Author Robert O’Connell spoke to Jon Stewart last night about his new book, “Ghosts of Cannae: Hannibal and the Darkest Hour of the Roman Republic.” In his book, O’Connell covers the bloody battle at Cannae, where Hannibal (no, not the guy from “The A-Team”) defeated the Roman army. The losses at this battle were devastating; the Roman army lost more men in one battle than the United States lost in the entire Vietnam War, O’Connell said. Included in those losses were members of the Roman senate, who essentially watched — or, as Stewart accused them, “snacked” — on the sidelines of the battle. Stewart questioned the question on all’s mind: “What kind of idiocy was that?” But, O’Connell clarified, all in Rome was part of the military, and it was common for political leaders to attend, or lose their lives, in battle.
As it turns out, the Romans’ defeat at Cannae really lead to the start the Roman empire, because the defeat caused Rome to focus on becoming a war regime, rather than a republic. As Stewart place it, “the parallels to modern warfare society” are fascinating in this novel, so pick up “Ghosts of Cannae” if you want proof that history tends to do again itself.
WATCH:
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| www.thedailyshow.com | ||||
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Read more: Book News, Jon Stewart Robert O'Connell Interview, Jon Stewart, Robert O'Connell, The Battle of Cannae, Hannibal, Books News
