Following Hannibal's crushing victory at the battle of the Trebbia, the reeling Roman Republic sent a new army under the over-confident consul Gaius Flaminius to destroy the Carthaginian invaders--unbeknownst to him they were ready and waiting. The destruction of the Roman force at Lake Trasimene firmly established Hannibal as one of the Ancient World's greatest commanders thanks to his use of innovative tactics, including the first recorded use of a turning movement. The Romans would not send another major army to confront him until the battle of Cannae in 216 BC.

This new study, based on recent archaeological work on the battlefield itself, tells the full story of one of Hannibal's greatest victories with the help of maps, full-color illustrations, and detailed sections on the makeup of the armies and their commanders.

Dr. Nic Fields was a biochemist before joining the Royal Marines. He later completed a B.A. and Ph.D. in ancient history at the University of Newcastle. He was Assistant Director at the British School at Athens and a lecturer at the University of Edinburgh. He is an author and researcher based in France.

Donato Spedaliere was born in Switzerland and moved to Tuscany at age ten. He served as an Army paratrooper and now works as a freelance illustrator for publishers in Italy and abroad.