Join Luke and Chris in the bunker as they recount the battle of Zama – the final battle of the Second Punic War. Beer this month is Celtia, 3 bullets out of 5. In this battle, Roman commander Scipio Africanus faces Carthaginian legend Hannibal Barca. The battle would decide the fate of much of our world today and many of our languages bear the imprint of this fateful battle. In this episode, you’ll hear more than a battle but the story of a death of a world.
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Battle Maps:
Hannibal begins the battle with his war elephants charging at Roman front. Scipio orders his cavalry to blow loud horns to terrify the charging elephants. The panicked elephants turn at the Carthaginian left wing and disorder it.
Roman right wing charges and routs the Carthaginian cavalry, followed by the Roman left wing routing the Carthaginian right wing. Remaining elephants are lured through the lanes and killed.
Carthaginian cavalry routed off the field. Scipio attacks Hannibal’s first and second line of infantry and routs both lines.
Scipio and Hannibal rearrange their troops in a single line and battle remains a stalemate until Roman cavalry returns and attacks Hannibal’s infantry at the rear.
References:
Rome and Carthage by T.A. Dorey and D.R. Dudley
The Histories by Polybius
History of Rome from its Foundations by Livy
The Oxford History of the Classical World by Griffin Murray (ed.)
A History of Rome (3rd edition) by Marcel Le Glay, Jean-Louis Voisin and Yann Le Bohec
Music References:
“O Fortuna” by Carl Orff
“The War” by Mclain
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