June 21, 217 B.C.E.
During the second Punic War in Northern Italy by a lake that still exists – Lake Trasimeno, the legendary Carthaginian General, Hannibal Barca and his mercenary army defeated the Romans in a night ambush so clever and daring it still amazing military tacticians to this day. As I mention in my Gallery Page, there is a chance my ancestors participated in this victory, fighting on behalf of the Insubres tribe, founders of Mediolanum (modern-day Milan) who were displaced by the Romans, later to settle in Bohemia.
As a classical history buff, Hannibal is my great darling, and as I study him further, I find my appreciation for him to only increase. After almost twenty years of study and several ideas for various compositions, I choose this one for the confluence of brilliance, ancestry, and sheer drama – that all combine to make this a unique composition. And as always, I aimed so that anyone familiar with the Second Punic War would instantly recognize this moment from history and would be able to name both Ducarious and Consul Flaminius with only a moment’s glance.
Started in 2018, I have worked on this piece intermittently for five years and am happy to finally release it on my site. Once again, please reach out to me on my various social platforms to let me know what you think of this latest piece. Cheers!
https://www.michaeljameslinder.com/#/ratt/
- MJL