The Roman Hannibal: Remembering The Enemy In Si... May 2026

Stocks argues that Silius’s Hannibal is not just a foreign villain, but a "Romanized" figure who paradoxically exemplifies (Roman-ness).

He is celebrated for his tactical genius but demonized for supposed greed and cruelty, creating a complex "anti-hero" status. Key Themes Explored in the Scholarship

The poem often enters Hannibal's perspective, showing him as a man striving to build an eternal legacy. The roman Hannibal: remembering the enemy in Si...

You can find the full text of The Roman Hannibal at Oxford Academic or through retailers like Amazon .

Silius’s portrayal is seen as the final evolution of centuries of Roman engagement with Hannibal in literature. Stocks argues that Silius’s Hannibal is not just

A particularly compelling moment identified in the book is Hannibal's final speech (17.605–15), where he seemingly acknowledges the Roman literary tradition that has constructed his identity. Availability and Further Reading

Other researchers, such as those published in the Journal of Ancient History and Social Sciences , highlight how Hannibal evokes the "tragic tyrants" of Seneca through his destructive emotions, such as ira (anger) and furor (fury). You can find the full text of The

For those looking to read the epic itself, a modern English translation of all 17 books by Antony Augoustakis and Neil W. Bernstein is available at Routledge . Remembering the Enemy in Silius Italicus' 'Punica'