0:00:07 > 0:00:11We're on a ten-week journey, cycling 3,500 kilometres
0:00:11 > 0:00:16on the trail of the great Carthaginian warrior, Hannibal.
0:00:17 > 0:00:21Over 2,000 years ago, Hannibal marched his army
0:00:21 > 0:00:23from the south of Spain,
0:00:23 > 0:00:26across the Alps, and into Italy.
0:00:26 > 0:00:30He launched a spectacular assault on the heart of Roman power.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36Hannibal's brothers, Hasdrubal and Mago, were his generals.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41I'm Danny Wood. I'm a journalist.
0:00:41 > 0:00:45And, like Hannibal, I'm travelling with my brothers -
0:00:45 > 0:00:50Ben, a computer expert, and Sam, an archaeologist.
0:00:50 > 0:00:57Hannibal marched with over 100,000 soldiers armed with swords, spears
0:00:57 > 0:01:01and 37 elephants.
0:01:01 > 0:01:05We're armed with three bikes, three tents and a bike cam.
0:01:05 > 0:01:11We've been on the road six weeks and we've cycled 2,700 kilometres
0:01:11 > 0:01:18up Spain's east coast, through France, across the Alps, and into Italy.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21We are now on the final leg of our journey,
0:01:21 > 0:01:25following Hannibal's trail all the way to the gates of Rome.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43Day 43 of our journey.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46Cannae, southern Italy.
0:01:47 > 0:01:53Here in August 216 BC, Hannibal annihilated the Roman army.
0:01:54 > 0:01:58Everybody was expecting him to march on Rome,
0:01:58 > 0:02:03but at this crucial moment, the great commander hesitated.
0:02:05 > 0:02:10Hannibal's master of cavalry Maharbal, was growing impatient.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13He urged him to build on his triumph and take the city of Rome.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17Maharbal said that, within just five days, Hannibal could be feasting
0:02:17 > 0:02:20at the capital, Rome's great centre of power.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22But Hannibal said he needed time to reflect.
0:02:22 > 0:02:27Maharbal got angry and replied, "You know how to win a battle, Hannibal,
0:02:27 > 0:02:30"but you don't know how to win the war."
0:02:35 > 0:02:40Hannibal finally decided not to march straight on to Rome.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44Historians through the ages have tried to explain this decision.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51First of all, Rome is a long way from Cannae.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54For us, it would take three long days of cycling.
0:02:54 > 0:02:59For an army, it would be more like a three-week march, and Hannibal knew the value of surprise.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03Some historians have calculated that, in order to carry enough food
0:03:03 > 0:03:06to sustain his army on such a long march,
0:03:06 > 0:03:11Hannibal would have needed something like half a million pack horses.
0:03:11 > 0:03:16Even if he'd made it to Rome, he knew it was one of the best defended cities in the world.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19His army just wasn't large enough to force its way
0:03:19 > 0:03:20through the city walls,
0:03:20 > 0:03:23and Hannibal knew the Romans wouldn't surrender.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25This would be a fight to the death.
0:03:31 > 0:03:36Instead of marching on Rome, Hannibal terrorised the whole of southern Italy.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42For the next four years, he conquered new territories.
0:03:44 > 0:03:51And the great conflict between Carthage and Rome spread to Sicily, Sardinia and Spain.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56Then, King Philip of Macedonia, now part of Greece,
0:03:56 > 0:04:00joined Carthage in an alliance against the Romans.
0:04:02 > 0:04:07This was turning into the first war in history that engulfed the known world.
0:04:10 > 0:04:15After Cannae, Hannibal took Capua, the second most powerful city
0:04:15 > 0:04:18in the whole of the Italian peninsula.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21But he was desperate for reinforcements and supplies
0:04:21 > 0:04:25from his brothers, Hasdrubal and Mago, who were now back in Carthage and Spain.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31For that, he needed a harbour.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34Hannibal had his eye on Naples.
0:04:34 > 0:04:39He attacked the city three times, and every time he was driven back by the Neapolitans.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43After the third attempt, he turned to the gods for help.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57Lake Avernus, one of the most sacred places of the ancient world.
