A quiz question · medium
What tactical manoeuvre made Cannae in 216 BC the most studied battle in military history?
Perhaps 50,000-70,000 Romans died in one day. Rome armed slaves and fought on — the perfect battle did not win the war.
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The Battle of Cannae in 216 BC, Where Hannibal Killed a Roman Army in an Afternoon On 2 August 216 BC, Hannibal's outnumbered army enveloped and destroyed the largest force Rome had ever fielded — ancient figures run to 50,000-70,000 dead in a day. Rome refused to negotiate, armed slaves, and fought on. Cannae remains the model of the battle of annihilation, still taught at every war college; winning it did not win the war.
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