Can you please summarize the second punic war in a couple of sentences?
After Carthage lost its holdings in Sicily to Rome in the First Punic War, Carthage moved to compensate for the loss by extending her territory in Hispania (the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula). This policy was begun by Hamilcar Barca, and continued by his son-in-law Hasdrubal and then his son Hannibal, meaning “Beloved of Baal”. In 219 BC Hannibal used a pretext for attacking the town of Saguntum, which stood under the special protection of Rome. According to Roman tradition, Hannibal had sworn hatred to Rome, and he certainly did not take a conciliatory attitude when the Romans berated him for crossing the river Iberus (Ebro), which Carthage was by treaty required to stay south of. Hannibal did not cross the Ebro River (Saguntum was near modern Valencia – well south of the river) in arms, and the Saguntines provoked his attack by attacking their neighboring tribes who were Carthaginian protectorates, and by massacring pro-Punic factions in their city. Rome had no legal protectio
