Anibal Barca (247 BC-183 BC), also known only as Anibal, was a Carthaginian general and statesman. It is considered one of the greatest military strategies in history.
Hannibal's life took place in the conflicting period in which Rome established its supremacy in the Mediterranean basin, surpassing other powers (the Carthaginian Republic, Macedonia, Syracuse and the Seleucid Empire). He was the most active general of the Second Punic War, in which he performed one of the most daring military feats of antiquity: Hannibal and his army, which included thirty-eight war elephants, left Hispania and crossed the Pyrenees and the Alps with the aim to conquer northern Italy.
There, he defeated the Romans in large pitched battles such as the Trebia River, Lake Trasimeno and Canas, which are still studied in military academies today. Despite his brilliant campaign, Hannibal never invaded Rome.
Barca was a gladiator created to remember the memory of Hannibal, the greatest Carthaginian general in history. Varinius still quotes Hannibal with fear and dread in the second season of the series, until part of his army is defeated by Mercato's cousin, Marcus Minucius Rufus.