Hannibal Crosses the Alps: The Invasion of Italy and the Second Punic War | 
|  | | | Title: | Hannibal Crosses the Alps: The Invasion of Italy and the Second Punic War | | Author: | John Prevas | | Publisher: | Da Capo Press | | Type: | Book / Paperback | | Publication Date: | September, 2001 | | ISBN / ISBN-13: | 0306810700 / 9780306810701 | | List Price: | $18.00 | | You Save: | $5.76 | | Amazon Price: | $12.24 | |
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Product Description
First time in paperback: A lively reconstruction of one of the most daring maneuvers in military history. When he left his Spanish base one spring day in 218 B.C. with his 100,000-man army of mercenaries, officers, and elephants, Hannibal was launching not just the main offensive of the Second Punic War but also one of the great military journeys in ancient history. His masterful advance through rough terrain and fierce Celtic tribes proved his worth as a leader, but it was his extraordinary passage through the Alps-still considered treacherous even by modern climbers-that made him a legend. John Prevas combines rigorous research of ancient sources with his own excursions through the icy peaks to bring to life this awesome trek, solving the centuries-old question of Hannibal's exact route and shedding fresh light on the cultures of Rome and Carthage along the way. Here is the finest kind of history, sure to appeal to readers of Steven Pressfield's Gates of Fire: alive with grand strategy, the clash of empires, fabulous courage, and the towering figure of Hannibal Barca.
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Customer Reviews:
• My Introduction To Hannibal 02 April, 2006
Although an avid reader, I seemed to have avoided this period in history in general and Hannibal in specific. I came to the subject with a very sparse knowledge of Hannibal and went away with an improved understanding, not only of Hannibal, but also of the political/cultural make up of this period in history. Of particular interest, and well expounded in the book, is how Rome and Carthage related and how ultimately Rome won out.
I saw Professor Prevas speaking on C-SPAN in early February 2006 about his book on Alexander the Great (Envy of the Gods) and found his lecture to be very intriguing. As a result I picked up this book as well as his others. I also highly recommend his book about Xenophon's march of the Greek 10,000. All three are easy reads and very interesting.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A1G14KXKGFKWVD
• Blowback 07 November, 2007
I came upon this book while reading Brad Thor's action thriller "Blowback" where it was prominently featured as a reference. I was so impressed by the story of Brad Thor's book that I ordered this one even before I finished reading "Blowback." It was worth it as it complemented the action thriller quite nicely. Though I agree with some of the critics regarding the seemingly annoying repetitions in this book, I also can see its advantages as a tool of learning and memorizing. After all, John Prevas is a professor, isn't he? I also wished Prof. Prevas used more and better maps to illustrate Hannibal's route than he did but for me the satellite images from Google Earth helped to fill that void even though those images, unfortunately, seemed to be stitched together from different shots just at the critical Col de la Traversette area. All in all, John Prevas has my kudos for his research and enjoyable book.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A37BGELXGAOD7I
• This Well-written Book By Prevas Is A Must For Hannibal Studies 03 February, 2008
John Prevas has revived the interest in the Traversette Pass as a potential Hannibal alpine route in this excellent book. Very readable and with a lively narrative, the ability of Prevas to tell the dramatic story of what led to Hannibal's intrepid crossing in 218 BCE and what followed in Italy is evident. Though not all will agree about the exact route, this book makes a good case for the importance of Hannibal's battles and the daunting circumstances Hannibal's army faced from terrain and enemies as well as bad weather and the length of the march. Having used it in teaching university classes, I know this well-written book by Prevas is a must for Hannibal studies.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A3TJPGVO6N809S
• An Exploration Of Hannibal's Route 25 June, 2006
In "Hannibal Crosses the Alps" John Prevas focuses on what the title suggests, which is the actual crossing of the Alps by Hannibal and his mercenary army. Three of the seven chapters deal with the crossing of the Alps, while the other chapters cover the prior history between Rome and Carthage, Hannibal's rise to power, the ancient sources from which we know this history, and the rest of Hannibal's campaign in Italy after his crossing. There is also an Epilogue in which he discusses what happened to Hannibal, and what happened between Rome and Carthage through the Third Punic War.
John Prevas traveled repeatedly through the Alps seeing for himself the terrain of the many possible routes that Hannibal may have taken in his search for the correct route. The route he pieces together he supports with as much evidence as he can, using the ancient sources as well as the visual information that he was able to gather on his trips. While his case is strong and very persuasive, he does temper his argument with the acknowledgement that as of yet there isn't any physical evidence in the form of remains as of yet to turn conjecture into fact.
While overall I enjoyed this book, there are definitely some weaknesses which could have easily been addressed but sadly were not. First of all, for a work which focuses so much on the routes traveled, there are surprisingly few maps to help the reader visualize things. You may want to arm yourself with an atlas of the ancient world, or even perhaps other books about Hannibal which do contain more maps to help compensate for this lack. In addition, while I do like his writing style, there are places where he repeats himself as well as contradict himself.
In an example of repetition and contradiction, he says more than once that none of the elephants perished on the march through the Alps, but he also says more than once that the finding of elephant remains would help determine the route. Clearly there cannot be remains if no elephants were lost. He also contradicts himself with regards to the climate where he first states that there is no significant difference in the snow levels in the Alps from Hannibal's time to ours (this is in support of his argument that the pass which Hannibal took must have been at a higher elevation than those usually selected by historians), and then later he talks about the receding ice and thawing out of areas which may help find supporting evidence.
I enjoyed reading this book; however, I don't think this would be the first book I would read on Hannibal or the Punic Wars. With some minor updates and rewrites this book could easily be four stars, but for now I can only give it three.
- Reviewed by customer ID: AWLFVCT9128JV
• Hannibal And The Alps 12 February, 2008
Quite frankly, this book is one of the best detailed overviews of the Second Punic War. Like any other good history book, you need to know the surrounding factors behind an event in history such as the Second Punic War and Hannibal's invasion of the Italian peninsula. Prevas does just that.
As the book opens, Prevas gives a brief over view of the events leading up to the Second Punic War, including basic histories and legendary origins of Rome and Carthage, the Hamilcar and the First Punic War, a detailed account of Hannibal's invasion of Rome, and also brings the book to a close by giving a brief overview of the Third Punic War and also the death of Hannibal.
The only place Prevas lacks is more maps and diagrams. Not that it has to do with crossing the Alps, but a rough diagram of the Battle of Cannae and other battles would have been an added bonus. Thats just my opinion. If you want more detailed books about the Punic Wars I suggest the "Punic Wars" by Adrian Goldsworthy.
Overall, Prevas does a remarkable job by getting the points across while sticking close to historical records and descriptions of the Second Punic War just over 200 pages. Great great read.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A33YHWXJYW5SJZ
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