0:05:00 > 0:05:06According to Greek mythology, this is the entrance to the underworld.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20Hannibal had been educated by a Greek tutor so he was familiar
0:05:20 > 0:05:22with the rituals described by Homer.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35"With my drawn blade, I dig the votive pit.
0:05:42 > 0:05:46"And pour libations upon it to the unnumbered dead.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48"Milk...
0:05:51 > 0:05:53"..and honey.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03"Then sweet wine...
0:06:18 > 0:06:21"Last, clear water."
0:06:30 > 0:06:33"And I scatter barley down,
0:06:33 > 0:06:37"then I address the blood of breathless dead."
0:06:39 > 0:06:44That's the last of the offerings, so I guess we have to think of what we want to ask the gods for.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46I think we should thank the gods.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50- We haven't had a serious accident the whole time we've been riding.- True.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54And perhaps ask them to keep us safe until the end.
0:06:54 > 0:06:55Yeah, that's a good idea.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11Soon after making his offering to the gods,
0:07:11 > 0:07:14Hannibal's prayers for a harbour seemed to be answered
0:07:14 > 0:07:18when some noblemen from the city of Tarentum came looking for him.
0:07:21 > 0:07:27Tarentum, now called Taranto was the largest and richest port in the deep south of Italy.
0:07:27 > 0:07:32And the Tarantines wanted to break free from Roman domination.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37They offered to help Hannibal liberate their city.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47So after days are riding through olive groves
0:07:47 > 0:07:51and vineyards, we arrived at a very busy city of Taranto,
0:07:51 > 0:07:55apparently one of the most polluted cities in southern Italy.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59Tons of factories and belching chimney stacks,
0:07:59 > 0:08:01and a lot of traffic too.
0:08:19 > 0:08:24In Hannibal's time, Tarentum was defended by strong city walls.
0:08:26 > 0:08:32All that remains from those days is the maze of narrow streets in the old town.
0:08:36 > 0:08:41Hannibal was marching on Taranto, but this time there would be no need to lay siege.
0:08:41 > 0:08:45The Tarantines would help him break into the city to liberate it from the Romans.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47There were two stages to the scheme.
0:08:47 > 0:08:52It's the story of Hannibal's careful planning combined with trickery and deception.
0:08:57 > 0:09:01Hannibal approached the city from the east in darkness,
0:09:01 > 0:09:05and at midnight he lit a fire outside the city walls.
0:09:05 > 0:09:07This was the signal for the Tarantine collaborators
0:09:07 > 0:09:10to kill the Roman sentries at one of the gates.
0:09:10 > 0:09:14Hannibal and his men swarmed into the city.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25Another Tarantine, who left the city every day to go hunting,
0:09:25 > 0:09:29turned up at a different gate along with 30 Carthaginian troops.
0:09:29 > 0:09:33The Roman guards recognised his whistle and opened the gates as usual.
0:09:33 > 0:09:37In he came, along with Hannibal's men, who slaughtered the sentries.
0:09:39 > 0:09:44Hannibal quickly took the town, killing anyone who resisted.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49But many of the Roman soldiers retreated to the citadel,
0:09:49 > 0:09:53a fortress that controlled the sole access channel to the harbour.
0:09:55 > 0:10:01Hannibal's failure to capture the citadel meant that the port of Tarentum was still closed to him.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04Even though he'd taken the city, he still had no major port
0:10:04 > 0:10:08to bring in reinforcements from Carthage and finish off Rome.
0:10:48 > 0:10:55After 54 days on the road, we're finally making our triumphal entry into Rome.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58The city of Hannibal's dreams.
0:11:12 > 0:11:17We've only just arrived but we've already come face-to-face with the enemy.
0:11:19 > 0:11:24- Are people called Hannibal in Rome? - There are a lot of Caesar but not any Hannibal.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31- Was Caesar as good as Hannibal? - No, as a general.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34I prefer Caesar because he's my boss!
0:11:38 > 0:11:41So are you still afraid of Hannibal?
0:11:41 > 0:11:44We're here to defend Rome.
0:11:44 > 0:11:50- He can come but... - You're prepared.- Yeah, sure!
0:11:50 > 0:11:55THEY CHANT
0:12:11 > 0:12:14We're on our way to the Palazzo del Quirinale,
0:12:14 > 0:12:18the official residence of the Italian president.
