I wasn't expecting to like History's "Battles BC" as much as I did. The history lesson on celluloid steroids is produced a la the film "300" with a dash of an MMA or UFC championship bout; lots of testosterone is representing as preeminent historians explain in detail the ancient battles and their historical repercussions.
Hannibal of Carthage, in History's Battles BC
These are the stories of the men who invented modern-day warfare. This is war history done in a modern twist, but old school General Patton-types who revel in the classical battle stories will get a kick out of it too.
The History Channel's new series "Battles BC" features the ancient commanders such as Hannibal (premiere episode) Alexander the Great and Caesar with a graphic style nearly identical to the film "300."
It's a great idea that works for this particular type of history; action-packed and bloody as hell, the result is a captivating narrative that actually will teach you something.
Episode one features the scourge of Rome, the Carthage terror: Hannibal: The Annihilator.
Hannibal was the sworn enemy of Rome. The focused general was literally raised in battle next to his glorious father who was a war hero of Carthage, a North African coastal city constantly butting heads with rival trade route Rome. From age nine Hannibal was front and center of battles where men charged each other in open hand-to-hand combat; mutilating and maiming if not outright killing each other.
The hour-long episode tells the back story of Hannibal's rise to power and the seeds of his deep-seated hatred of Romans.
Hannibal's merciless attacks on Roman soil dealt a near-fatal blow to the soon-to-be empire. Sworn by his father to a blood oath against the Romans, Hannibal of Carthage does the unimaginable: He marches 40 war elephants and a massive army over the Alps to gain an element of surprise on the Roman army. In three key battles, Hannibal uses terrain, intimidation and sheer will to annihilate tens of thousands of Roman legions, and sacks as many Italian cities along the way as he can.
Unlike the uniformity of the Roman legions, Hannibal's Carthage army of men were a patchwork of mercenaries; naked fierce Celts and turncoat Gauls, Libyans and Spanish cavalry who each had unique battle skill sets.
The wily general won many key bloody battles with the Romans, but ultimately he did not win the war, and Hannibal's victories, in essence, set up Rome to become one of the greatest world powers in human history.
Each of Hannibal's battles against Rome is laid out in visceral reenactments in a riveting presentation. Those computer-generated scenes fill in portions of the episode, and they are effective in keeping you up with the classical education lesson that all students need to learn.
"Battles BC" is a real boon for history buffs.
"Battles BC" series explores the ancient world from a military perspective focusing on icons & events such as: Hannibal: The Annihilator; David: Giant Slayer; Alexander: Lord of War; Moses: Death Chase; Judgment Day at Marathon; Joshua: Epic Slaughter; Caesar: Super Siege; Ramses: Raging Chariot.
Battles BC premieres on Monday, March 9 at 9 PM ET, 8 PM Central on the History Channel.
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