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At Cannae, the Roman infantry assumed a formation similar to the Greek phalanx. This left them vulnerable to Hannibal's tactic of double envelopment since their inability to maneuver independently from the mass of the army made it impossible for them to counter the strategic encirclement used by the Carthaginian cavalry.
Numidian knight. The Carthaginians initially relied heavily on Numidian cavalry, [10] [cleanup needed] particularly during the early stages of the war. Their skilled horsemanship and familiarity with the North African terrain proved valuable in scouting, harassing Roman supply lines, and engaging in skirmishes.
Kanembu warriors. African military systems before 1800 refers to the evolution of military systems on the African continent prior to 1800, with emphasis on the role of indigenous states and peoples, whose leaders and fighting forces were born on the continent, with their main military bases, fortifications, and supply sources based on or deriving from the continent, and whose operations were ...
Hannibal invaded Italy by crossing the Alps with North African war elephants. In his first few years in Italy, as the leader of a Carthaginian and partially Celtic army, he won a succession of victories at the Battle of Ticinus, Trebia, Lake Trasimene, and Cannae, inflicting heavy losses on the Romans. Hannibal was distinguished for his ability ...
Meanwhile, the Carthaginians mirrored the Roman formation, positioning elite African infantry in the center (intended to confront the Roman legionaries), with Iberians and cavalry on the flanks (who would face their Roman counterparts), and light infantry in the center front, positioned before the Africans, with elephants at the forefront of ...
The earliest mention of a pincer attack is in a related formation of Padmavyuha or Chakravyuha in the Indian Epic Mahabharata.. Sun Tzu, in The Art of War (traditionally dated to the 6th century BC), speculated on the maneuver but advised against trying it for fear that an army would likely run first before the move could be completed.
Meanwhile, the Roman infantry in the centre routed the 8,000 Gauls facing them, as well as a unit of African heavy infantry, and broke clean through the centre of the Carthaginian army. By the time they halted their pursuit and reorganised it was clear the rest of their army behind them had dissolved and that the battle was lost.
Roman heavy infantry from the 2nd century BC depicted on the Ahenobarbus relief. An example of a pitched battle that occurred during the Classical period was the battle of Cannae fought between the Roman Republic under the consuls Lucius Aemllius Paullus and Gaius Terentius Varro and the Carthaginians under Hannibal. The pitched battle occurred ...