Alexander the Great was antiquity\'s greatest commander

[Theodosius the Great]

...Hannibal. It's hard to choose between him and Alexander.

Indeed. But Hannibal surrounded and destroyed a numerically superior force which was unprecedented. And he had more obstacles to overcome than Alexander, IMO. Not that Alexander's feats were "a walk in the park", but he inherited an already great army which he perfected. Alexander also inherited a wealthy kingdom that served as a power base to launch and supply his army from. Hannibal enjoyed none of these advantages or at least not to the same extent as Alexander.

And there's more to being a great general than winning battles - you have to inspire loyalty in your fighting men. It's easier to inspire loyalty when you're constantly winning battles like Alexander. But Hannibal had to keep his army together for 15 years after his great victory at Cannae.

So, I vote for Hannibal over Alexander as the greatest.

Now changing the subject to Marcus Antonius ("Mark Antony" :roll: ), can someone PLEASE tell me what HIS greatest accomplishment was ? Why is he worthy for consideration as a great general ?


~Theo