Hello, and welcome to the history of Rome, episode 23B, The War with Hannibal.

After the disaster at Lake Trasson Beach, the Romans were understandably frightened at

what the future hadn't store for them.

Every army they threw at Hannibal met with total destruction, and their once unshakeable

sense of invincibility had now been thoroughly shaken.

It would only be a matter of days it seemed before the Carthaginian army would march

on Rome and conquer the once mighty city.

Optimism was in short supply, and lamentation flooded the market.

In this depressed state, the Romans turned to an old psychological defense mechanism one

last time to see them through the dark days ahead, the dictatorship.

Unused since the first Punic War, and avoided in general since the heavy days of the Sam

Night Wars, when a dictator seemed to be appointed every other year, the people of Rome

turned their fates over once again to a single man.

This time, the Romans were handed to Quintus Fabius Maximus, the well-respected head of

the well-respected Fabii.

There would be one or two more temporary dictatorial appointments in the years to come, but the

reign of Fabius Maximus would mark the effective end of the authors of dictator.

It was through no fault of his own, however, rather the office was rendered ampetent by

the people of Rome and fell into disuse.

But it was Fabius who kickstarted the demise of the dictatorship by ignoring the will of

the people and acting like, well, a dictator.

Fabius Maximus had a plan, it was not a popular plan, it was not a plan to win the war,

...