ABSTRACT
A sharp cavalry skirmish at the river Ticinus, west of Mediolanum, was Hannibal’s first victory over the Romans. The consul Scipio, badly wounded, pulled back south of the river Po to await his colleague, but the doubling of Roman forces that resulted when Sempronius’ army arrived did them no good. On a freezing snow-driven morning in late December, beside the river Trebia a little south-west of Placentia, the 40,000-strong Roman army was largely destroyed by Hannibal’s 40,000.
