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Hannibal, the leader of the Carthaginian army, invaded Italy from his base in Spain. Before this, he'd at victories in the Battle of the Trebia River and Lake Trasimene prior.
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From the Roman's defeat in the Battle of Lake Trasimene, they sent dictator Quintus to delay Hannibal. Quintus' strategy was using smaller raids, which wore down Hannibal's army. However, since it wasn't direct confrontation, over time the strategy was unpopular and many assumed he was scared of Hannibal, or secretly working for him.
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Hannibal heard the rumours of Quintus being his worker, deciding to encourage it. He ordered troops to purposefully not attack Quintus' property. As well, Quintus missed an opportunity to get Hannibal, getting tricked by the torches on 2000 oxen horns. By the Roman Senate orders, two consuls, Lucius and Caius, replaced Quintus.
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As the Roman army was surrounded, the battle became a big slaughter. Their plan of charging in the middle and taking on each half separately immediately backfired as Hannibal's plan got implemented. Over 50,000 Romans were killed, 7,000 and more captured. In comparison, a range of 6,000 to 8,000 Carthaginians were killed. This is a big, historical loss for the Romans.
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On the 2nd of August, near Cannae southeast Italy, the battle began. The Roman's pushed against the Carthaginian's crescent moon line, hand-to-hand combat. Hannibal's cavalry took down the right and left side of the Roman's cavalry, defeating them. As the Romans charged, the Carthaginians line inverted, exactly Hannibal's strategy. The cavalry returned and got the Roman soldiers from behind, trapping them on all sides.
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Hannibal moved to Gerunium, near Cannae, a Roman storage town. Romans travelled to Hannibal, deliberately on open land, for they had an advantage with their weaponry. Hannibal quickly realised, strategizing on what to do. Hannibal was at a loss, numbers of 40,000 men and 10,000 cavalry small compared to the Roman numbers of 80,000 men and 6,400 cavalry. The strategy Hannibal decided on was a crescent shaped line up, aiming to trap the Romans.