0:12:18 > 0:12:22But we've come to meet someone much more important than the President of Italy.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56This is one of the few images of Hannibal.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59Nobody knows for sure exactly when the bust was made,
0:12:59 > 0:13:02it was probably in the 16th century so it's not a real likeness.
0:13:02 > 0:13:08But it's the closest we'll ever get to meeting Hannibal face-to-face.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11- That's not how I imagined him really.- Yeah, it's true.
0:13:11 > 0:13:17- He's got a bit of a weak chin. - Did you imagine him looking like you?!- Well...
0:13:22 > 0:13:24He seems quite content to be here.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27This is the man who once posed a greater threat to Rome
0:13:27 > 0:13:30than any other enemy during its whole history.
0:13:30 > 0:13:35Over 2,000 years later, Hannibal has finally made his way to the heart of Roman power.
0:13:47 > 0:13:52But Hannibal was still only dreaming of marching into the Roman capital.
0:13:53 > 0:14:00In 211 BC, Hannibal set up camp just outside the walls of Rome.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02Inside the city, there was chaos.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04People were in a frenzy of panic.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07It's said that to mock the Romans' impotence,
0:14:07 > 0:14:11Hannibal hurled a javelin into one of the gates to the city.
0:14:11 > 0:14:15But Livy assures us that the Romans didn't refuse to fight.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18No battle took place.
0:14:18 > 0:14:22But only because the gods sent violent hailstorms that went on for two days.
0:14:26 > 0:14:31Deeply troubled by this omen, Hannibal decided to retreat from Rome.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48We're heading out of Rome on the Via Appia and it's starting to rain.
0:14:48 > 0:14:52This ancient road is all cobblestone so it's getting slippery.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54So we're getting out of Rome as quick as we can.
0:14:54 > 0:15:00It's a bit like Hannibal's sign from the gods, when he had violent hailstorms and he retreated.
0:15:01 > 0:15:06By now the Romans' power and influence in the world was growing.
0:15:07 > 0:15:13They were beginning to test their Imperial muscles in Sardinia, Sicily and Spain.
0:15:15 > 0:15:19Only Carthage stood in their way.
0:15:19 > 0:15:25But in 210 BC, Carthage lost the war for Sicily and Sardinia to the Romans
0:15:25 > 0:15:29and within five years, Philip of Macedon had signed a peace treaty with Rome.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32The odds were turning against Hannibal.
0:15:32 > 0:15:36The Roman advances in Spain were the hardest blow for Hannibal.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38Even his home city, Cartagena,
0:15:38 > 0:15:42the city he set out from on his long march to Rome, fell to the Romans.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45The rest of Spain soon followed.
0:15:45 > 0:15:51Hannibal was also losing ground in Italy, first Capua then Taranto.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54He now needed reinforcements simply to hold his position.
0:15:54 > 0:15:58His brothers, Hasdrubal and Mago, were coming to the rescue.
0:16:05 > 0:16:09In 207 BC, Hasdrubal, marched from Spain.
0:16:09 > 0:16:14When he arrived in Italy, he sent despatches telling Hannibal
0:16:14 > 0:16:19to meet him at an agreed point on the River Metaurus in central Italy.
0:16:20 > 0:16:24But Hasdrubal's messages were intercepted by the enemy.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27And instead of Hannibal, the Roman army was waiting.
0:16:27 > 0:16:32Trapped alongside a river, the situation for Hasdrubal's Carthaginians was hopeless
0:16:32 > 0:16:35but they fought a desperate battle.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37When he could see that all was lost,
0:16:37 > 0:16:42Hasdrubal turned his horse towards the Romans and rode into them, to die in battle.
0:16:48 > 0:16:52Some nights later, a Roman horseman galloped up to Hannibal's camp.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55He threw something in that landed with a thud.
0:16:55 > 0:16:59When Hannibal saw it he said, "This is the fate of Carthage".
0:16:59 > 0:17:02It was Hasdrubal's severed head.
0:17:09 > 0:17:16Two years later, Hannibal's youngest brother, Mago, arrived with reinforcements in northern Italy.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20He too was hunted down by the Romans and wounded in battle.
