Book Description
On 2 August 216BC, Hannibal won his greatest victory in the plain north of the small, hilltop town of Cannae in southern Italy. By the end of the day his outnumbered mercenaries had enveloped and massacred the greater part of the largest army Rome had ever fielded, turning this into one of the bloodiest battles ever fought, rivalling even the industrialised slaughter of the twentieth century AD. For the Romans Cannae became the yardstick by which other defeats were measured, never surpassed and only once or twice equalled in the next six centuries. Cannae remains one of the most famous battles ever fought, frequently alluded to in modern military writing, and Hannibal's tactics are still taught in the military academies where today's officers are trained. This volume is a brand new look at the battle, and explains clearly and concisely exactly how it was that Hannibal achieved his historic victory.
Customer Reviews:
Good study of a legendary battle.......2005-04-29
As Adrian Goldsworthy states in the introduction to this book, reconstructing the battles of the ancient world is far more challenging than those of more recent times. The sources left to us of events are few and contradictory, often written to glorify particular individuals or illustrate key traits rather than to give precise details.
Faced with such obstacles, Goldsworthy has done an impressive job of reconstructing the battle of Cannae for the reader. Using the works of ancient authors and archaeological findings, he illuminates the details of a legendary clash of the ancient world, making educated inferences where the evidence fails him. More than just an account of the maneuvers of the day of the battle, Goldsworthy provides the background to the Second Punic War, descriptions of the two armies, and an explanation for why Hannibal's great victory on the battlefield did not lead to Carthage's triumph in their war against Rome. Well illustrated and generously supported with clear maps that are easy to understand, this is a good introduction for readers seeking to learn about this legendary battle.
Excellent Chronicle of Famous Battle.......2003-03-03
Cannae by Adrian Goldsworthy is an excellent chronicle of one of histories most famous battles. In 216 B.C. a Carthaginian Army led by Hannibal annihilated a Roman Army of more than twice its size. The tactics that Hannibal utilized, what has been called a double envelopment, have been studied for the past centuries and were the basis for the German plan for the invasion of France in 1914 as well as Schwarzkopf's Desert Storm.
Goldsworthy, who has also written a superior history of the Punic Wars, does a remarkable job of taking a battle that occurred over two thousand years ago and making it come alive. He goes to great lengths to not only explain the thinking of the major players, but remarkedly brings to the pages the experience of the common soldier. This is especially true as it relates to the sheer physical endurance that was required to slaughter the tens of thousands of Roman soldiers that were killed by Hannibal's Army. This is not to say that Goldsworthy ignores the major players. His discussion of the tactics of Hannibal and the lengths that Hannibal went to in order to make the victory more certain are a lesson for any leader.
Where the book excels is in its discussion of the Roman Armies and explaining why they were so unsuccessful. The traditional thought is that the the Roman Army was simply out generaled by one of histories greatest military leaders. However, as Goldsworthy points out, the Roman Army that met Hannibal was one that had been depleted of its veteran soldiers by successive defeats by Hannibal and was made up mostly of new recruits. Even so, Hannibal's victory was not a forgone conclusion and had not Hannibal's center held out as long as it did Hannibal's defeat would have followed. It was only the firmness of the center that allowed the wings to turn and arrack the Roman flanks and the cavalry to attack the Roman rear. With Hannibal in command of the center, the Carthaginian victory had as much to do with the excellent subordinate commanders that were part of Hannibal's Army.
Cannae is similar to the Ospery Campaign Series, in organization, with an explanation of the leaders, the armies and the actual campaign. However, it is more expensive and includes more in its pages. The maps are one of the strongest parts of the book and make it easy to understand the ebb and flow of the battle.
All in all, the book is a more than worth while read. However, if one wants to know more, I would suggest Goldsworthy "The Punic Wars."
A Detailed Look at a Classic Battle.......2002-11-15
Despite having been fought over 22 centuries ago, Cannae is still widely regarded as the most classic example of a battle of annihilation in military history. Several ancient historians - principally Polybius and Livy - addressed the battle in their time and several modern historians have attempted to tackle this subject, which is obscured by lack of documentation. Adrian Goldsworthy, an English scholar of ancient warfare, uses the methodology employed by John Keegan in the Face of Battle to attempt to unravel the details of the great Roman defeat at Cannae. Readers may not always agree with the author's interpretations, but he does succeed in bringing the battle to life and this volume is further proof of the high quality of Cassel's new Field of Battle series.
Cannae consists of five sections that cover the background to the Second Punic War, the opposing armies, the campaign of 216 BC, the Battle of Cannae and its aftermath. Certainly the best thing about Goldsworthy's Cannae is it's very high graphic quality. The fifteen full-color battle maps included in the volume are excellent and fully support the campaign narrative. Goldsworthy also includes two appendices with data on opposing strengths and casualties in the battle, a glossary and footnotes (but no bibliography).
