Fabius Maximus

The Plutarch Podcast

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Full Show Notes: https://plutarch.life/fabius
Greek Parallel - Pericles
Important People

Terentius Varro - Mastermind of Cannae, survivor of the same battle, much to his shame.

Marcellus - The sword to Fabius’s shield. Marcellus, whose life Plutarch also wrote, and Fabius together kept the Romans in their war against Hannibal without shameful or crippling setbacks.

Scipio (Africanus) - The young and ambitious general, first succesful in Spain against the Carthaginians, makes a plan to take the war to Africa. This plan that Fabius will oppose with every ounce of influence he has.

Minucius - The master of horse (magister equitum) during Fabius's dictatorship. He grows annoyed at Fabian tactics and gets himself elected “co-dictator.” After Hannibal draws him into a trap from which Fabius saves him and all his men, Minucius admits his fault and joins again in complete unity of command under Fabius.

Important Places

Trebia (218 BC) - Shortly after crossing the Alps, Hannibal crushes the Roman army that comes to meet him.

Trasimene (217 BC) - Working his way almost halfway down the peninsula, Hannibal crushes another massive Roman army.

Cannae (216 BC) - Finally working his way past Rome (perhaps not enough soldiers, supplies, or the right materials to besiege Rome), he crushes for the third year in a row an army of tens of thousands of Romans, with the consul in charge that day being one of a handful of survivors.

Tarentum (213 BC) - One of the first strategic cities that the Romans, primarily through Fabius Maximus, manage to take back and hold out of Hannibal's grasp. It also seems to be a blot on Fabius's record, as he does something out of character when taking over the city.

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