HANNIBAL’S CAPTIVES

After the battle approximately 20,000 Romans find themselves in Hannibal’s custody, who is quick to stress that he is not in Italy to destroy Rome; rather, he wishes to emancipate the Italians under Roman control and restore Carthage’s honour. However, Rome does not wish to entertain talk of peace on Hannibal’s terms, a rejection that so enrages him that he forces his prisoners to fight one another to the death.