The Second Punic War (referred to as "The War Against Hannibal" by the Romans), the second of three major wars between Carthage and the Roman Republic, lasts from 218 to 201 BCE and involved combatants in the western and eastern Mediterranean.

The war is marked by Hannibal's surprising overland journey and his costly crossing of the Alps, followed by his reinforcement by Gaulish allies and crushing victories over Roman armies in the battle of the Trebia and the giant ambush at Trasimene.

Against his skill on the battlefield the Romans deploy the Fabian strategy.

But because of the increasing unpopularity of this approach, the Romans nevertheless resort to a further major field battle.

The result is the Roman defeat at Cannae.

In consequence many Roman allies go over to Carthage, prolonging the war in Italy for over a decade, during which more Roman armies are destroyed on the battlefield.

Despite these setbacks, the Roman forces are more capable in siegecraft than the Carthaginians and recapture all the major cities that have joined the enemy, as well as defeating a Carthaginian attempt to reinforce Hannibal at the battle of the Metaurus.

In the meantime in Iberia, which serves as the main source of manpower for the Carthaginian army, a second Roman expedition under Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus Major takes New Carthage by assault and ends Carthaginian rule over Iberia in the battle of Ilipa.

The final showdown is the battle of Zama in Africa between Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus Major and Hannibal, resulting in the latter's defeat and the imposition of harsh peace conditions on Carthage, which ceases to be a major power and became a Roman client-state.A sideshow of this war is the indecisive first Macedonian War in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Ionian Sea.All battles mentioned in this introduction are ranked among the most costly traditional battles of human history; in addition there are a few successful ambushes of armies that also endin their annihilation.