Editing Punic Wars (section)

====Hannibal crosses the Alps, 218–217 BC====
[[File:Map of Rome and Carthage at the start of the Second Punic War Modified.svg|upright=1.45|thumb|alt=a map of the western Mediterranean region showing the territory and allies of Rome and Carthage in 218 BC|{{center|The territory and allies of Rome and Carthage immediately before the start of the Second Punic War.}}]]
In 218{{spaces}}BC there was some naval skirmishing in the waters around Sicily; the Romans [[Battle of Lilybaeum|defeated a Carthaginian attack]]{{sfn|Briscoe|2006|p=61}}{{sfn|Edwell|2015|p=327}} and [[Capture of Malta (218 BC)|captured the island of Malta]].{{sfn|Castillo|2006|p=25}} In [[Cisalpine Gaul]] (modern northern Italy), the major [[Gauls|Gallic]] tribes attacked the Roman colonies there, causing the Roman settlers to flee to their previously established colony of Mutina (modern [[Modena]]), where they were besieged. A Roman relief force broke through the siege, but was then ambushed and itself besieged.{{sfn|Goldsworthy|2006|p=151}} A Roman army had been assembled to campaign in Iberia; one Roman and one allied legion was detached from it and sent to northern Italy. Raising fresh troops to replace these delayed the army's departure for Iberia until September.{{sfn|Goldsworthy|2006|pp=151–152}}

Meanwhile, Hannibal assembled a Carthaginian army in New Carthage (modern [[Cartagena, Spain|Cartagena]]) in Iberia and led it northwards along the coast in May or June. It entered Gaul and took an inland route, to avoid the Roman allies to the south.{{sfn|Briscoe|2006|p=47}} At the [[battle of the Rhône Crossing|battle of the Rhône crossing]] Hannibal defeated a force of local Gauls which sought to bar his way.{{sfn|Bagnall|1999|pp=161–162}} A Roman fleet carrying the Iberian-bound army landed at Rome's ally Massalia (modern [[Marseille]]) at the mouth of the Rhône,{{sfn|Fronda|2011|p=252}} but Hannibal evaded the Romans and they continued to Iberia.{{sfn|Zimmermann|2011|p=291}}{{sfn|Edwell|2015|p=321}} The Carthaginians reached the foot of the Alps by late autumn and [[Hannibal's crossing of the Alps|crossed them]] in 24 days, surmounting the difficulties of climate, terrain{{sfn|Erdkamp|2015|p=72}} and the [[Guerrilla warfare|guerrilla tactics]] of the native tribes. The Carthaginians arrived in what is now [[Piedmont]], northern Italy, in early November. They comprised 20,000 infantry, 6,000 cavalry and an unknown number of elephants{{snd}}the survivors of the 37 with which they left Iberia. The Romans were still in their winter quarters. The Carthaginians' surprise entry into the Italian peninsula led to the cancellation of Rome's planned campaign for the following year: an invasion of Africa.{{sfn|Zimmermann|2011|pp=283–284}}{{sfn|Erdkamp|2015|p=71}}{{sfn|Hoyos|2015b|p=107}}