The Tide Turns

The Roman Conquest of Spain

Scipio goes to Africa
Battle of Zama
 Panic after Cannae
• Rome braces for a siege that never comes
– Hannibal winters in Capua; northern and
southern Italy are his
– Rome returns to Fabian Tactics: refusing battle
to Hannibal, in an attempt weaken his forces by
desertion (fickle Gauls/unpaid mercenaries)
– Her central Italian allies remain loyal
 Return to Fabian Tactics
• Publius Cornelius Scipio the Elder and his brother
Gnaeus C. Scipio (both consuls) the war to Spain.
– To deprive Hannibal of any reinforcements and silver
• 212, Romans take Syracuse (had gone over to
Carthage after the death of Hiero II)
– Stubborn defense by Archimedes
• Archimedian crane/Death Ray?
– Killed by a Roman soldier as he finished a math
problem
 Archimedes of
Syracuse
Born 287 -- Died 212 BC
 The Siege of Syracuse
Marcellus, the
Roman commander,
lays siege to
Syracuse in 213 BC.
 Archimedes’ Burning Mirror

When the beams were reflected in the mirror, a fearful

kindling of fire was raised in the ships, and at the distance of a
bow-shot he turned them into ashes. In this way did the old
man prevail over Marcellus with his weapons.
 Archimedes’ Claw
Version 2

Version 3
 Death of Archimedes
Archimedes was killed in
212 BC during the capture of
Syracuse by the Romans in
the Second Punic War after
all his efforts to keep the
Romans at bay with his
machines of war had failed.
Plutarch recounts the story of
his killing-
 Death, continued

Archimedes ... was ..., as fate would have it, intent upon working
out some problem by a diagram, and having fixed his mind alike
and his eyes upon the subject of his speculation, he never noticed
the incursion of the Romans, nor that the city was taken. In this
transport of study and contemplation, a soldier, unexpectedly
coming up to him, commanded him to follow to Marcellus; which
he declining to do before he had worked out his problem to a
demonstration, the soldier, enraged, drew his sword and ran him
through.
 Death of the Brothers Scipiones
• 211 BC Hasdrubal (brother to Hannibal)
bribes allied Celts to desert the Roman
army.
• Roman armies got separated, Gnaeus
ambushed and killed.
– Publius retreats to hilltop (wagon circle) and
dies fighting.
 Scipio’s (Africanus) Life
• Age 17, saved his father at Ticinus
• Survived Trebbia and Cannae
• Against tradition, Scipio, 25, becomes proconsul
and sets sail for Spain.
– Nobody else wanted the command/vengeance for
Scipio
– Mago (having returned) and Hasdrubal defeated by late
209.
– Hasdrubal esapes Spain with small army to the Alps to
join his army (destroyed in Italy in 207).
– 206, Battle of Ilipa: Scipio secures Spain from Carthage
 Scipio in Sicily
• 205 Scipio becomes consul, is given Sicily
– Fabius denies him Africa
– Gets Cannae survivors trained for invasion
• Hannibal restricted to the toe of Italy
(Bruttium)
• Scipio sets sail for Africa in 204
 Invasion
• Scipio has the Numidians on his side:
Masinissa
• Hannibal is recalled for the defense; Scipio
took nearby city of Utica and nears
Carthage.
• The two armies meet at the Battle of Zama
on October 19, 202 BC.
 Battle of Zama
• Hannibal and Scipio meet face to face
before the battle
– Discuss terms? Wish to meet each other?
 Forces
• Carthage (Hannibal) • Roman (Scipio)
– 50,000 infantry – 34,000 infantry
– 4,000 cavalry – 9,000 cavalry
– 80 elephants • 6,000 Numidian

– 3 lines; rear all Italian – Special elephant tactic

veterans • Open rows in lines
– Elephants front row
 The Battle Itself
• The elephants charge, the 3 Roman lines open up
and let them charge through.
– Picked off by skirmishers in the rear
• Roman cavalry chases Hannibal’s off the field.
• Both the first and second lines are thrown in,
leaving the third lines of each to finish.
– Triarii vs. Carthaginian veterans
• Carthage starts to win, then Roman cavalry shows up at their
rear; rout ensues.
 Hannibal’s Escape
• Hannibal escapes to Carthage and sues for
peace.
– He sets Carthage on a path to prosperity again
• No large army; get back to merchant business
– Hannibal escapes an assassination attempt and
flees east, never to return.
– He flees east, as a general for hire, against any
power against Rome.