The Battle of Zama (202 B.C.E.)

[@snakey934Snakeybakey]

these two men also had a tremendous amount of respect for one another, in fact the Romans actually destroyed Scipio's journals after his death because they were so complementary of Hannibal, whom Scipio viewed as a teacher more than an enemy.

[@animula6908]

Hannibal: the o g magnificent bastard

[@lostvayne3977]

That’s actually really cool honestly How do we know of Scipio’s actions without his journals? Did they destroy most or all of them

[@martinrosenberger]

@@lostvayne3977 probably the senate just wrote about how they burned them and they praised Hannibal, because they were scared of figures like scipio, the senate does this types of things, they did the same with Tiberius, which was in fact not a bad emperor.

[@denusklausen3685]

Wasn't Scipio tasked with razing Carthage later? A cruel way of making him lose the respect. Or am I wrong?

[@sic5764]

​@@denusklausen3685 Different Scipio, that one was the cousin of Scipio Africanus and was called Scipio Africanus the younger

[@Azaghal1988]

To Hannibal's comment about being remembered as the greatest general of all time if not for Zama: I think he has a shot at that even with Zama. His Battles are taught more than 2000 Years after he lost, and even his enemies feared and admired him long after his glory days. Greetings

[@cpob2013]

caesar is the better general. caesar, pompey, octavian, antony, trajan, belassarius, all of them were better generals. hannibal fought 1 war and he lost it. he lost big. sure he had good battles but he couldnt fight a war.

[@mohamedyabre2633]

pompey, octavian, antony, trajan, belassarius better than Hanibal? no

[@cpob2013]

mohamed yabre they could actually win wars

[@TheBacknblack92]

my top 5 1. Alexander 2. Caesar 3. Sabutai 4. Hannibal 5. Napoleon

[@cpob2013]

***** "you know how to win victories, but you do not know how to use them" he could never gain anything from his wins.the entire italian campaign was meaningless.

[@BazBattles]

Scipio was a badass

[@chrishansen456]

oof

[@coolbear5598]

BazBattles i

[@orbisdux1397]

BazBattles could of been the first emperor wayyyy before Cesar

[@juanmontojo2595]

BazBattles I

[@hydra1259]

BAZ!

[@evertenplaza3673]

"Oh my god its the cavalry"

[@RickyBobby_USA]

I know...it would bother me to no end that I had cavalry behind me...maybe Hannibal hoped he would finish off the Romans before they returned...but why wouldn't he be able to see them coming?

[@TheBacknblack92]

+RickyBobby BobbyRicky you can only play with the hand you're dealt. Hannibal was pretty screwed as soon as his elephants veered off course into his own cavalry. He did the best he could in that situation and had his cavalry lead them on a wild goose chase hoping they would take themselves out of the battle like the Roman middle took themselves out at lake trasame. if he could finish off the Romans before the cavalry came back then he'd win. It was the best solution in a bad situation, but even the best solutions don't always work

[@MultiGreatNinja]

So tracer was the reason why the roman's won that day

[@thelurkingpanda3605]

it was effective in keeping the cavalry (which outnumbered them) off them for the whole battle (until the end) almost looks planned.

[@gabemerritt3139]

+jessie briones I got the joke don't worry

[@Daladari]

Council; "Ha! No army for you!" Scipio: "Yo! Who wants to invade Africa?" Veterans all together "YEEEEAAAAAHHHH"

[@skeptic781]

Daladari XIII get rekt senate xd

[@milesbeler3974]

"Let's name it after me when we're done!"

[@parthiancapitalist2733]

That council is called the Senate

[@thegrass7199]

Scipio : look at me I'm the Senate now!

[@colonelkernelcob8487]

Senate: Oh... *F U C K*

[@worsethanjoerogan8061]

It must have been infuriating for Hannibal to win victory after victory, but be unable to finish off Rome because the Carthaginian Senate wouldn't cooperate. He's like "I'm winning, send more troops and money" and Carthage is just like "Nah you got this, we don't feel like spending the money".

[@OCinneide]

They did send help but it got cut down. Hasdrubal tried to reinforce him but got killed in northern Italy and his other brother lost the war in Iberia.

[@fdkfskfkvmk441254741]

@@OCinneide Yeah Hasdrubal and his army got destroyed in battle of Metaurus.

[@dreamhunterscuffy869]

And then Hannibal lost ._.

[@timothymclean]

Carthage didn't have the money or troops to spare. The problem wasn't apathy, it's that Hannibal was basically the only successful Carthaginian general.

[@devvv4616]

The Roman Senate were also pulling strings against Scipio, good thing he still overcame it.

