Scipio Africanus: A Reappraisal

[King of Asgard]

This article is a study of the life and career of Scipio Africanus, surely one of the greatest commanders in Antiquity. He is mostly remembered for defeating the great Carthaginian general, Hannibal Barca at the Battle of Zama on October 19 202 BC. However, this was merely the pinnacle of a long and illustrious military career. So, just who was Scipio Africanus?

Before I begin to answer this question, I must give some background information. Scipio's life was centered around the Second Punic War. This itself was part of a larger series of conflicts between the nations of Rome and Carthage for control of the western Mediterranean, known as the Punic Wars (264-146 BC).

**From here on, all dates will be in BC, unless I specify otherwise**

ROME
Rome was founded in 753, according to mythology and, through conflict with the various other peoples in the Italian peninsula, such as the Etruscans, Gauls and Samnites, was shaped into a martial culture. In around 500 BC, Rome overthrew the kings which had ruled it up to that point and created a Republic. By 265, Rome was completely in control of the Italian peninsula and had established itself as a regional power. This now brought it into direct contact with Carthage.

Carthage
Carthage was founded in 814 and was located on the coast in what is now Tunisia. It was powerful trading empire in the Western Mediterranean, with colonies in Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, the Balearic Islands and Spain. In sharp contrast to today , the land in North Africa in and around Carthage was extremely fertile, supporting the large number of people who lived there. At the same time, money from trade poured into the city's coffers while a large and professional navy patrolled the seas.

The Roman Military System
At the time of the Punic wars, Rome did not yet have the professional army we usually associate it with. Instead, it had a militia system whereby armies were called up during a war and then disbanded afterwards. Every soldier in the army had to supply his own equipment. A legion (roughly 5,000 men) in this period would have consisted of roughly 4,200 infantry and about 300 cavalry. The legionaries (heavy infantry) would have been divided into three lines: the first line (Hastati), who were in their early twenties and very eager, the second line (Principes) who were more heavily armoured than the Hastati and were in their late twenties and the third line (Triarii) who were the oldest and most veteran. There were also roughly 1,200 light infantry called Velites attached to the legion. These were the youngest and poorest and were only armed with a small bundle of javelins. Roman cavalry were recruited from Rome's upper class (since they were the only ones who could afford a horse) and were generally quite poor in terms of quality. Supreme Roman commanders in this period were elected magistrates called consuls. Two of these were elected each year and and it was both a military and political position.

The Carthaginian Military System
Unlike Rome, Carthage did not use soldiers recruited from it's own populace. It instead chose to use mercenaries and allies from many different cultures in it's armies. These included Gauls from what is now France, Spaniards, Libyans, Numidians (from what is now Algeria) aswell as elephants. The Gallic and Spanish contingents provided both infantry and heavy cavalry, while the Numidians were provided light cavalry. In most Carthaginian armies, the Libyan heavy infantry were the best troops. While this system gave Carthage an excellent balance of forces, all the troops were from different cultures and spoke different languages. This meant that Carthaginian armies generally had to spend a good deal of time together before being put in the field. Unlike, Roman consuls, Carthaginian generals were not politicians and their position at the head of their army was more permanent than than their Roman counterparts.

I will be uploading the next section as soon as possible!

[Daryl]

I don't remember this character. I'll have to check my Who's Who and MU Handbook collections.

[Jeff Brady]

I think the problem here is that we lack context.

Is this something we're supposed to care about? Why? Is it supposed to be part of some other thread?

[WillieMorgan]

I love history and there is nothing above that is either false nor copied that I can tell.

Don't understand where the relevance is in posting this on a comic book forum though. Don't mean any offense King Of Asgard, if you want to get into the old history thing then let's go.

[thespianphryne]

Guys, it's really not well done to mock a poster or her interests simply because the thread topic has no value or relevance to you. Just leave the post alone.

OP: if you feel you've posted in the wrong board please contact a board moderator.