Battle of Zama (202 BC). Animated Map. Hannibal vs Scipio

Support us on Patreon:   / parabellumhistorychannel  

The Second Punic War lasted seventeen years. At the beginning of the war, Fortune smiled on the Carthaginians. The magnificent Carthaginian winning streak ended with a disastrous debacle of the Roman army at Cannae. Many Roman allies turned away from them. The king of Macedonia, Philip fulfilling his deal with Carthage, attacked the Romans. Sicily and Sardinia, which Romans had recently conquered, revolted against their rule. The fate of the Roman Republic hung in the balance.

Rome had to mobilize all its forces to change the course of this war. Every year Roman and Carthaginian armies met on the battlefields in Italy, Spain, and the Mediterranean islands, but the count of victories started to lean in Rome's favor.

Only nine years after the battle of Cannae, Hannibal's brother Hasdrubal gathered an army and led it to Italy. Romans met his army near the Metaurus river in northern Italy. In the battle that followed Carthaginian army suffered a crushing defeat, and Hasdrubal fell in this battle. It was the first truly significant Roman victory over Carthaginians on Italian soil. Carthaginian casualties were so high that Romans called this battle "Revenge for Cannae."


There was a single man behind many of Roman victories. Many years ago, at the hour of shame and despair of the Romans, on the field of Cannae, there was a young military tribune named Publius Cornelius Scipio. He grew up in this war, and when his time came after his father and brother fell in Spain took command of the Roman forces.

In 205 BC, already as a consul, Scipio was on Sicily. He planned to bring the war to Carthaginian soil to force Hannibal to return to Africa to protect the capital.

But he was allowed to recruit new forces and to use two legions he already had under his command. Scipio spent a lot of time training them. He introduced a new system of signals for more efficient control of the troops on the battlefield. A few years ago, Scipio made an alliance treaty with the Numidian king Syphax and befriended Masinissa, the Numidian prince.

But the Carthaginians married Hannibal's niece Sophonisba to Syphax, even though she had been engaged with Masinissa. This broke the alliance between Syphax and Rome but also turned Masinissa away from Carthage.

But even in such unfavorable circumstances, Scipio decided to bring the war to Carthaginian soil. In 204 BC roman fleet sailed from Lilibeum and landed on the African coast. Right after landing, Romans besieged Utica, the ancient Carthaginian capital. Scipio didn't have a lot of troops, just around 20 or 30 thousand. That's why Scipio decided to devastate the Carthaginian mainland and hope for luck in a decisive battle.

Panic gripped Carthage. They relied on mercenaries and allied troops and didn't have a regular army. But almost all mercenaries were in Italy with Mago and Hannibal. Allied troops had yet to be gathered. While Scipio was busy with the siege, Carthaginians gathered an allied army twice as big as the Roman one. From the position of strength, Carthaginians offered peace talks, and Scipio agreed. He was waiting for Masinissa, who was gathering troops all over Numidia.

Roman scouts came close to their camps and set them on fire at night. At the same time, Roman legions marched on them. Panic gripped punic soldiers, and they started to run for their lives. Romans were able to disperse the enemy army. Hasdrubal fled the battlefield, and the Romans captured Syfax. After this, the Roman cavalry commander Gaius Lelius helped Masinissa to take control of Numidia.

After this defeat, the Carthaginian senate asked for peace again, and Scipio agreed to a truce. Carthaginian envoys went to Rome so the Roman senate would approve the peace treaty. At the same time, when they left Carthage, messages were sent to Mago and Hannibal asking the generals to return to Carthage.

But unfortunately for Carthage, the Romans defeated Mago's in the battle of Insubria and mortally injured Mago himself. Together with remnants of his army, Mago sailed to Africa, but he died from his wounds before his fleet reached Carthage. Hannibal also sailed back home. But he lacked ships to take all his troops with him. That's why Hannibal took with himself only his battle-hardened veterans who were with him from the very beginning of the war.

When forces arrived in Africa, the Carthaginians broke the truce. They attacked the Roman fleet, sunk Roman ships, and killed Roman envoys. Hannibal was gathering forces and preparing the army for the decisive battle.

Hannibal still hoped to make peace with Rome and offered Scipio to meet. But they couldn't find common ground. Hannibal rejected the former peace agreement and put forward new, unacceptable conditions for Rome.

The battle of Zama was inevitable.