0:17:20 > 0:17:25He managed to escape in a boat to Carthage, but died before reaching home.
0:17:28 > 0:17:33Isolated, and with a dwindling army, Hannibal was running out of options.
0:17:38 > 0:17:42He retreated to Calabria, the most southern region of mainland Italy.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45He became almost a prisoner here.
0:17:45 > 0:17:50And by 203 BC, 14 years after Hannibal had first invaded Italy,
0:17:50 > 0:17:54the Romans had finally found a military commander to match
0:17:54 > 0:17:57the legendary Carthaginian general...
0:17:57 > 0:18:01Scipio the Younger.
0:18:01 > 0:18:05Scipio had been studying Hannibal's strategy for many years.
0:18:05 > 0:18:10As a young man, he'd witnessed Hannibal winning a victory against his own father.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13He'd also witnessed the carnage at Cannae.
0:18:14 > 0:18:19Now he was heading for the capital of the Carthaginian empire,
0:18:19 > 0:18:22the city of Carthage in northern Africa.
0:18:22 > 0:18:26Scipio landed in Africa with a big army -
0:18:26 > 0:18:31his aim, to achieve exactly what Hannibal had failed to do in Italy.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34To defeat the enemy on their own turf.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38Now Hannibal's recalled to Carthage to defend the homeland.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59We've been in Italy for five weeks and we're now following Hannibal's
0:18:59 > 0:19:04trail across the Mediterranean to Tunis, formerly Carthage.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15It must have been a terrible homecoming for Hannibal.
0:19:17 > 0:19:22Hannibal was on campaign in Italy for 15 years, continuously waging war.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26He was obviously an amazing motivator and brilliant with his men.
0:19:26 > 0:19:34His sense of disappointment and the failure of his ambition must have been just enormous.
0:19:37 > 0:19:42In the autumn of 203 BC, Hannibal arrived in northern Africa.
0:19:44 > 0:19:48He'd left when he was just nine years old.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50It must have seemed like an alien place.
0:20:11 > 0:20:15Carthage is now buried beneath modern day Tunis.
0:20:15 > 0:20:20But after 2,000 years, the legend of Hannibal lives on.
0:20:20 > 0:20:27One of the TV stations is called Hannibal TV and Hannibal's face is even on the currency.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32- Do you know Hannibal?- Hannibal, yes.
0:20:40 > 0:20:42Yes.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44Hannibal! Coffee mug.
0:20:52 > 0:20:58A few hours in the souk and we already feel like locals.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03Well, almost!
0:21:14 > 0:21:18It's beautiful weather, perfect for cycling.
0:21:18 > 0:21:20Sunny and a cool breeze.
0:21:20 > 0:21:25And every Tunisian we've come across has been happy and friendly,
0:21:25 > 0:21:27so we're hoping that will continue.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35It was time for the two great rivals, Hannibal and Scipio,
0:21:35 > 0:21:38to face each other in battle.
0:21:42 > 0:21:47The armies met at a place called Zama, in a region today known as the Tell.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51Zama is about 150 kilometres south-west from Tunis,
0:21:51 > 0:21:56a very long day's ride by a bike, but a good six-day march for an army from Carthage.
0:22:04 > 0:22:09Hannibal sent scouts to spy on the Roman army.
0:22:09 > 0:22:11They were captured.
0:22:11 > 0:22:16But instead of killing them, Scipio proudly showed them all around his camp.
0:22:18 > 0:22:23He wanted them to report every last detail of his mighty army to their leader.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28Hannibal was curious about the young general.
0:22:28 > 0:22:33When his scouts reported back he decided to arrange a meeting with Scipio.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36He was 13 years younger than Hannibal but he'd also
0:22:36 > 0:22:39won some great victories and Hannibal respected him.
0:22:39 > 0:22:43When they met for the first time, it's said that mutual admiration
0:22:43 > 0:22:46struck them dumb for almost a minute.
0:22:46 > 0:22:48They just looked at each other in silence.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50Hannibal spoke first.
0:22:50 > 0:22:55He offered peace terms to spare both their armies bloodshed but Scipio refused.
