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Secondary sourceArtifactc. 1570

The History of Hannibal Tapestry

c. 1570

A Flemish tapestry made around 1570 for the Cathedral of Zamora, part of a series narrating Hannibal's life from his childhood oath to the Battle of Cannae.

This tapestry narrates episodes from Hannibal's life, showing how later European elites celebrated him as a model of martial virtue.

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Flemish tapestry with a Latin inscription banner reading 'Omnia dissidys faciam olla plena tumultu Hannibal ore refert deierat inlatios'. Scene shows a figure in armor at center, a man in a feathered-plumed cloak at left, and a kneeling woman in yellow and red at right, with a stone altar holding two vessels, a bronze statue of a figure in a niche behind a curtain, and a dog in the lower foreground. Dense floral and fruit border with figures in the corners.
History of Hannibal tapestry, Brussels workshops, c. 1570. Cathedral of Zamora, Spain.

About this source

What it is

Woven by an unnamed Flemish master in the workshops of Brussels around 1570, this tapestry is one panel in a series called La Historia de Aníbal, held in the Cathedral of Zamora in Spain. It shows a figure in armour at the centre, a cloaked man, a kneeling woman, and a stone altar, surrounded by a dense border of flowers and fruit, with a Latin inscription banner above the scene.

Why it matters

The series traces Hannibal's life story, including the oath against Rome and his great victory at Cannae, and was commissioned for a Spanish cathedral. This shows how Renaissance European elites admired Hannibal as an example of military virtue and ambition, worthy of grand decoration even in a religious building.

Look closer

  • Why might a cathedral choose to display scenes from the life of a pagan general like Hannibal?
  • What does the luxurious material (wool and silk) and detailed border tell you about who commissioned this and why?
  • What story is this tapestry trying to tell, and whose point of view does it represent?

This artifact is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Hannibal Barca on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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