THE Battle of Zama occurred in 202 a. Ç. marked the end of the second Punic War (218-202 a. C.) who opposed, on the one hand, the Romans, and on the other, the Carthaginians. Taking place in North Africa and south of the city of Carthage, the battle was also the stage where the strategies of two important military leaders from the two cities unfolded: Scipio the African, and Hannibal Barca.
During the Second Punic War, Hannibal Barca had managed to cross the Alps into northern Italy, after crossing the Iberian Peninsula. On the way, Hannibal managed to enlist thousands of Gallic mercenary soldiers, which made up for the losses of men that had occurred while crossing the European mountain range. The aim was to win the support of numerous cities in their action against Rome.
Despite all his military strategy and diplomatic actions with the cities of the Italian Peninsula, Hannibal was unable to totally defeat the Roman troops and invade the city. Hannibal imposed important victories on the hitherto invincible Roman army. But instead of concentrating their forces in battle on European soil, the Romans, under Scipio's command, decided to attack the city of Carthage. This strategy forced the return of Hannibal and his troops to North Africa.
Camped in Zama, Hannibal's troops awaited the arrival of Scipio and his men before starting the battle. Before, however, an attempt at a diplomatic agreement between the two generals was carried out, but without success.
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Hannibal's army had Gallic, Ligur, and Hispanic mercenaries in addition to his regular troops. In addition, Aníbal had the presence of numerous elephants, which represented an important attack strength differential in relation to the Romans. Hannibal's strategy was to use elephants in the first instance to wreak as much damage as possible on the front lines of the Roman army. With the opening of this space, the Carthaginians would attack with mercenary forces, finally seeking the Romans with regular troops.
What Hannibal did not count on was the strategy that Scipio had established to defend himself from the elephants' attack. The Roman general had placed spearmen and ground traps to undermine the elephants. The action was sure, weakening Hannibal's army in its main weapon. After attacking the elephants, the Roman infantry could enter the Carthaginian front line, then defeating the mercenaries and finally Hannibal's regular troops.
With this action, the Romans defeated the Carthaginians Zama and ended the Second Punic War. The victory guaranteed Scipio the title of “African”. But Carthage would be exterminated only in 146 a. a., when the Romans won the third and final Punic War.
By Tales Pinto
Master in History
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
PINTO, Tales dos Santos. "Scipio and Hannibal at the Battle of Zama"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/guerras/cipiao-anibal-na-batalha-zama.htm. Accessed on June 28, 2021.