battle of zama

The Battle of Zama took place between the Romans, accompanied by the Numidian cavalry, and the Carthaginians with Scipio as the commander of the Roman forces and Hannibal as the leader of the Carthaginian troops. Hannibal’s army lacked the homogeneity of the Roman legions; the Carthaginian army consisted of Africans, Gauls, Spaniards, Numidians, and even Romans. The name Zama was given to the site (which modern historians have never precisely identified) by the Roman historian Cornelius Nepos about 150 years after the battle. In this single line the Romans now advanced over a field of corpses and battlefield slaughter; the going was tricky as finding footing on bloody corpses and weapons proved difficult. The Battle of Zama left Carthage helpless, and the city accepted Scipio’s peace terms whereby it ceded Spain to Rome, surrendered most of its warships, and began paying a 50-year indemnity to Rome. Unlike the treaty that ended the First Punic War, the terms Carthage acceded to were so punishing that it was never able to challenge Rome for supremacy of the Mediterranean again. Having anticipated this, Scipio calmly ordered his men to part ranks in order to create channels for the beasts to run through harmlessly. Publius Cornelius Scipio entered Africa after reclaiming the Iberian Peninsula for the glory of Rome, even as Hannibal sat at the gates of the glorious city. Zama, then, was the end of the Second P… That Hannibal was fighting from a position of weakness does not in any way diminish Scipio’s victory for Rome, however. Zama is the name given to the final battle of the Second Punic War, though it was not actually fought near any of the places so called. Hannibal brought to Zama a massive army of 50,000 infantry, including Carthaginian heavy infantry, Latin defectors, and a mixed auxiliary force of Ligurians, Gauls, Balaerics, and Moors. Learn about Author Central. With Hannibal defeated and his army crushed at Zama, Carthage ended as an effective military power in the Mediterranean. Scipio’s cavalry then charged the opposing Carthaginian cavalry on the wings; the latter fled and were pursued by Masinissa’s forces. Hannibal was placed in command of an army of many raw recruits and 80 untrained elephants. The Battle of Zama Begins All arrangements for the battle being complete, and A stampede of the elephants. Of his three battle lines, only his seasoned veterans from Italy (between 12,000 to 15,000 men) were accustomed to fighting Romans; they were positioned at the rear of his formation. When at last the Romans closed with their Carthaginian enemies, the fighting was intense and the sway of battle remained neutral. I’ve used those accounts to explore some key questions about how to refight the battle… The remaining elephants met Scipio’s velites in front of the legions; the fighting between these two forces was excessively violent even by ancient terms (a theme prevalent throughout the battle), and many velites died fighting the animals. Conclusively ending the Second Punic War with a decisive Roman victory, the Battle of Zama must be considered one of the most important battles in ancient history. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. This confrontation between the Romans and Carthaginians marked the end of the Second Punic War, which had been occurring for many years. A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. The Greek historian Polybius states that Hannibal had done all that he could as a general in battle, especially considering the advantage held by his opponent. The Success of the Roman Republic and Empire. Scheduled maintenance: Saturday, October 10 from 4–5 PM PT. For the first time in decades, Hannibal was without a military command, and never again did he lead Carthaginians into battle. Hannibal arrived too late to prevent Masinissa from joining up with Scipio, leaving Scipio in a position to choose the battle site. Zama, also known as Xama, in what is now Tunisia is best known for its connection with what is called the Battle of Zama, in which, on 19 October 202 BC, Scipio Africanus defeated Hannibal, ending the Second Punic War with victory for the Roman Republic, and breaking the power of Ancient Carthage. the two opposing forces of Numidian cavalry having been for some time engaged in skirmishing attacks upon each other, Hannibal gave the word to the men on the elephants to charge the enemy. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Scipio’s army, having bunked in Cilla, arrived fresh and hydrated. Battle of Zama, (202 bce), victory of the Romans led by Scipio Africanus the Elder over the Carthaginians commanded by Hannibal. Gaps were left between each double-maniple; his velites, Scipio placed both in front of his army and in the gaps between the maniples. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Zama-Roman-Carthaginian-history, Learn about the history of Hannibal and his ultimate defeat at the battle of Zama. Flamarande 20:49, 14 February 2006 (UTC) The Roman right was covered by Masinissa and the Numidian cavalry, while the Roman cavalry protected the left. In Africa, Scipio brought to the Roman side of the conflict Masinissa, first king of the new Kingdom of Numidia. On Saturday, October 10th, we'll be doing some maintenance on Quizlet to keep things running smoothly. At stake was world dominion for the Romans and survival as a sovereign power for the once-powerful Carthaginians. Roman cavalry and their Numidian allies opened the Carthaginian wings and returned at the opportune time to maximize this advantage. As the horns and trumpets of both armies signaled simultaneously, Hannibal’s line of elephants lost their nerves; many of them charged backward into Hannibal’s Numidian cavalry on the left wing, and the rest charged straight at the Roman army. Hannibal escaped from the battle and went to his estates in the east near Hadrumetum for some time before he returned to Carthage. The Defeat of Carthage by Rome Puts an End to Possible Carthaginian Influence in Europe. Napoleon had the genius and the repuation. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Carthaginian cavalry routed off the field. Ancient Period, Feature. The almost legendary match-up between the Roman General Scipio and the Carthaginian General Hannibal gets the Osprey Campaign Series treatment in "Zama 202 B.C.". Scipio may have been curious to meet Hannibal, but he refused the proposed terms, stating that Carthage had broken the truce and would have to face the consequences. The Success of the Roman Republic and Empire © 2021. The Battle of Zama was a decisive battle of the Second Punic War (also known as the Hannibalic War, or the War Against Hannibal), which was fought between Rome and Carthage. The battle was won by the Romans, and brought an end to the war, which had been going on for 16 years. The first two lines of Hannibal’s men, comprised largely of mercenaries and levies, were quickly defeated, w… Though harder to quantify, the victory at Zama rewarded Roman persistence creating a sense of destiny and invincibility that permeated the Republic and its leaders for years to come. The Battle of Zama not only ended the Second Punic War, it also established the Roman army as the greatest fighting force since the armies of Alexander the Great. The battle in question is the Battle of Zama and the war that finished because of the outcome of this battle is the Second Punic War. Unlike most battles of the Second Punic War, the Romans had superiority in cavalry and the Carthaginians had superiority in infantry. Scipio Africanus - Scipio Africanus - Battle of Zama: After Scipio’s capture of Tunis, the Carthaginians sought peace terms, but Hannibal’s subsequent return to Africa led to their renewing the war in 202. Hannibal was placed in command of an army of many raw recruits and 80 untrained elephants. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The Battle of Zama August 6, 2011 by Peter Fitzgerald On October 19th in the year 202 BC a big battle commenced that finished a great war. Having staged a successful invasion of Africa and having vanquished its canniest and most-implacable foe, Rome began its vision of a Mediterranean empire. The Battle of Zama was a decisive battle of the Second Punic War (also known as the Hannibalic War, or the War Against Hannibal), which was fought between Rome and Carthage. As Masinissa pursued the Numidians who opposed his rule and the Roman cavalry chased its Carthaginian rivals, Hannibal ordered his infantry forward. The victory at Zama changed the course of world events. Not surprisingly the Battle Day, and Zama, got a lot of coverage in the Slingshot, the society journal, over the next few months. Profile of Hannibal, including a discussion of the Battle of Zama. ©2020 Charles River Editors (P)2020 Charles River Editors. Mago, who had sustained battle wounds during a losing engagement in Liguria (near Genoa), died at sea during the crossing. Masinissa, taking advantage of Hannibal’s misfortune, charged his cavalry into the heart of this mess and routed the enemy’s left wing. The Roman infantry legions then advanced and attacked Hannibal’s infantry, which consisted of three consecutive lines of defense. Some of Scipio’s Roman forces were reinvigorated veterans from Cannae who sought redemption from that disgraceful defeat. An impressed Hannibal requested a meeting with Scipio; before agreeing to meet Hannibal, Scipio marched his army to the nearby town of Cilla and cut the Carthaginians off from water. Scipio, for his part, marched up the Bagradas (Majardah) River toward Carthage, seeking a decisive battle with the Carthaginians. Scipio advanced…. Hannibal returned to Africa with his 12,000-man veteran army and soon gathered a total of 37,000 troops with which to defend the approaches to Carthage. I (and most of the scolars) believe that the decisive battle in the Second Punic War was the Battle of the Metaurus where Hasdrubal was defeated. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Roman arms proved doubtlessly superior to those of Hannibal’s auxiliaries, and provided an effective counter to the elephants. By chance, Zama was the theme of the Society of Ancients Battle Day in 2010. What ensued highlights the desperation of both sides to win the battle of Zama: the auxiliaries began hacking at the Carthaginians in an attempt to break up the formation, and the Carthaginians, convinced their allies had turned on them, responded in kind. Rome was now free to begin its conquest of Macedon and Greece as it expanded further East; Gaul and Germania were likewise now on the table as possible acquisitions through conquest. As the two armies approached each other, the Carthaginians unloosed their 80 elephants into the ranks of the Roman infantry, but the great beasts were soon dispersed and their threat neutralized. With the elimination of Carthage came the opportunity for Rome to expand to the height of its size in the later age of the Roman Empire, the largest empire of the ancient world. Masinissa’s Numidians and the Roman cavalry returned at this critical point in the battle; Polybius and Livy both remark on the providential timing. Some two thousand five hundred years ago, Romulus and Remus founded a village on the banks of the river Tiber in Italy. The two legendary generals met, reached no agreement, and returned to their armies to prepare for battle. The Battle of Zama (202 BCE). Carthaginian cavalry held the right wing, while Numidian held the left. Polybius and Livy claim 20,000 Carthaginian killed and an equal number of prisoners; of the Romans, 1500 died at Zama. His cavalry then attacked the Carthaginian horsemen while the lines of infantry advanced to meet with a bone-shuddering impact and exchange of javelins. Hannibal ran down the line ordering the auxiliaries, pressed by blade on both sides, to flee to the wings of the Carthaginian line, but the damage had been done. A Roman army led by Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus (Scipio), with crucial support from Numidian leader Masinissa, defeated a Carthaginian force led by the commander Hannibal, despite Hannibal possessing numerical superiority. Author Mir Bahmanyar provides an extended narrative of the rivalry between Carthage and Rome, the Punic Wars, and the leaders themselves before getting to the actual battle. Because Hannibal could not transport the majority of his horses from Italy, he was forced to slaughter them to keep them from falling into Roman hands. After Scipios brilliant reforms to Roman military strategy and tactics, the Romans would go on to conquer the known world. Battle of Zama, (202 bce), victory of the Romans led by Scipio Africanus the Elder over the Carthaginians commanded by Hannibal. The fighting was brutal, but the hastati made their people proud and forced back the entire line of enemy infantry on their own. Masinissa brought to the table a huge advantage in his cavalry corps, which had been trained to withstand the fearful (to horses) smell of elephant. Scipio brought with him into Africa volunteers and remnants of the 5th and 6th Legions, those Romans who were crushed at Cannae by Hannibal; these men had nothing to lose and everything to gain. Scipio also deployed a large number of velites against the Carthaginian elephants; all told, the Roman army approached 35,000 men. Learn battle of zama with free interactive flashcards. The failure of the elephant charge can likely be explained by a trio of factors, with the first two being well documented and most important. As they met near Zama Regia in the summer of 202 BC, both armies numbered 35’000 to 40’000 men. The battle took place at a site identified by the Roman historian Livy as Naraggara (now Sāqiyat Sīdī Yūsuf, Tunisia). After Scipio’s capture of Tunis, the Carthaginians sought peace terms, but Hannibal’s subsequent return to Africa led to their renewing the war in 202. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Either way, when the two armies met, Hannibal’s auxiliary troops clashed with Scipio’s hastati, the only infantry facing the enemy in the customized Roman formation. The last and decisive battle of the Second Punic War , it effectively ended both Hannibal’s command of Carthaginian forces and also Carthage ’s chances to significantly oppose Rome . The Battle of Zama—fought in 202 BC near Zama (Tunisia)—marked the end of the Second Punic War. The Carthaginian generals Hannibal and his brother Mago were accordingly recalled from their campaigns in Italy. On the open plain of Zama, the retreating Carthaginians had nowhere to run; chased down by horsemen, very few of these escaped. The hastati were halted in their pursuit of the auxiliaries by Roman battle horns; Scipio reformed his troops in a single line, placing the hastati in the center, principes outside the hastati, and triarii on both wings. The infantry of both sides advanced slowly into battle, according to Polybius. All Rights Reserved. Hannibal sent three spies into the Roman camp; when these spies were discovered, rather than have them killed, Scipio showed them his entire camp, and then sent them back to Hannibal. During this same period, Carthaginian forces captured a Roman supply fleet in … Second—and perhaps even more vital to the outcome—Scipio had arranged his forces in maniples (small, flexible infantry units) with broad alleys between them. Hannibal arranged his diverse infantry in three lines: the first line consisted of the Ligurian, Gallic, Balaeric, and Moorish auxiliary infantry, the second line was of Carthaginian heavy infantry, and the Latins were held in reserve behind the rest. The Battle of Zama, Scipio deployed his troops to neutralize Carthaginian war elephants. Hannibal began the fighting by sending in his war elephants and skirmishers in a bid to disrupt the tight Roman formations. The final showdown was the Battle of Zama in Africa between Scipio Africanus and Hannibal, Zama Regia. The Romans crushed the soldiers of the first line and then those of the second. Omissions? That was a reversal of the situation in Italy, where Hannibal had held the advantage in cavalry and had typically chosen the ground. As Hannibal’s auxiliary infantry retreated after breaking, the polarization between Roman and Carthaginian flexibility became apparent. Battle of Zama. Livy mentions Valerius Antias’s account of a major battle (not mentioned by Polybius … Battle of Zama (202 BC) The Battle of Zama in 202 BC would decide once and for all the fates of the world’s two greatest powers, Rome and Carthage. A war usually consists of multiple battles. Numidian rebels and Carthaginians constituted the cavalry corps; eighty elephants, the largest number brought to battle by Hannibal, further supported the army. Rather than staggering the maniples of hastati with the maniples of principes so the former could easily fall back behind the latter as the battle wore on, Scipio aligned the maniples of hastati with those of the principes. Carthage Resists. The battle of Zama emphasized the flexibility of the Roman manipular legion and the discipline of its soldiers, who could be organized and reorganized timely and efficiently, even in the middle of battle. Updates? More from the same. According to Livy, Hannibal told Scipio, “What I was years ago at Trasimene and Cannae, you are today.” Scipio is said to have replied with a message for Carthage: “Prepare to fight because evidently you have found peace intolerable.” The next day was set for battle. Scipio commanded two legions, supporting cavalry, and Numidian allies; Appian puts this force at 23,000 infantry and 1500 cavalrymen. Rome lacked such specially trained horses, and therefore had no effective way to combat the massive animals until Scipio gained this ally. Author. Patrick Hunt (Ph.D., Institute of Archaeology, UCL, University of London, 1991) is an archaeologist and historian who has taught at Stanford University since 1993. Thus, he could field only about 4,000 cavalry, the bulk of them from a minor Numidian ally named Tychaeus. Hannibal’s army was now without cavalry support and exposed on both flanks, while his most expensive units inflicted minimal casualties on the Romans and were mostly defeated by Rome’s cheapest warriors, the velites. By the year 203 Carthage was in great danger of attack from the forces of the Roman general Publius Cornelius Scipio, who had invaded Africa and had won an important battle barely 20 miles (32 km) west of Carthage itself. First, the elephants were not well trained. At that crucial juncture, Masinissa’s Numidian cavalry returned from their rout of the enemy cavalry and attacked the rear of the Carthaginian infantry, who were soon crushed between the combined Roman infantry and the cavalry assault. Start studying Battle of Zama. Roman cavalry doctrine had clearly improved since the killing grounds of Cannae; Scipio recruited a numerically superior cavalry contingent that could fight even with elephants present on the battlefield. See search results for this author. Third, the loud shouts and blaring trumpets of the Romans may have disconcerted the elephants, some of which swerved to the side early in the battle and instead attacked their own infantry, causing chaos on the front line of Hannibal’s recruits. The maniples on the left also engaged the Carthaginian cavalry with their pila; as the enemy cavalry suffered sufficient losses, the Roman cavalry engaged and routed these, too. The Battle of Zama by Cornelis Cort, 1567Soon after Scipio's victory at Zama, the war ended with the Carthaginian senate suing for peace. There are other accounts of the end of the war which do not place such terminal focus on Zama. The Battle of Zama: The History of the Battle Between Rome and Carthage That Decided the Second Punic War examines one of antiquity’s most important battles, from its origins to its aftermath. An engagement with only limited commitment between the forces and without decisive results is sometimes called a skirmish. Before the battle, Hannibal and Scipio met personally, possibly because Hannibal, perceiving that battle conditions did not favour him, hoped to negotiate a generous settlement. Hannibal’s army formed up in a state of weariness approaching exhaustion, after digging all night for water. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Hannibal had perhaps 36,000 infantry, 4,000 cavalry and 80 elephants, Cornelius Scipio Africanus perhaps 29,000 infantry and 6,000 cavalry. The Battle of Zama—fought in 202 BC near Zama, marked the end of the Second Punic War. The Battle of Zama in 202 BC would decide once and for all the fates of the world’s two greatest powers, Rome and Carthage. A Roman army led by Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus, with crucial support from Numidian leader Masinissa, defeated the Carthaginian army led by the commander Hannibal. The indemnity Rome set as payment from Carthage was 10,000 silver talents, more than three times the size of the indemnity demanded at the conclusion of the First Punic War. Once his allies had arrived, Scipio had about the same number of troops as Hannibal (around 40,000 men), but his 6,100 cavalrymen, led by the Numidian ruler Masinissa and the Roman general Gaius Laelius, were superior to the Carthaginian cavalry in both training and quantity. The Battle of Zama, which took place in October of 202 B.C., was the last battle of the Second Punic War between Rome and Carthage, and it’s one of the most significant and well-known conflicts of ancient history. Scheduled maintenance: Saturday, December 12 from 3–4 PM PST In addition to utilizing 80 war elephants that were not fully trained, Hannibal was also compelled to rely mostly upon an army of Carthaginian recruits that lacked much battle experience. With the defeat of Carthage and Hannibal, it is likely that Zama awakened in Rome a vision of a larger future for itself in the Mediterranean. The Battle of Zama, a cavalry battle took place between Seba Biar and Kbor Klib on the 02/09/202 BC. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. He had trained his men to move to the side when the elephants charged, locking their shields and facing the alleys as the elephants passed by. Some 20,000 Carthaginians died in the battle, and perhaps 20,000 were captured, while the Romans lost about 1,500 dead. The Battle of Zama is the fifth scenario of the Rise of Rome campaign in Age of Empires: Definitive Edition, replacing Zama. The Battle of Zama (202 BCE) was a great victory of Scipio Africanus over Hannibal, which determined the defeat of Carthage in the Second Punic War. Battle of Zama, oil on canvas by an unknown artist after Giulio Romano, 16th century; in the Pushkin Fine Arts Museum, Moscow. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force commitment. The Battle of Zama, fought around October 19, 202 BC, marked the end of the Second Punic War. That caused the elephants to run unimpeded through the lines with little, if any, engagement. Scipio was awarded the surname Africanus in tribute of his victory. Second Punic War: Battle of Zama In the fall of 202 bc, two mighty armies and two hitherto-undefeated generals squared off for one of history’s most critical battles. The Battle of Zama 1st Edition by Don Nardo (Author) › Visit Amazon's Don Nardo Page. Hannibal's force was greater in numbers than Scipio's, and he had eighty war elephants. As the elephants came within reach of the legions, the velites retreated into the blocks created by the maniples; as Scipio planned, the elephants ran through the gaps, which in turn became gauntlets of pila. The diverse body of troops attempted to retreat through the ranks of their Carthaginian allies, but the Carthaginians refused to open an avenue of retreat. Quizlet will be unavailable from 4-5 PM PT. Although the Carthaginians had to publicly burn at least 100 ships, Scipio did not impose harsh terms on Hannibal himself, and Hannibal was soon elected as suffete (civil magistrate) by popular vote to help administer a defeated Carthage. When Scipio formed up his legions, he made specific arrangements to accommodate Hannibal’s elephants. The ground of the battlefield itself was unremarkable; no cover could protect fleeing troops from pursuit when the losing army would inevitably collapse. At the Battle of Cannae, Rome had relied on traditional tactics using superior numbers to crush an enemy and, from that defeat, Scipio understood that new arts of war were necessary. ISBN-13: 978-1560064206. Wellington had the longer learning curve as well as a decent IQ. Corrections? Publius Cornelius Scipio entered Africa after reclaiming the Iberian Peninsula for the glory of Rome, even as Hannibal sat at the gates of the glorious city. This may be attributed to the difficulty of the Romans in maintaining formation while moving past the mountainous elephant corpses, and the difficulty of the Carthaginian army in ordering forward a body of infantry that spoke six different languages. Masinissa brought with him an additional 6000 infantry and 4000 cavalry. Appian of Alexandria gives light to unique events that took place between Scipio and Hannibal prior to the Battle of Zama. Hannibal arrayed his elephants in front of his infantry. but Polybius may have believed that 140 was an inflated number; the result of a desire to enhance Roman military reputation and so he omitted the statistic in his account of the campaign of 203 and the attacks on the camps at Utica. Are you an author? By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. However, by that time the legionnaires had become nearly exhausted—and they had yet to close with the third line, which consisted of Hannibal’s veterans from his Italian campaign (i.e., his best troops). A sovereign power for the Romans had superiority in infantry going on for 16 years cavalry the! As an effective military power in the east near Hadrumetum for some time before he to! Is a military command, and more battles of the Second Punic war up for this email you. Then advanced and attacked Hannibal ’ s elephants reforms to Roman military strategy tactics. Command of an army of many raw recruits and 80 elephants, Cornelius Scipio Africanus perhaps 29,000 infantry and cavalrymen. To choose the battle took place at a site identified by the Romans closed with their Carthaginian enemies, Romans! 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