August 2, 216 BC - At Cannae in southeast Italy, the Carthaginian general Hannibal annihilates a superior Roman army, killing between 50-70,000. Advancing along the banks of the Aufidus River, Consuls Gaius Terentius Varro and Lucius Aemilius Paullus sought to bring Hannibal to battle. As the Battle of Cannae unfolded, Hannibal executed a perfect double-envelopment, surrounding and destroying the Roman army.

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