Final answer:
Hannibal's invasion of Rome featured strategic maneuvers, including ambushes, clever use of terrain, and a double envelopment at Cannae, despite facing challenges such as a lack of siege equipment and inability to secure local support. Roman adoption of guerrilla tactics and Scipio Africanus's offensive in Africa wore down Hannibal's forces, culminating in his defeat at Zama.
Step-by-step explanation:
Hannibal Barca's invasion of Rome during the Second Punic War was marked by a series of bold and strategic military tactics. Hannibal's expedition began when he led a massive army, including war elephants, from Hispania across the Alps into Italy with the goal of breaking Rome's alliances. Despite his numerous battlefield victories, such as those at Trebia, Lake Trasimene, and Cannae, and the terror he instilled in the Roman populace, Hannibal was unable to secure a decisive victory due to several circumstances.
The measures he took included enacting clever tactical maneuvers like ambushing Romans in unfavorable terrains, utilizing surprise to his advantage, and employing a double envelopment tactic at Cannae, where his smaller forces managed to surround a larger Roman army. However, Hannibal was hampered by the lack of a siege train to attack Rome directly, inability to garner support from Rome's previously conquered Italian allies, and attempted isolation from receiving reinforcements by the Roman forces.
The Romans, under the cunning leadership of Fabius Maximus, adopted guerrilla warfare, a stark departure from their typical military doctrine, to counter Hannibal's advances. Ultimately, the Roman general Scipio Africanus turned the tide of the war by cutting off Hannibal's reinforcements in Spain and launching an attack on Carthage itself, compelling Hannibal to return to Africa and eventually face defeat in the Battle of Zama in 202 BCE.