[@Comradcommodore]

Scipio is one of the most underrated not talked about people from his time. Defeated Hannibal , fought amazingly in Spain , got offered a crown but he turned it down , volunteered to lead the army cause no one else wanted too , and then in his later years was put on trial by jealous senators. The dudes life is a awesome action movie lol , I hate that no one knows who he is

[@danielhercules2061]

Idk if you found it, but there is a pretty good trilogy written by Santiago Posteguillo, Africanus.

[@Comradcommodore]

@@danielhercules2061 I'll check it out 100%

[@babaguy04]

Bro replied 5 years later that's crazy

[@Comradcommodore]

@@babaguy04 I'm still alive and trucking lol

[@babaguy04]

@@Comradcommodore Good to see take care lol

[@506thLittleberry]

According to a famous and well respected historian (me), the first elephants veered into their own cavalry because Scipio deployed his secret weapon, the fearsome war mouse, onto the field of battle.

[@MalucoLapin]

tite-live pretends that romans horns were so loud they scared the elephants.

[@mightypsychobat9144]

Actually... They weren't mice... They might have been tar-burning pigs

[@soniabu2316]

@@MalucoLapin With thousands of men blowing them in unison they very well could be,

[@no.5304]

I have no words. You’ve earned 3 subscribers because I have 3 accounts

[@kocakOFarc]

this is my favorite youtube comment ever

[@LordVarangian]

wait what? did the roman cav finally did something?

[@TheWoollyFrog]

Roman cav? I didn't even know such thing existed.

[@Greensiteofhell]

Usually they forced broken tribes etc into the cavalry service or hired some from there allies. The early Roman cavalry was nobles and alike.

[@TheWoollyFrog]

Greensiteofhell Yes, it was a joke to hint at their mercenary and unqualified upper class aspects of it.

[@zeus0710]

hahahaha finally but half of the cav was numidian mercenaries

[@omarsherif9086]

Armin Cal Numidian* Nubia is south of Egypt, Numidia is on the North West of Africa

[@rin_etoware_2989]

As Cicero said, Inter arma enim silent leges. In times of war the law falls silent.

[@cr3160]

Matthew Tolentino Literally translates roughly to "Laws are silent between weapons (arms)"

[@myownchannel3050]

Nowadays Marshall Law

[@pijon4924]

Lol thanks for the clarification I was like "where's the verb!"

[@hedgehog3180]

Honestly Zama is probably my favourite historical battle. There is so much history, and drama and everything jam packed into that one battle. And the entire war. The world would have bern so much different had it gone differently.

[@Garrett1240]

I completely agree. One of the most momentous events in recorded history.

[@mayheim6535]

but not iconic like cannae

[@peterongan9655]

@@mayheim6535 Cannae is one-sided which is boring.

[@zaarongaming8174]

@@peterongan9655 Cannae had one-sided results, but the battle itself was anything but. For most of the battle, Rome was dominating Carthage. It was only once Hannibal's 8000 Libyans trapped the Romans that the tides of battle changed.

[@eutropius2699]

My favorite battle during the Punic wars is the naval battle of Ecnomus Which is STILL the largest naval battle in history

[@infidelheretic923]

“Elephants are overrated.” -Hannibal (at some point probably)

[@markcannon8522]

😂😂

[@Captain_Mercury]

Probably after zama

[@TheLastYokel]

@@Captain_Mercury definitely after Zama XD

[@liriani]

yeah they were fucking stupid

[@robmeehan7208]

"The elephant threat had now been neutralized." Didn't expect to hear that today, but I'm glad that I did.

[@Aravaganthus]

Hannibal might have had the most experienced soldiers in human history in his army, but Scipio had the most *motivated* soldiers in human history in his.

[@feelthepony]

scipio was backed by the state,hannibal never was.

[@cpsoup8775]

@@feelthepony backed by the state? They gave scipio 0 legions, he had a lot of enemies in the senate, if they let scipio gather men it was cause they had the hope that he would die in africa, i think they fear Scipio just look at the end of his life and career, humiliated and exiled from rome. Scipio was a genius just like Hannibal, but both of them where abandoned by their states

[@equalssign44]

Great generals don’t listen to thier governments.

[@SuperDeadzombeh]

@@equalssign44 that's just asking to lose horribly

[@bkjeong4302]

cp soup Ironically they died in the same year in the same situation; as two old military geniuses surrounded by political enemies and hiding in exile.

[@CrackSmonka]

Why are there so few videos of Scipio's life and great battles? He was arguably the best general in Rome's history, and he contributed to expand its power more than anyone else even with all the hate he received from his own Senate. Please make more videos about Africanus. Top five in the Generals Hall of Fame for sure.

[@bello9740]

agreed. doesn't get enough love for his contributions

[@dyingearth]

History are written by people with grudges. Scipio had a LOT of enemies in Roman Senate, including one Cato the Elder who always advocated the total destruction of Carthage. It got so bad he finally quit the political life and retired. He got more enemies writing slanders against him than friends.

