IN 221 BC, Hamilcar, Hannibal's father, made a peace with Rome that divided Spain north and south between Rome and Carthage. The latter got the larger "piece," the area shaded in green on the map below.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punic_Wars
Hannibal broke the peace only three years later, with disastrous consequences for Carthage.
Are there any comparative statistics for population, taxation, or military enrollment for Rome, Carthage, and Carhaginian Spain that suggest that if Hannibal had deferred war for another generation (till the early 200s BC), that the growth of Carthagian Spain would have put Carthage in a better position than she actually enjoyed in 218 BC? That is, should Hannibal have spent a generation "consolidating" instead of attacking?
On the other hand, the causus belli was the Roman protection of Sagentum in the Carthaginian "sphere of influence." Could this have plausibly threatened a "rollback" of Carthagian power that made it imperative for Carthage to strike at the level of her maximum power?
Did Hannibal start the Second Punic War prematurely?
is worth an answer considering the loss, but i' afraid someone might play the canonical card and force the limitingWhy did Hannibal lose the 2nd Punic War?
, at least, that's been my experience on other stacks