The Roman Army that marched to disaster at Cannae was the largest ever deployed on a single battlefield by Rome. However, Goldsworthy notes the inherent weaknesses in this huge army, beginning with a divided command structure and inadequately trained legions. As Goldsworthy notes, the legionaries that were hastily mobilized in the summer of 216 BC lacked the training and discipline of later Roman armies, and their commanders lacked experience. Thus, Hannibal's professional army had a distinct qualitative edge over the larger Roman army. At Cannae, Hannibal's troops were capable of tactical flexibility and agility, but the Romans could only employ unimaginative brute-force linear tactics. On the other hand, Goldsworthy notes that the Roman Republic had enormous manpower reserves for an ancient state - about 700,000 males - and could better sustain combat losses. Another interesting feature that Goldsworthy highlights is the participation of the Roman elite in the campaign; between 25 and 30% of Rome's senators were killed or captured in the battle.
Goldsworthy's account is most interesting because he tries to analyze the campaign and battle in much greater detail that heretofore attempted. He rejects the popular notion that the Roman decision to seek battle at Cannae was foolhardy, since there is no evidence that the alternative "Fabian strategy" was capable of achieving victory. The Roman leadership knew that the only needed to win a single major victory over Hannibal to end the Carthaginian invasion and then went about amassing the means to achieve their ends. The Roman commanders were wary of Hannibal's tactical skill and they approached his army cautiously in the days before the battle, but once they decided to attack, they attempted to use constrictive terrain to minimize the Carthaginian advantage in cavalry. The Roman battle plan was simple but effective, and had a reasonable chance for success. However, the Roman cavalry collapsed far more quickly than expected and the Roman plan began to disintegrate. Although the Romans succeeded in breaking the Carthaginian center, the Roman infantry lacked the agility to deal with threats from their exposed flanks. Once surrounded, the Roman army was slowly hacked to death, making 2 August 216 BC one of the bloodiest days in military history.
One of the more interesting parts of the book is the aftermath section, where Goldsworthy addresses Hannibal's failure to exploit his victory and march on Rome. Goldsworthy notes Hannibal's "cultural assumption" that Cannae was a significant enough victory to bring Rome to terms, and therefore it was unnecessary to march upon the capital to deliver a coup de grace. This set of circumstances might remind readers of the situation facing General Schwarzkopf in 1991, when he decided not to march on the Iraqi capital after achieving a similarly one-sided battlefield triumph. Obviously, some things about warfare don't change over the centuries.
My only problem with Goldsworthy's methodology is the use of modern-day combat research to advance some of his pet theories. In particular, the use of Marshall's now-discredited statistics on combat participation to explain legionary tactics at Cannae is ludicrous; nowhere does the author mention that Marshall's analysis of American rifle squads in the Korean War was in no way comparable to Roman tactics 2,000 years before. For example, Marshall's famous statistic that only 17% of US infantrymen fired their weapon in combat is irrelevant to the Roman legionary who was in full sight of his enemy. A Roman legionary who would not fight could not run, hide or remain passive under such circumstances. Goldsworthy also fails to take into account the fact that the Roman soldiers had a great motivation to fight - after witnessing two years of enemy depredations in their native land - they were fighting on their own soil to drive out an invader. At Cannae, the Romans did not fail for lack of means or willpower, they failed due to lack of adequate training and experience. Yet defeat provided a catalyst for a Roman military revival and in the end, Hannibal's tactical masterpiece was for naught.
Book Description
On a hot, dusty summer's day in 216 BC, the forces of the Carthaginian general Hannibal faced the Roman army in a dramatic encounter at Cannae. Hannibal slaughtered the much larger Roman army. It was the high point of his military career. Massively outnumbered, they nevertheless won an astonishing victory-one that left more than 50,000 Romans dead. Gregory Daly's enthralling narrative recreates the infamous battle and provides a compelling portrait of the horror and chaos of ancient warfare. From the composition of the armies to the strategy and methods of the generals, Daly draws the reader in and makes the battle come alive.
Clear, vivid, and drawing on a wide range of ancient sources and modern scholarship, Cannae offers the fullest account yet of the most destructive battle in ancient history.
Customer Reviews:
$110?.......2007-07-02
Can someone please explain why the hardcover edition of this book is listed at $110? I'm baffled.
I am interested in reading the book, but there is no way that I will throw down that much money for a book that was just published 5 years ago!
Can anyone explain the exceedingly high price?
