Thomas Franco Battle of Zama December 11, 2017

In 202 B.C., the Battle of Zama took place in present-day Tunisia and ended the Second

Punic War after the Romans beat the Carthaginians. The Roman forces were led by Publius

Cornelius Scipio while Hannibal commanded the Carthaginians. This final battle ended

Hannibal’s rule over Carthage’s troops and ended the threat of Carthage defeating Rome in the

war. (1,2)

In 203 an attack on Rome was inevitable at the hands of Hannibal and Carthage forces.

Scipio was a general in Africa. He and his troops won a crucial battle just 20 miles outside of

Carthage. Meanwhile, Hannibal was in Italy but then was recalled back to Carthage. His

journey back to Carthage was passing through Africa. Scipio was looking for a battle with the

Carthaginians, so he pushed on towards Carthage. Scipio had some troops who had lost in

Cannae, so they were anxious to go into battle with the Carthaginians. The Carthaginians had

brought together a massive 37,000 troops to defend their city, 12,000 of them were veterans

coming back with Hannibal that came with him from Italy. Scipio was not outnumbered, as he

had close to 40,000 troops and his 6,100 cavalry trumps the Carthaginians in size and skill.

Hannibal was forced to lose some of his cavalry on his journey laving Italy, so he was at a

disadvantage to the Romans. Hannibal had a war advantage in Italy, but this time he was on the

back foot. Less than half his cavalry, somewhere around 12,000 to 15,000 out of his 37,000

were properly trained and skilled to fight the Romans. (1)

Scipio and Hannibal met before the battle began. Hannibal’s thinking was to form a deal

for being at a disadvantage to the Roman forces. Scipio did not agree with the terms that

Hannibal proposed. His reasoning for turning down the offer was because Carthage broke a
truce with the Romans, so they should be punished without mercy. After they departed the battle

was set to begin the next morning. (1)

The battle started with the Carthaginians releasing 80 elephants at the Romans, but the

Romans got through the enormous creatures and proceeded towards the Carthaginians. The

elephant tactic failed because the elephants were not fully trained properly. Another reason the

elephant tactic failed was because Scipio aligned his troops accordingly by placing them into

smaller units with their alleys dispersed throughout the units. The troops would move so the

elephants ran passed them without getting trampled. The last reason was because the loud noises

of yelling and sounding trumpets caused the elephants to weave and swerved which ironically

had them attack their own men. After the elephant chaos ended they proceeded in charging at

the Carthaginians. (1)

The first and second line were absolutely obliterated. Then the third line as Hannibal’s

top of the line soldiers. The Carthaginians were surrounded by the Roman infantry and their

cavalry. The battle was an absolute disaster for the Carthaginians as they lost 20,000 men to

Rome’s astonishing low 1,500 casualties. Hannibal did as well as he could with all the

advantages in the hands of the Romans. Hannibal had sworn a blood oath against the Roman

Empire when he was young in 229 B.C. when his father died. This loss would be his last battle

he would lead. This battle terminated the Carthage Empire and ended its reign. After the battle

was over Carthage was all for Rome to take. A peaceful agreement between the town and Scipio

saw Rome take control of Spain. Not only did Rome take ownership of the land, but also

disbanded their naval army as well as paying an indemnity to Rome. The sips had to be

destroyed publicly, as over 100 ships were sunk. The indemnity payed was three times more

than the one placed after the First Punic War. (1,2,3)
 Scipio got the title Africanus added to his name as he became famous for winning the

battle in dominant fashion. Many say that he used Hannibal’s tactics against himself, and not by

cleverly tricking. Being at such a high advantage, all Scipio had to do was maintain his leverage

over Hannibal. He had the qualified troops, he had the weapons, he had the battle strategy, and

he had the advantage. Now all he had to do was execute. (3)

Hannibal had claimed the throne in 221 B.C. after his brother-in-law was assassinated.

His brother-in-law had given Hannibal a role in the army which led to him assuming the throne.

Shortly after being unanimously voted, he led an attack on the Saguntum after the increasing

threats coming from them. The Saguntum were allied with the Roman army, so Hannibal’s

attack was considered an act of war. The Romans told him he must surrender and leave

Saguntum, but Hannibal ignored the request. Not only did he ignore the Romans, he had a better

plan; to attack Rome. This attack would start the Second Punic War. After some early victories

and what seemed to have the advantage early in the war until the Romans overpowered the

Carthaginians. Many years after the war ended, in 183 B.C., Hannibal took his own life with

poison. (4)

The Battle of Zama is arguably one of the most important battles in ancient history and

Roman culture. The showdown between two famous leaders of two powerful empires clashing

showed how devoted these rulers were to their empire and their people. The Second Punic War

was incredibly important in the Punic War trilogy as Rome continued its conquest of the

Mediterranean Sea. (1)

 Works Cited Page

https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Zama-Roman-Carthaginian-history

http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/punic-wars

http://www.roman-empire.net/army/zama.html

http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/hannibal