Conflicts & Resolutions · Campaign

Hannibal's crossing of the Alps

218 BCE · 3rd century BCE · Part of the Second Punic War

Hannibal's crossing of the Alps was the march of a Carthaginian army, including war elephants, from Iberia over the Alps into Italy in 218 BCE. It opened the Second Punic War with an invasion of the Roman heartland. The crossing cost heavy losses but is regarded as one of the most audacious military feats of the Punic Empire.

Hannibal's crossing of the Alps
Image: Pinpin · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

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Punic EmpireMilitary

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Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Hannibal's crossing of the Alps. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/hannibals-crossing-of-the-alps
MLA
“Hannibal's crossing of the Alps.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/hannibals-crossing-of-the-alps. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Hannibal's crossing of the Alps.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/hannibals-crossing-of-the-alps.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Hannibal's crossing of the Alps’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/hannibals-crossing-of-the-alps (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