<P> Hannibal 's crossing of the Alps in 218 BC was one of the major events of the Second Punic War , and one of the most celebrated achievements of any military force in ancient warfare . Bypassing Roman and allied land garrisons and Roman naval dominance , Hannibal managed to lead his Carthaginian army over the Alps and into Italy to take the war directly to the Roman Republic . </P>
who crossed the alps and invaded italy with an army of elephants during the second punic war
Hannibal