10. The Roman Disaster: Encirclement and Destruction
The culmination of Hannibal’s tactics was the encirclement and utter destruction of the Roman forces. Trapped on all sides, the densely packed Romans had nowhere to retreat. Hannibal’s troops closed in relentlessly, turning the field into a scene of chaos and slaughter. Estimates suggest as many as 50,000-70,000 Romans perished in a single day, making Cannae one of Rome’s darkest hours.
