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# Battle of Cannae
# Battle of Cannae
## Overview
The Battle of Cannae (216 BCE) was Hannibal Barca's masterpiece — a devastating double envelopment of a much larger Roman army during the Second Punic War. It remains one of the most studied tactical victories in military history.
## Key Facts
- Date: 2 August 216 BCE
- Location: Cannae, Apulia (southeastern Italy)
- Belligerents: Carthage vs. Roman Republic
- Commanders: Hannibal Barca (Carthage), Lucius Aemilius Paullus and Gaius Terentius Varro (Rome)
- Result: Decisive Carthaginian victory [^1]
## The Battle
- Romans: ~86,000; Carthaginians: ~50,000
- Hannibal placed his weakest troops in a convex center, with veteran infantry and cavalry on the flanks
- Roman advance pushed the center back into a concave shape, drawing them in
- Carthaginian flanks and cavalry closed the trap in a complete double envelopment
- Roman losses: ~50,000–70,000 killed — the worst single-day defeat in Roman history [^2]
## Legacy
- Hannibal's double envelopment became the gold standard of tactical warfare
- Despite the victory, Hannibal could not take Rome itself
- Rome eventually adopted Fabian attrition strategy and won the war
---
[^1]: Polybius, *Histories* 3.107–117
[^2]: Goldsworthy, A. *Cannae: Hannibal's Greatest Victory* (2001)
---
## Review Queue
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- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 12: "Belligerents: Carthage vs. Roman Republic" - when was this true?
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- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 13: "Commanders: Hannibal Barca (Carthage), Lucius Aemilius Paullus and Gaius Tere..." - when was this true?
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- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 14: "Result: Decisive Carthaginian victory [^1]" - when was this true?
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- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 17: "Romans: ~86,000; Carthaginians: ~50,000" - when was this true?
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- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 18: "Hannibal placed his weakest troops in a convex center, with veteran infantry ..." - when was this true?
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- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 19: "Roman advance pushed the center back into a concave shape, drawing them in" - when was this true?
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- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 20: "Carthaginian flanks and cavalry closed the trap in a complete double envelopment" - when was this true?
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- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 21: "Roman losses: ~50,000–70,000 killed — the worst single-day defeat in Roma..." - when was this true?
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- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 24: "Hannibal's double envelopment became the gold standard of tactical warfare" - when was this true?
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- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 25: "Despite the victory, Hannibal could not take Rome itself" - when was this true?
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- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 11: "Location: Cannae, Apulia (southeastern Italy)" - what is the source?
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- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 12: "Belligerents: Carthage vs. Roman Republic" - what is the source?
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- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 13: "Commanders: Hannibal Barca (Carthage), Lucius Aemilius Paullus and Gaius Tere..." - what is the source?
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- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 17: "Romans: ~86,000; Carthaginians: ~50,000" - what is the source?
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- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 18: "Hannibal placed his weakest troops in a convex center, with veteran infantry ..." - what is the source?
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- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 19: "Roman advance pushed the center back into a concave shape, drawing them in" - what is the source?
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- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 20: "Carthaginian flanks and cavalry closed the trap in a complete double envelopment" - what is the source?
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- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 24: "Hannibal's double envelopment became the gold standard of tactical warfare" - what is the source?
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- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 25: "Despite the victory, Hannibal could not take Rome itself" - what is the source?
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- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 26: "Rome eventually adopted Fabian attrition strategy and won the war" - what is the source?
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- [ ] `@q[stale]` Line 21: "Roman losses: ~50,000–70,000 killed — the worst single-day defeat in Roma..." - Goldsworthy source from 2001 may be outdated, is this still accurate?
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