Battle of Zama
Decisive Roman victory ending the Second Punic War.
The Battle of Zama, fought in 202 BC in what is now Tunisia, was the decisive clash of the Second Punic War. A Roman army of about 40,000 men, led by Scipio Africanus, faced a Carthaginian force commanded by Hannibal that numbered either 40,000 or 50,000. Though outnumbered, the Romans had a stronger cavalry contingent, while the Carthaginians fielded 80 war elephants. The Carthaginian defeat was so complete that they surrendered, and Hannibal went into exile.
The war had begun in 218 BC when Hannibal invaded Italy, campaigning there for 16 years. In 210 BC, Scipio took over the struggling Roman effort in Iberia (modern Spain and Portugal) and cleared the peninsula of Carthaginians within five years. He returned to Rome, was made consul in 205 BC, and landed his army near the Carthaginian port of Utica the following year. After repeated defeats, the Carthaginians and their Numidian allies lost ground, and the Roman ally Masinissa became the leading Numidian ruler. Scipio and Carthage began peace talks, during which Carthage recalled Hannibal and Mago Barca from Italy. The Roman Senate approved a draft treaty, but once Hannibal arrived, Carthage rejected it. Hannibal marched inland to meet the Romans, and battle quickly followed.
The fighting began with a charge by the Carthaginian elephants. They were repulsed, and some retreated through the Carthaginian cavalry on each wing, throwing them into disorder. The Roman cavalry on both wings seized the opportunity to charge, routing the Carthaginian horsemen and chasing them off the field. Both armies deployed their close-order infantry in three lines. The first two lines clashed, and after a hard fight the Carthaginians were routed. The second Carthaginian line then launched a fanatical assault on the Roman first line, inflicting heavy losses and pushing it back. When the Romans committed their second line, the Carthaginians were forced to withdraw. There was a pause, during which the Romans formed a single extended line to match the Carthaginians. These two lines charged each other, according to the near-contemporary historian Polybius, “with the greatest fire and fury.” The struggle continued for some time with neither side gaining an advantage. Then the Roman cavalry returned to the battlefield and struck the Carthaginian line from the rear, routing and destroying it. Carthage was left without an army to continue the war. The peace treaty imposed by Rome stripped Carthage of its non-African territories and some of its African ones, and it was clear that Carthage was now politically subordinate to Rome.
- location
- what is now Tunisia
- combatants
- Roman army vs. Carthaginian army
- roman_commander
- Scipio Africanus
- carthaginian_commander
- Hannibal
Lore & Background
The battle opened with a charge by the Carthaginian elephants, which were repulsed, some retreating through the Carthaginian cavalry on each wing and disorganising them. The Roman cavalry units on each wing took advantage to charge their counterparts, rout them and pursue them off the battlefield. The two armies' close-order infantry were each deployed in three lines. The first two lines engaged each other and after a hard-fought combat the Carthaginians were routed. The second Carthaginian line then fanatically assaulted the Roman first line, inflicting heavy losses and pushing it back. After the Romans committed their second line the Carthaginians were forced to withdraw. There was a pause, during which the Romans formed a single extended line, to match that of the Carthaginians. These two lines charged each other, according to the near-contemporary historian Polybius 'with the greatest fire and fury'. The fight continued for some time, neither side gaining the advantage. The Roman cavalry then returned to the battlefield and charged the Carthaginian line in the rear, routing and destroying it.
Reader's Guide
The Battle of Zama was the decisive engagement of the Second Punic War. Carthage was left with no army with which to continue the war. The peace treaty dictated by Rome stripped Carthage of its non-African territories and some of its African ones. Thereafter, it was clear that Carthage was politically subordinate to Rome. The main source for the battle is the historian Polybius, whose account is considered broadly objective but has been debated. Modern historians largely accept Polybius's account at face value, though some details are missing or fragmentary. The battle demonstrated the effectiveness of Roman cavalry tactics and the vulnerability of war elephants when properly countered. It ended Hannibal's long campaign and established Rome as the dominant power in the western Mediterranean.
Did You Know?
- The Carthaginians had 80 war elephants at the battle.
- The Roman cavalry routed the Carthaginian cavalry and pursued them off the battlefield, later returning to charge the Carthaginian line in the rear.
- The peace treaty stripped Carthage of its non-African territories and some of its African ones.
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