Hannibal, son of Hamilcar Barca,a[›] commonly known as Hannibal (in Punic: Annobal[dubious – discuss], meaning "Ba'al has given me grace"; 247–183 or 182 BC)b[›][3][4][5][6] was a Carthaginian military commander and tactician who is popularly credited as one of the most talented commanders in history. He was also brother to Mago and Hasdrubal and brother-in-law to Hasdrubal the Fair. He lived during a period of tension in the Mediterranean, when Rome (then the Roman Republic) established its supremacy over other great powers such as Carthage, and the Hellenistic kingdoms of Macedon, Syracuse, and the Seleucid empire. His most famous achievement was at the outbreak of the Second Punic War, when he marched an army, which included war elephants, from Iberia over the Pyrenees and the Alps into northern Italy....