The Second Punic War, fought between 218 and 201 BC, pitted Carthage against Rome for control of the western Mediterranean. Hannibal Barca led his army from Iberia through Gaul and over the Alps into northern Italy, then won a string of victories including Trebia, Lake Trasimene and Cannae. At Cannae in 216 BC he annihilated the largest Roman army yet assembled, and many Italian allies defected to Carthage. Rome responded by enrolling slaves and criminals to raise new legions and slowly won back its cities over the following decade. Meanwhile Roman forces under Publius Scipio conquered Carthaginian Iberia, and Scipio then invaded Africa, forcing Hannibal home from Italy. The war ended at Zama in 202 BC, where Hannibal was defeated. Carthage lost its overseas territories, paid a large indemnity and was barred from waging war outside Africa without Rome's permission.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.