John Peddie questions the role of the war-elephant, Hannibal's choice of route over the Alps, re-examines the purpose of the campaign and suggests the purpose of the campaign was not so much the destruction of Rome but the re-conquest of Sicily. Exploring the Carthaginian's generalship he concludes that Hannibal's war was lost at sea, not on land.
This is an innovative and much acclaimed military appraisal of the Claudian invasion. John Peddle argues that the organization and supply problems of a task force of some 40,000 men and several thousand animals would have broadly dictated Roman tactics. He discusses what these may have been, examines the reasons for Vespasian's seemingly isolated foray into the West Country, and suggests that Caratacus' guerilla campaign denied the Romans their hope of a speedy conquest.