A Fascinating Read!!.......2005-10-15
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and could not put it down. Although the available references for this battle are rather limited (primarily Polybius and Livy) Daly does a masterful job of combing the ancient sources for evidence of what the experience of combat must have been like for the Carthaginians and Romans on that hot day. He uses much of what Victor Hanson has written regarding ancient warfare, John Keegan's analytical framework and considerable thought and insight to weave a "face of battle" picture of the event. The work has great information on the composition and tactics of the armies and a wonderful description of the manipular legion at work. A must read if you are even remotely interested in ancient warfare.
Excellent study of an ancient battle.......2004-01-12
Battle of Cannae was one of the most complete victories ever won over the famed Roman legions by any of her many opponents. Fought during the Second Punic War, Hannibal who won this great tactical victory will be forever be remembered by it. This battle set the standard of what we would regard as a total tactical victory on the battlefield. Gregory Daly's book goes into considerable details on how this event took places, forces and commanders involved and lay-out of the battle, location, formations and conditions. Daly's put considerable effort into his research and what we have here is a very definitive book on the battle of Cannae. Its also helped that I thought Gregory Daly wrote pretty well, nicely paced and clearly written. Anyone with a slightest interest in this time period should buy this book.
Cannae: The Experience of Battle in the Second Punic War.......2003-09-28
A facinating educational read! Thorough details of battle - indepth descriptions of conditions and strategies. Need I say more.
BW CA 90210
Book Description
The battle of Cannae is rightly regarded as one of the greatest battles of military history. Apart from it being the greatest defeat ever suffered by Roman arms, Hannibal's stratagem has become a model of the perfectly fought battle and is studied in detail at military academies around the world. Following his invasion of Italy during the Second Punic War Hannibal inflicted two bloody defeats on Rome at the River Trebbia and at the battle of Lake Trasimene, in the case of the latter destroying the consular army of Caius Flaminius. After this disaster the Romans determined to ensure both Consuls were present at any future battle. At Cannae the Romans confronted Hannibal with an army of 80,000 infantry and 6,000 cavalry under both consuls who because of a quirk of Roman politics commanded on alternate days. Hannibal faced them with 40,000 foot and 10,000 horse-drawn up on a clear plain where there could be no threat of hidden troops (such as at Trasimene) effectively using his whole army as bait. The battle which followed is a masterpiece of battlefield control. Hannibal allowed his centre to give ground, drawing in the more numerous Roman infantry while his cavalry drove off that of the enemy. Having defeated their counterparts the Carthaginian cavalry returned and charged into the rear of the struggling Roman Legions. By the end of the battle the Romans lost 47,500 infantry and 2,700 cavalry killed and a further 19,300 captured. Mark Healy recounts this battle in detail as well as explaining Hannibal's campaign before it, with particular attention to his invasion of Italy.
Customer Reviews:
Overall Good but flawed.......2005-08-12
Quite a good introduction for the 2nd punic war period. Nicely illustrated using plates from other man-at arms books. The maps are interesting and a nice addition. Healy's numbering of the Legions is a great feature and he seems to do a good job of keeping a track of the many bodies of troops raised for assorted campaigns. Another pleasant bonus are the pictures of the battle fields today, illustrating probable campsites and lines of advance. My only major complaint concerns his revisionist views on Varro. He spends too many pages in my view excusing his dismal performance on the day of the battle. He discounts both Livy and Polybius and suggests that other Consul was in command on the day. Any general worth his salt should have learned something from the previous defeats. Varro's deep deployment is clearly to blame for this day of Roman disaster. Healy makes out that no one could have beaten Hannibal on the day. A longer battle line would have saved the Romans and they had plenty of troops to do that. Hannibal tactics were excellent and have been a source of inspiration to many other generals over the centuries. That aside it is a good read and general introduction to the period 3/5 ***'s
EXCELLENT WRITING, GREAT MAPS.......2002-03-18
Cannae 216 Bc : Hannibal Smashes Rome's Army (Campaign Series, No 36) by Mark Healy is positive proof that good things do come in small packages. While the book is short (96 pages) it is jammed pack with useful and information and maps. If one is looking for a well written account of the Second Punic War up to the battle of Cannae there are few books which are better.
I purchased the book after reading a number of accounts of the battle of Cannae contained in more extensive studies of Hannibal. However, in each case I was disappointed with the discussion of Cannae. Healy's book was not a disappointment. Especially appealing were the maps which accompanied the prose. What little that was missing in the verbal description was more than made up for in the maps.
After finishing the book, I felt that I understood the tactics and strategy that were both planned for and carried out. This is an excellent book and I would highly recommend it.
