Zama, Battle of

Britannica Concise

Print Article :: Email Article :: Cite Article

Battle of Zama

Engagement in which the Romans under Scipio Africanus the Elder decisively defeated the Carthaginians led by Hannibal, ending the Second Punic War.

As the Romans marched on Carthage, Hannibal returned from Italy to defend the city. He was overwhelmed by a combined force of Romans and Numidians under Masinissa. Carthage ceded Spain to Rome, gave up most of its ships, and began paying a 50-year indemnity to Rome.

Images and Media:

More on "Battle of Zama" from Britannica Concise:

Masinissa - Ruler of the North African kingdom of Numidia.

Scipio Africanus (the Elder) - Roman general in the Second Punic War.

Hannibal - Carthaginian general, one of the great military leaders of antiquity.

More on "Battle of Zama" from the 32 Volume Encyclopædia Britannica:

Zama, Battle of - (202 BC), victory of the Romans led by Scipio Africanus the Elder over the Carthaginians commanded by Hannibal. It was the last and decisive battle of the Second Punic War. The battle took place at a site identified by the Roman historian Livy as Naraggara (now Saqiyat Sidi Yusuf, Tunisia). The name Zama was given to the site (which modern historians have never precisely identified) by the Roman ...

Scipio Africanus - After his capture of Tunis, the Carthaginians sought peace terms, but Hannibal's subsequent return to Africa led to their renewing the war in 202. Scipio advanced southwestward to join the Numidian prince Masinissa, who was bringing his invaluable cavalry to his support. Then he turned eastward to face Hannibal at the Battle of Zama; his outflanking tactics failed against the master from whom he ...

Scipio Africanus - Roman general noted for his victory over the Carthaginian leader Hannibal in the great Battle of Zama (202 BC), ending the Second Punic War. For his victory he won the surname Africanus (201 BC).

Hasdrubal - Carthaginian general customarily identified as the son of Gisco.

Hannibal - The treaty between Rome and Carthage that was concluded a year after the Battle of Zama frustrated the entire object of Hannibal's life, but his hopes of taking arms once more against Rome lived on. Although accused of having misconducted the war, he was made a suffete (a civil magistrate) in addition to retaining his military command, and as suffete he was able to overthrow the power of the ...

To cite this article:

MLA style:
"." Encyclopædia Britannica. . Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. <>.
APA style:
. (). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved , , from Britannica Concise Encyclopedia:

Search for "Battle of Zama" at Encyclopædia Britannica Online for all this plus dictionary definitions, magazine articles, and more.

Britannica Concise is a complete, 28,000 article, single-volume encyclopedia from the editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. Visit Encyclopædia Britannica Online to access the complete Encyclopædia Britannica, the Britannica Student Encyclopedia, a world atlas, interactive timelines, Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary and Thesaurus, hundreds of magazine titles, daily features and much more.