Hannibal’s decision to march toward Rome itself—“at the gates of Rome”—remains one of the most talked-about moments in history. Despite his crushing victory at Cannae, Hannibal did not immediately besiege Rome. There are several reasons for this, chief among them being the logistical difficulties of sustaining his army for a long-term siege, as well as a lack of sufficient reinforcements from Carthage. Carthage’s failure to provide substantial support to Hannibal in the form of men, supplies, and reinforcements ultimately doomed his campaign. Additionally, Hannibal’s army had suffered significant losses during the march through the Alps and subsequent battles, and he lacked the resources necessary to take and hold Rome.
Nonetheless, Hannibal's mere presence in Italy for over a decade left the Romans in a state of constant fear and uncertainty. The fact that a foreign army had ravaged the Italian peninsula and come within a hair’s breadth of invading Rome itself was a psychological blow that would be felt for generations.
The Roman Response: The Fabian Strategy
In response to Hannibal's devastating successes, the Romans adopted a new strategy known as the Fabian strategy, named after the Roman general Quintus Fabius Maximus. This strategy called for avoiding direct confrontation with Hannibal’s forces and instead relying on harassment and delaying tactics. The Romans also took advantage of their superior manpower and resources to raise new armies, slowly wearing down Hannibal’s forces.
Fabius Maximus, in particular, was criticized by some of his fellow Romans for his cautious approach, but his strategy proved effective. It allowed Rome to recover from the shock of Cannae and gave them time to regroup. Meanwhile, Hannibal’s army, though still formidable, was slowly losing momentum as it was forced to fight on Roman terms, rather than dictating the terms of battle as he had earlier in the war. shutdown123