For those of you interested in the history of ancient Rome and Carthage, or anyone else for that matter, PBS has re-aired an old episode that focuses on Hannibal's army crossing the Alps from France into Italy in 218 BC in a surprise invasion during the Second Punic War. It available for free viewing right now, and I highly recommend taking a look: https://www.pbs.org/video/hannibal-in-the-alps-y2547t/
@robinjojo Thank you for the link. I saw this a few years ago and watched it again just last week when re-broadcast on PBS. The show is well done with great explanation of identifying the route through the Alps. Polybius's description of what was encountered along the way is so detailed that it must have been from an eye-witness account. I liked the description of the trishekel with the elephant and rider explaining how this is an African elephant. Here is the coin: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/C_1911-0702-1 Here is my 1/4 shekel from the same series showing the same type of elephant: Barcids in Spain AR 1/4 shekel 228-218 BC 1.84 gm SNG Cop 293 O: laureate head Melquart left (Hannibal?), club behind R: elephant walking right (The head on the obverse probably represents a Barcid, most likely Hannibal although it could be Hamilcar or Hasdrubal) A shekel from Himilco's campaign in Sicily 213 BC (he also had elephants with him) showing the same type of elephant: Carthaginians in Sicily AR shekel 6.30 gm, 22 mm 213-211 BC SNG Cop 382 O: laureate head left (Himilco?) R: elephant walking right, Punic aleph below Hopefully, someone will eventually find physical evidence along the route. Despite scavenging from nearby tribes, there should still be some traces of remaining equipment or other artifacts from the high losses of men, equipment and animals, including most of the elephants. Although he favors another route (Col de Clapier), Patrick Hunt's Hannibal has great insight into Hannibal's battles and decisions. I enjoyed it even though I had previously read other books on Hannibal. Hunt is a good story teller. Once, I gave him a ride to and from a lecture he was giving so he kept me entertained with stories the entire trip, including the broken bones he suffered during his trips to the Alps.
