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Despite being one of the most important conflicts of the ancient world, and a pivotal moment in Roman history, there are still misconceptions about the Second Punic War. Most notably, the fact that Hannibal was on the verge of victory following his success at Cannae (216), and that only the victory at the Metaurus (207) changed the course of the war in Rome's favour. This paper will emphasize the different strategic approach employed by both sides and that, ultimately, Hannibal's Hellenistic warfare doctrines were inadequate against Rome's war machine of the late third century. Next, it will examine four crucial factors that deeply influenced the course of the war well before the battle of the Metaurus due to their military, strategic and economic repercussions. Ultimately, it will be suggested that Rome altered the course of the war already from 215 and that, by 211, its victory was already determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The size, body conformation and skull shape of Roman dogs from the 'Vila de Madrid necropolis' site, where 1480 dog remains were recovered, are described in this paper to provide evidence of the morphometric variability of Roman dogs in Hispania Tarraconensis. The individualized and detailed morphometric analysis of 10 individuals shows that the proliferation and explosion of the morphological variability already documented in different regions of the Roman Empire (Italia, Gallia, Britannia, Pannonia) are also noted here. The presence of very different individuals in terms of their shape and size, similar to the differences that can at present be noted between Pekingese and Doberman dogs, has been documented at the site. The reasons for the appearance of this morphological variability within those territories that were part of the Roman Empire are also discussed. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]