One of the Great Battles of Ancient History!.......2000-03-25
Another great book in the Osprey Campaign series. Like all Campaign books it gives important background information on the cause of the war, the opposing leaders and the armies that fought the battle. In addition there is a detailed description of Hannibal's invasion of Italy, the preceding battles of Ticinus, Trebbia and Lake Trasimene, and the climatic clash at Cannae. It also gives an interesting account of the "Fabian" strategy of the Romans that would bring them eventual victory in the war. If you are interested in the battles of the ancient world or Roman history this is a must for your library.
Book Description
On August 2, 216 BC, in the Italian town of Cannae, Hannibal won his greatest victory against the Romans—and for centuries after, it became a perfectly executed model that generals everywhere drew on. Using primary sources and brilliant images, Goldsworthy tells the story of this epic confrontation and its devastating tactics. “An excellent addition to scholarship on the Second Punic War... Lavishly illustrated, engagingly written [it] will appeal to readers at all levels.”—Choice.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent summary of Hanibal's greatest feat.......2007-08-30
Cannae by Adrian Goldsworthy proves to be an excellent book on the one of the greatest tactical victories achieved in military history and one of the greatest defeats ever inflicted on a Roman army of any age. The book proves to be well written, well researched and well presented. The author covers the Second Punic War up to Cannae very well and his narrative proves to be easy to read and understand.
When the author get to the campaign and battle of Cannae, the reader will be led step by step on how the campaign unfolded and once battle was given, how it came to be. All of it proves to be well concieved and thought out. The author appears to blamed the defeat much on lack of Roman experiences and training as well as Hannibal's tactical expertise. He was able to my satisfaction, pin point the exact location of the battle and determined that Roman's acceptance of the battle wasn't neither foolish or doomed. Romans had a chance to win, this was no foregone conclusion.
Best thing about the book is the ease of reading, many clear and colorful maps that make the battle easy to understand and the author's clear understanding of the events, forces and people involved that make it easy for him to convey the necessary information to his readers. Author also point out the influence this battle had since it was fought and how many generals since Cannae, tried to emulate Hannibal's success on their own level. (Although the author didn't point this out, I thought Battle of Cowpen fought during the American Revolution is a perfect example of Cannae done to perfection.)
This book appears to be a new edition of the earlier book by the same title. I haven't read the earlier book but after reading couple of Amazon reviews on it, I believed that one of the major changes the author made in this edition was that he totally abandoned SLA Marshall's approach on unit participation theory - theory as written in one review, have been discredited by most modern historians of all ranks. No where in this book is this theory been referred or even mentioned.
Adrian Goldsworthy is one of the premier authorities on the Roman military history at this persent time and this book would be a value addition to anyone whose interest lies in that direction.
Average customer rating:
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The Battle of Cannae: Hannibal's Greatest Victory (Trade Editions)
Mark Healy
Manufacturer: Osprey Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1841761087
Release Date: 2000-08-25 |
Book Description
Regarded as one of the greatest battles in history, the Battle of Cannae was the most catastrophic defeat ever suffered by the Roman Army. The battle is a masterpiece of battlefield control and Hannibal's stratagem has become a model of the perfectly fought battle, studied in detail at military academies all over the world. This fascinating account reconstructs the battle in detail as well as studying Hannibal's Italian campaign in general, with particular attention to the battles of the Trebbia and Lake Trasimene.
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Ye Cannae Win (Wild Woman)
Janet Paisley
Manufacturer: Chapman Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0906772966 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Canadian Journal of History, published by University of Saskatchewan on December 1, 2004. The length of the article is 827 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Cannae: the Experience of Battle in the Second Punic War.(Book Review)
Author: Kevin K. Carroll
Publication:
Canadian Journal of History (Refereed)
Date: December 1, 2004
Publisher: University of Saskatchewan
Volume: 39
Issue: 3
Page: 557(2)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
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The Court Journey to the Shogun of Japan: From a private account by Jan Cock Blomhoff
Matthi Forrer ,
Fifi Effert ,
F.R. Effert , and
M. Forrer
Manufacturer: KIT Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 9074822185 |
Book Description
The Dutch Director or "Opperhoofd" of Deshima was required to make an annual journey to the shogun’s court in Edo (present-day Tokyo). Opperhoofd Jan Cock Blomhoff (1779-1853) made his first journey to Edo in 1818. In addition to the official diary he kept during this journey, Blomhoff also maintained correspondence with his wife Titia in Holland. This hitherto unpublished material is a major source of knowledge on Tokugawa Japan. It offers details about Blomhoff's travels and contains numerous references to the objects he acquired. Many of these pieces are reproduced in the book, along with other documents, such as maps. (See also the publication "Titia - The First Western Woman in Japan")
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