0:22:55 > 0:22:59He was ready to test himself in battle against the great Hannibal,
0:22:59 > 0:23:04the legend who'd defeated every Roman general, including Scipio's own father.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11The next day, battle commenced.
0:23:15 > 0:23:21Scipio had formed a mirror image of Hannibal's legendary battle formation -
0:23:21 > 0:23:25infantry at the centre flanked by cavalry on each side.
0:23:29 > 0:23:34Hannibal had 50,000 men - almost twice as many as Scipio.
0:23:35 > 0:23:41And while Scipio had stronger cavalry, Hannibal had 80 warrior elephants.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46Hannibal made the first move.
0:23:46 > 0:23:51He attempted to break the Roman lines with a terrifying elephant charge.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54They thundered down on the Roman infantry.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58But Scipio had trained his men well.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01As the elephants approached, they opened lanes in their ranks
0:24:01 > 0:24:04to let them thunder into great valleys of death.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07Some were killed under a deadly hail of javelins,
0:24:07 > 0:24:12but most turned and stampeded back, crushing Hannibal's own cavalry underfoot.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15Now the infantry clashed and for a time,
0:24:15 > 0:24:22the contest seemed evenly matched, but Scipio was using Hannibal's own trademark tactics against him.
0:24:22 > 0:24:26His cavalry surprised the Carthaginians with a pincer movement from the rear.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29Hannibal's men were surrounded and slaughtered.
0:24:37 > 0:24:42At the end of the day, the Romans had lost barely 2,000 men.
0:24:42 > 0:24:47On Hannibal's side, 20,000 lay dead or dying.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50As many again were taken prisoner.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57Scipio was triumphant. The pupil had eclipsed the master.
0:25:10 > 0:25:16After the slaughter at Zama, Hannibal returned to Carthage, where our journey will end.
0:25:18 > 0:25:22Now all we've got to do is survive our last 40km back to Tunis,
0:25:22 > 0:25:24which is turning into a bit of a challenge.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36PHONE RINGS
0:25:37 > 0:25:39Allo...
0:25:40 > 0:25:44Bonjour... Au revoir.
0:25:47 > 0:25:53For Hannibal and Carthage, the 17-year war with Rome was over.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56Historians call it Hannibal's War.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59It was the closest Rome had come to destruction.
0:25:59 > 0:26:04If Hannibal had won, Rome might be now only a half remembered city-state.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07No Caesars, no empire.
0:26:07 > 0:26:12But in the end, it was Hannibal's civilisation in Carthage that would be obliterated.
0:26:18 > 0:26:24On the outskirts of Tunis are the last remains of the great city of Carthage.
0:26:32 > 0:26:36But these aren't the ruins of the city where Hannibal walked.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42This was the Roman city built on its ashes.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48As for Hannibal, he never gave up.
0:26:48 > 0:26:53He fled Carthage and settled in a place called Bithynia in modern-day Turkey.
0:26:53 > 0:26:59He went on trying to raise an even mightier army to one day have his revenge on Rome.
0:26:59 > 0:27:07Many years later, in 183 BC, the Romans finally hunted him down and surrounded his home.
0:27:07 > 0:27:12Rather than allow himself to be captured, Hannibal committed suicide by taking poison.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15He was 65 years old.
0:27:16 > 0:27:21The Greek historian Plutarch gives us Hannibal's dying words:
0:27:21 > 0:27:27"Let us now put an end to the life that has caused the Romans so much anxiety."
0:27:42 > 0:27:46After 71 days, 3,500 kilometres, 23 punctures,
0:27:46 > 0:27:50more campsites than we'd care to remember,
0:27:50 > 0:27:55our journey is coming to an end in the old harbour of Carthage.
0:27:55 > 0:28:00It's amazing, I can't believe we've reached the end of our journey.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03We've been looking at this place on maps for so long.
0:28:03 > 0:28:07And Cartagena seems like ten years ago, like a lifetime we've been riding.
0:28:07 > 0:28:12Part of me wants to keep riding, but a bigger part of me wants to lay in bed for the next week.
0:28:12 > 0:28:18- It'll be nice to get home, see everyone and not get the bike out for a few months.- I agree.
0:28:18 > 0:28:19Let's go!
0:28:33 > 0:28:38Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:43 > 0:28:47E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk