Teachers’ Guide - ‘Hannibal and the Second Punic War, 218–201 BC’ - Topic Overview

Sep 2, 2026

Teachers’ Guide content outlines a depth study on Hannibal Barca and the Second Punic War (218–201 BC), emphasizing how leadership, military ingenuity, and eventual setbacks shaped his legacy. Students analyze causation, change and continuity, significance, and similarity and difference, including Roman reactions to Hannibal’s invasion. The guide links Livy’s interpretation to later debates and compares perspectives across prescribed ancient sources, highlighting how each author’s agenda affects conclusions. The planning framework targets 27–32 teaching hours.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPresentations

FormatDOCX

Pages18

Reading Time6 min

AccessFree to download

Planning guide

Topic focus and learning aims

Suggested structure and historical themes

Ancient sources and translations

Endorsed textbooks and resources

Teachers’ Guide – ‘Hannibal and the Second Punic War, 218–201 BC’ Overview of the topic Hannibal Barca is one of the ancient world’s most intriguing characters. His military genius and leadership qualities are still valued by modern strategists, especially the manoeuvres he adopted at Lake Trasimene and Cannae. Furthermore, the crossing of the Alps and the resilience he possessed in the face of adversity has inspired writers and artists for millennia. Despite these qualities he achieved very little tangible success and his life was beset by failure and loss. This dichotomy is at the heart of this depth study, and will consequently invite students to adopt passionate stances in any debate about this intriguing character. An additional layer has been added to this depth study which will invite learners to explore the Roman response to the Hannibal’s invasion, in particular, the idea presented by Livy that Hannibal’s victories were handed to him by the mistakes of self-serving consuls, which, in turn, led to the sacrifice of brave Roman soldiers. Echoes of this can be found in modern battles such as the Crimea and the Somme in the late 19th and early 20th centuries where the British army was described as ‘lions led by donkeys.’ Learners will explore whether Livy constructed this interpretation to embellish the heroic status of Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus, who completes the Roman conquest of Iberia and the submission of Hannibal at Zama, and Quintus Fabius Maximus who frustrates Hannibal’s ambitions after Trasimene and Cannae. The prescribed texts will encourage learners to explore these themes and to formulate their own conclusions. Plutarch’s Life of Fabius Maximus, Livy’s History of Rome and Polybius’ The Histories all have their own agenda’s which learners will have to unpick to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each account. This depth study is designed to take approximately 27–32 hours of teaching time to complete. This guide will provide an overview of how this content might be taught in that timeframe. The planning guide is structured around the narratives / content and contains possible points that might be considered or discussed in class. The planning guide does not contain activities. This is intentional to enable you to choose a series of activities that compliment your own teaching. Planning guide It is important to note that ‘Hannibal and the Second Punic War, 218–201 BC’ is a depth study. Learners will explore and analyse, in depth, the different reasons for Hannibal’s early successes and eventual failure. An evaluation of Hannibal’s leadership, his relationship with Carthage and Iberia and his reaction to Rome’s changing response will help students construct their personal perspective. Focus will be on a wide range of historical concepts including causation, change and continuity, significance, and similarity and difference. The basic format of this termly planning guide is to take the events in chronological order as the easiest approach for students to gain familiarity with the facts and sources. The themes in the specification can be accessed at various points in the scheme; there will be a need to focus on the themes for the students at various points. Throughout this planning guide relevant ancient sources are suggested, as well as useful themes for discussion in the classroom. Endorsed textbooks from Bloomsbury Resources for OCR specification for first teaching September 2017 Suggested resources There is a great deal of recent scholarship on the Second Punic War which is accessible to the general reader. There is also a wide range of resources available looking at specific issues which you may wish to access to widen your understanding. Ancient Sources The prescribed sources have all been translated for you in the OCR Source booklet. However, useful notes on aspects of some of the sources can be found in the following translations: Livy, The War with Hannibal, trans. Aubrey de Selincourt (P

FAQs

本深度学习主要研究哪些核心主题？

学习重点是分析汉尼拔早期成功与最终失败的不同原因，并评估其领导力、与迦太基及伊比利亚的关系，以及罗马应对方式的变化。课程概念涵盖因果关系、连续与变迁、意义，以及相似与差异。

指南建议如何组织教学进度与材料？

指南强调用按时间顺序排列的事件来帮助学生先熟悉事实与史料，并在课程不同阶段穿插规范要求中的主题。

学习材料中会重点用到哪些古代史源？

指南提到必须的文本包括普鲁塔克《费边尼乌斯·马克西姆斯传》、李维《罗马史》和波利比乌斯《历史》。此外还列出了这些文本的相关译本与可扩展阅读的研究著作。

Sep 2, 2026

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