During the second Punic war, the Carthaginian army of Hannibal surrounded and destroyed the 80,000th Roman army with blows from the flanks. This manifested the genius of Hannibal as a commander. The Battle of Cannes in ancient times was considered an unsurpassed example of military art, the name "Cannes" subsequently began to be applied to any battle that led to the encirclement and complete defeat of the enemy troops.