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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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.