In 218 BC, Hannibal Barca attempted one of the most audacious maneuvers in military history: he led a Carthaginian army from Spain over the Alps into Italy—bringing war elephants with him. Ancient sources agree on the headline: Hannibal crossed the mountains with elephants, shocking Rome by appearing where no major enemy army was supposed to be. The march was a slow disaster of cold, altitude, and ambush. As the army climbed into narrower passes, hostile mountain tribes attacked columns stretche