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Hannibal has besieged Saguntum to honour his alliances with Spanish tribes.
Saguntum falls and is destroyed.
Rome sends a delegation to Carthage and declares war, breaking their treaty of 226 BC.
Hannibal marches back to New Carthage for the winter; to make preparations for the coming campaign.
Many Spanish troops are released from duty, sent to winter in their homes. Others are sent to Sicily and Africa in preparation for the expected Roman offensive.
Hannibal 's brother, Hasdrubal, is left at New Carthage with an army to defend Spain south of the Ebro River. Hannibal starts his march northwards.
Once across the Ebro, Hannibal subdues local tribes aligned with the Greek cities of Emporion and Tarraco - allies of Rome.
Hannibal leaves another of his brothers, Hanno, with ten thousand infantry and one thousand cavalry to guard Spain north of the Ebro.
He also leaves all the heavy baggage of the army in Hanno's care and divides his force into several columns to cross the rugged Pyrenees Mountains.
Once across the Pyrenees, Hannibal resumed his march across Gaul towards the Alps and Italy beyond...
As he crossed the Rhone, unknown to Hannibal, an army comprising two Roman legions was in the harbour of Massilia.
It was an army on its way to Spain, ordered to crush Hannibal and the Carthaginians: Rome's aim from the start.
Realising that Hannibal had moved north and would attempt to cross the Alps, the Roman Commander resolved to return to Italy and organise Rome's defence.
The army at Massilia, however, he sent on to Spain, under the command of his brother, Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio, to carry out their assigned mission.
Gnaeus "the Bald" and his army landed at the Greek city of Emporion and set about the task of recruiting the northern Spanish tribes that had been subdued by Hannibal as he passed through the region.
The northern tribes, so recently vanquished by Hannibal, flocked to the Roman banner.
Recruiting as he went, Scipio marched south, to the Greek city of Tarraco.
Hearing of the arrival of the Romans, Hasdrubal mobilised his army in New Carthage and set out on the lengthy march to the north of Spain.
Hanno also became alarmed at the success of Scipio's recruiting.
He became afraid that, by the time Hasdrubal could come up to the north, Scipio would outnumber them both.
Hanno believed their best chance to defeat the Roman force was a bold stroke; a swift attack while his force was still being assembled.
So Hanno marched his army down onto the coastal plain to confront the Romans.
The two armies met outside Tarraco, near a small town called Cissa.
Hanno was outnumbered by 2:1.
Hannibal has besieged Saguntum to honour his alliances with Spanish tribes.
Saguntum falls and is destroyed.
Rome sends a delegation to Carthage and declares war, breaking their treaty of 226 BC.
Hannibal marches back to New Carthage for the winter; to make preparations for the coming campaign.
Many Spanish troops are released from duty, sent to winter in their homes. Others are sent to Sicily and Africa in preparation for the expected Roman offensive.
Hannibal 's brother, Hasdrubal, is left at New Carthage with an army to defend Spain south of the Ebro River. Hannibal starts his march northwards.
Once across the Ebro, Hannibal subdues local tribes aligned with the Greek cities of Emporion and Tarraco - allies of Rome.
Hannibal leaves another of his brothers, Hanno, with ten thousand infantry and one thousand cavalry to guard Spain north of the Ebro.
He also leaves all the heavy baggage of the army in Hanno's care and divides his force into several columns to cross the rugged Pyrenees Mountains.
Once across the Pyrenees, Hannibal resumed his march across Gaul towards the Alps and Italy beyond...
As he crossed the Rhone, unknown to Hannibal, an army comprising two Roman legions was in the harbour of Massilia.
It was an army on its way to Spain, ordered to crush Hannibal and the Carthaginians: Rome's aim from the start.
Realising that Hannibal had moved north and would attempt to cross the Alps, the Roman Commander resolved to return to Italy and organise Rome's defence.
The army at Massilia, however, he sent on to Spain, under the command of his brother, Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio, to carry out their assigned mission.
Gnaeus "the Bald" and his army landed at the Greek city of Emporion and set about the task of recruiting the northern Spanish tribes that had been subdued by Hannibal as he passed through the region.
The northern tribes, so recently vanquished by Hannibal, flocked to the Roman banner.
Recruiting as he went, Scipio marched south, to the Greek city of Tarraco.
Hearing of the arrival of the Romans, Hasdrubal mobilised his army in New Carthage and set out on the lengthy march to the north of Spain.
Hanno also became alarmed at the success of Scipio's recruiting.
He became afraid that, by the time Hasdrubal could come up to the north, Scipio would outnumber them both.
Hanno believed their best chance to defeat the Roman force was a bold stroke; a swift attack while his force was still being assembled.
So Hanno marched his army down onto the coastal plain to confront the Romans.
The two armies met outside Tarraco, near a small town called Cissa.
Hanno was outnumbered by 2:1.
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