Early years
Hannibal Barca was born in Carthage, North Africa, (now
a suburb of Tunis, Tunisia) in 247 BC. At that time this once prosperous seaport was losing a long and exhausting
war with the Romans over who should rule the western Mediterranean. His father, Hamilcar, was a general in the army, and it is said that he made his son promise to hate the Romans forever.
The 23-year-long war was nally lost in 241 BC. Hannibal and his family moved to Spain, where the Carthaginians were trying to build a new empire. Hannibal grew up to be a bold and fearless ghter like his father, and eventually became commander of the army. In 218 BC the Romans again threatened to attack. In a daring and dangerous
plan Hannibal decided to march from Spain to Italy before the Romans had even declared war. This march was to be a journey of 2,415 kilometres across both the Pyrenees and the Alps.