The cause of the Second Punic War is the subject of much debate. Polybius is someone who gives a very good account of the events leading up to the war, accusing the Carthaginians of instigating the war. This raises a very big question on the part of Polybius. Was he correct in assuming that it was the actions of Hannibal and the Carthaginians that led to the war, or were there other underlying events that actually caused the Second Punic War? I believe Polybius' hypothesis was correct in one sense. However, it appears that the actions of the Roman state played a large role in starting the war. Many people believe that the Second Punic War began as a result of Hannibal and the Carthaginians sieging the city of Saguntum and crossing the Ebro River. against the treaty of the First Punic War. What Polybius says, with which I agree, is that these events could be described as the beginning of the war, but in no way should they be assumed to be the cause. According to Polybius, Hannibal inherited much of the Second Punic War from his father just as Alexander the Great inherited his expedition from his father Philip II. This means that the events leading up to the war were actually the result of dealings with Hannibal's father, Hamilcar Barca, and the Romans. Polybius gives us three events that led to the Second Punic War, and none of these events actually involved Hannibal himself. Polybius tells us that the real reason there was a revival of activity between Carthage and Rome came down to these three factors. The first was the bitterness and anger of Hamilcar Barca at the end of the First Punic War when he was forced to surrender while undefeated in Sicily. The second factor, which Polybius tells us is the most important, is the capture of Sardinia by the Romans, while Carthage was still reeling from the mercenary rebellion. The final reason Polybius gives us is the fact that the Carthaginian enterprise in Spain was so successful. For these reasons, Polybius tells us that Hamilcar Barca played an important role in starting the Second Punic War, even though he died ten years before the actual war. took place. What Polybius was saying was that the events of the First Punic War and the success in Spain instilled a hatred for Rome in the Carthaginian people, but more importantly for his son Hannibal..