Chester 1 Tristan Chester Ms. Bergen English 10 28 October 2011 Scipio Africanus: The Battle of Zama Scipio Africanus led the Roman Empire to dominance, clearly making him one of Rome's greatest commanders. Scipio had a higher level of strategic thinking during his time, always considering all angles and end results. Scipio Africanus, a Roman commander during the Second Punic War, used innovative tactics in the Battle of Zama to win the war, which resulted in long-term effects on Rome as well as Carthage. In preparation for The Battle of Zama in Africa, Scipio first made sure it was his priority to obtain an ally. Although the senate had approved Scipio's campaign in Africa after his victory at Ilipa and was elected consul, it still seemed to be a high risk. If Scipio was defeated, it would destroy Rome's only force in Africa as well as leave Rome vulnerable to attack. On the other hand, once Hannibal, the Carthaginian commander, was recalled to confront Scipio, if Scipio proved victorious it would leave Carthage open for attack and lead to Rome's supreme power over the Mediterranean world. Scipio wanted to be certain he would win the battle, so he first invested his time in gaining a new ally, the Numidians. Masinissa, who was originally Carthage's Numidian cavalry commander, became bothered by the Carthaginians and realized Scipio's victories so he agreed to join Scipio (Gabriel 18). Carl J. Richard, an associate professor of Louisiana at Lafayette, states that "because the Carthaginians did not treat their allies as well as the Roman's did, they proved far less loyal" (Richard 153). This proves that Scipio must have been more understanding of Masinissa, a subtle but brilliant tactic that Hannibal overlooked. Chester 2 Roman commanders continued to do this even after this war having learned how important maintaining their allies were. Scipio's early realization of this must have led him to believe that this would be the first step to a victory at Zama where it would lead to Rome's greater power. At The Battle of Zama in 202 BC, Scipio was able to read Hannibal's formation and adapt his own formation accordingly. Scipio saw that Hannibal placed his typical three lines with the veterans in the back row and the cavalry on the wings. He also noticed that Hannibal deployed his elephants in the front of his army. In response, instead of the typical Roman checkerboard formation, Scipio made it so that the maniples of each of his three lines, the hastati, principles, and triarii, were directly behind the one in front of them. He also filled in the gaps in the front with velites and cavalry on the wings, the right side being led by Massinissa (Gabriel 186). Daniel A. Fournie, an intelligence analyst at the Defense Intelligence Agency and an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve, explains in his article that "by using this formation Scipio hoped to neutralize the shock of Hannibal's charging elephants by allowing them to pass through these lines in his army" (Fournie 6). This shows how Scipio was able to react to Hannibal's formation efficiently and successfully. This innovative way of strategically thinking was rarely seen in ancient commanders, making him one of Rome's best commanders that future ones admired and learned from. It is clear that "Scipio was also a brilliant tactical commander and very much a military reformer" (Gabriel 18). With this, Scipio changed Roman tactics of warfare, helping Rome win many other battles in the future. With his new innovative strategy, it finally led to the last stage of the battle. Scipio was able to win The Battle of Zama after expertly executing a surrounding tactic, seemingly just as Hannibal did at Cannae. At The Battle of Cannae, Hannibal made his greatest victory where he had totally surrounded and destroyed the Roman army. Now as Scipio had Chester 3 planned, his cavalry came in the rear of Hannibal's army and forced them to retreat (Gabriel 197). Polybius says that "the contest was for long doubtful, the men falling where they stood out of determination, until Massinissa and Caelius arrived providentially at the proper moment" (Cottrell 238). This prime example proves that Scipio's innovative tactics were precise, successful, and perfectly executed. "Scipio Africanus, who learned most of his military art from Hannibal, developed into a new and unfamiliar type of leader, the solider-statesman whose grand strategy extended into regions beyond the battlefield" (Cottrell 248). This shows that although Scipio was able to learn from Hannibal, it is quite evident that he further developed and intertwined it with his own strategies which far exceeded any other commander's capabilities. This battle that Scipio strategically won led to Rome gaining even more power than it had ever before. Scipio's innovative tactics led him to win the Battle of Zama as well as being the victor of The Second Punic War. Scipio was able to send Rome on its path to controlling all of the Mediterranean world. His victory at Zama led to the sack of Carthage where Rome was able to increase its power significantly. The serious threat posed by Carthage and Hannibal was finally brought to an end. It is quite evident that "because of Scipio's victory, Rome, rather than Carthage, would dominate the Mediterranean world. It was the Romans who modified and spread Greek culture and, eventually, Christianity throughout the Mediterranean world and Western Europe" (Richard 131). This demonstrates the historical significance that Scipio's victory had and how the world would have been different back then and possibly even today if Scipio had not won The Battle of Zama. Scipio was also "setting Rome on the path to conquering and ruling the whole western world" (Richard 157). This demonstrates another long-term affect on Rome of how it led to it having greater power as it continued spreading their empire in Africa, Spain, and eventually Chester 4 regions even further east. Scipio truly set Rome on its path to continue to be the dominant force in the Mediterranean world. Another long-term affect in Rome was that commanders began to be named after the regions they conquered. Scipio was highly admired by his soldiers, generals, and even civilians (Barrow, 61). His victory at Zama even gave him greater notoriety. When Scipio returned to Rome, "he was given title "Africanus" in honor of North African victories" (Richard 156). This was the first time in history that the region of a conquered place was added to one's name. A Roman's name typically only consisted of his tribe (nomen), his personal name (praenomen), and his family name. After being entitled "Africanus," it set a trend in ancient Rome for commanders to be commonly named after regions that they conquered. Because Scipio was given the title "Africanus," it made another long-term impact on Roman society as now commanders were often named after regions they conquered. Scipio's victory also had specific consequences on Carthage as well. After Scipio's victory at Zama, soon followed by the sack of Carthage, Carthage was forced to abide by the treaty offered by Rome. Rome, taking advantage of the situation, made it so that "Carthage was further restricted from making war on anyone inside or outside of Africa without permission from Rome" (Gabriel 200). This shows that Rome had complete control over the Carthaginians and would remain as the dominant power. This also hurt Carthaginian society as other civilizations attacked them and were often not permitted to fight back. Richard also explains that "the Romans also forced the Carthaginians to pay a huge indemnity of 10,000 talents, to relinquish their war elephants, and to cede Spain and Southern France to the Romans" (Richard 156). This significantly weakened their empire for a prolonged amount of time, until The Third Punic War occurred and Carthage was utterly destroyed, a horrific turn for their society as their Chester 5 culture and architecture was lost. Scipio's victory at Zama led to long-term effects on Carthage that resulted in the decline of their empire. During the Second Punic War, Scipio Africanus was able to strategically gain victory of the war at the Battle of Zama, affecting both Rome's future and Carthage's. It is intriguing how one man can have such a dominant significance on a society, clearly making Scipio Africanus an important historical figure as a commander who changed the world. Chester 6 Works Cited Barrow, R.H. The Romans. Chicago: Aldine, 1964. Print. Cottrell, Leonard. Hannibal: Enemy of Rome. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1961. Print. Fournie, Daniel A. "Clash of the Titans at Zama." Military History 16.6 (2000): 26-32. Print. Gabriel, Richard A. Scipio Africanus: Rome's Greatest General. Washington, D.C.: Potomac, 2008. Print. Richard, Carl J. Twelve Greeks and Romans Who Changed the World. New York: Barnes and Nobel, 2006. Print.