina in 263 BC, and went on fo ... Show More
53m 30s
Jul 2022
Hannibal vs Rome: Terror at Trasimene
<p>Towards the beginning of the Second Punic War on 21 June 217 BC, a Carthaginian force under Hannibal launched a vicious ambush on a Roman army commanded by Gaius Flaminius.</p><br><p>The resulting battle, at Lake Trasimene in Italy, saw a complete capitulation of the Roman for ... Show More
39m 10s
Sep 2024
The Fall of Carthage
<p>It’s 146 BC. Fire rises high over the North African coast. The once-thriving port city of Carthage is burning. Thousands of Roman soldiers have breached the defences and swarmed into the city, intent on wiping this city from the face of the earth. This is the fall of Carthage. ... Show More
1 h