In the darkest hour of the Roman Republic, an army was led against all odds to reign supreme over the Italian peninsula. Driven by pure military genius, the Carthaginian army devastated everything the might of Rome could muster. For years, Italy was the stage for the largest military orchestra the world had ever seen, conducted by a master of strategy and war. Hannibal, son of Hamilcar Barca, laid siege to the very idea of ​​Rome's military prowess. Despite absolute domination of the Italian peninsula for several years, his success cannot be attributed to his brilliance and mastery of strategy. Hannibal's success can be attributed primarily to Rome's inability to react at key moments in its advance into Italy. But before delving into the many mistakes Rome made regarding the defense of Italy, it is necessary to determine Hannibal's motivations and clarify how he arrived at the position where he could pursue them. With the signing of the Treaty of Lutatius in (241 BC, find the correct date) (cite), the First Punic War ended. Yet the resumption of war between Carthage and Rome was inevitable. (cite) Much of Carthage wanted peace on its terms, not a peace dependent on the good will of the Romans. (<--MAKE THIS QUOTE, THIS IS PLAGIARISM) Such were the ambitions of Hamilcar Barca, an illustrious man from the command of the Carthaginian forces in the First Punic War and the wars of Libya (quote). Under this pretext he was placed in charge of the army of Carthage, which consisted of little more than Libyan-Phoenician cavalry. (*****This part needs to be shortened and cleaned up, until the next stellar set ***** )Knowing that Carthage didn't have the resources to finance him, Hamilcar knew he would have to pay his men... in half paper ......he would never have been in a position to pull off such a fantastic maneuver and brilliant strategy if the Romans had committed an army even half this size to prevent Hannibal from arriving on the Italian plains. In any case, none of Hannibal's great successes would have even been possible if the Romans had stopped his advance into Italy. The mismanagement of their army and the lack of regard for the threat posed by Hannibal cost them dearly. While Hannibal's military genius allowed for incredible tactical maneuvers and incredible victories, the Romans could easily have challenged him in situations heavily in their favor. The mistake of not countering Hannibal, especially his arrival on the Italian plains, is the main reason for his success in the Second Punic War (fix this, but I'll leave it for now, I have to go back and make an introduction ;)).