[@danielhercules2061]

Hey, idk if you have found it, but there's a pretty good (and kinda historically accurate) trilogy written about the whole life of Scipio. Africanus, by Santiago Posteguillo

[@RyRy2057]

Sometimes I feel bad for Hannibaby, but then I remember we'd have no Caesar if he'd won.

[@obibellowme]

Hannibaby😂😂😂

[@red_isopat]

But would there be a Carthaginian version of Caesar?

[@RyRy2057]

+Gentel Noober Probably not, as the Carthaginians weren't into conquest as much as colonization/tributary states. Hispania was an except rather than the rule. They were content to buy out Saharan people's instead of fighting them.

[@akatsukami9578]

+Gentel Noober: Depends on how much you like Spengler's (Oswald, not that guy who writes for the _Asia Times_) metahistoriical theory.

[@maxradke2189]

but... rome is love... rome is life...

[@zecoregamer5288]

8:29, then the winged hussars arrived

[@casparvoncampenhausen5249]

Nice

[@user-wd1tt2qw8d]

"UM Azctully Winged hussars didn't exist back then 🤓"

[@leahcollins8037]

Literally thank you for this whole series! I've got my GCSE Classics Mock Examination tomorrow afternoon, which is all about the second Punic war and we have to know the battles inside and out. Thanks for the brilliant descriptions, I'm feeling confident going into this now!!

[@gaiusjuliuspleaser]

Do Carrhae next, please! It's an interesting, unusual battle AND a great story about greed and hubris.

[@justsumguy6700]

They've done one already visit the channel

[@gaiusjuliuspleaser]

Son of Egypt That was on the Battle of Cannae, against Hannibal in Italy. I meant Crassus' battle against the Parthians.

[@obibellowme]

Have you read the forgotten legion? It's a really entertaining and informative book and it has a lot of detail about the battle of carhae

[@gaiusjuliuspleaser]

Noah Borch I haven't, but I will! Thanks for the tip!

[@justsumguy6700]

+Sacha Daenens my bad sorry

[@martonk]

Praised be the glory of HISTORIA CIVILIS

[@TheZod00]

Keep these videos up dude, they are amazing! I never lose interest even for a second.

[@wojciechzakowicz8910]

I really like that you're so focused on strategy and organization. It's like a 40-minute documentary cut down only to the parts I'm interested in. As far as I'm concerned, you don't need to add anything to your format.

[@htf5555]

Poor hanny. Wanted to be destroyer of Rome instead became its teacher.

[@soundgfx7166]

the roman cavalry finally managed to do something

[@jmiquelmb]

Hidenori Shimazu Funny thing, it wasn't even Roman. They were foreign allies. Romans were shit at cavalry and ships, but their heavy infantry, logistics and war economy was A++

[@no.5304]

It was mostly the Numidians

[@emirabdelkader8868]

Numidian Cavalry the best of Africa and Mediterranean

[@alex_zetsu]

It was the Roman cavalry, not their higher quality Numidian counterparts which won the day. Most of the Numidians just persued the Carthaginian cavalry endlessly after the battle or stormed Hannibal's empty camp. The Roman cavalry, when they finally realized what was going on, they only managed to get a small contingent of their Numidia allies back

[@neutronalchemist3241]

@@jmiquelmb Romans higly valued their cavalry. They know it would have fought in numerical inferiority in much clashes, but they didn't count on cavalry to win battles. They only needed their cavalry to prevent the enemy one to surround their infantry and launch a cohordinated attack on it. A task that the Roman cavalry fulfilled much of the times.

[@infidelheretic923]

This is way more exciting than any fantasy battle I’ve ever read.

[@gtabigfan34]

So, what's next? You finished all about Hanny. I would really like to see about Alexander or Napoleon.

[@nikoscarrotkiller1947]

hanny..i bet nobody ever called him that

[@ricericericericericericerice]

There are lots more roman battles to talk about. I'd love videos on Constantine's wars. The Milvian Bridge in particular

[@Hero101010]

+Adolph Hitler Uhhh. What about your exploits, Adolph? The early years of blitzkrieg would also make for an interesting video series.

[@DBeiki]

Napoleon would be good but i would also love to hear some persian or chinese battles, but it may not be in his area of expertise.

[@rexvonrex1767]

I support the claim for Alexander videos!

[@davea99]

I always get excited when you post a new video

[@chewbacca4072]

NGL it's really weird going back to some of your older videos and seeing some people as circles. Gave me a nostalgia flashback

[@Flyingtart]

Best part of the day is when you come home to chill online and see Historia Civilis has uploaded a new video.

[@beansbeans9972]

Take a look at these great generals, Alexander The Great, Julius Caesar and Hannibal. They were all excellent generals, but two of them (Alexander and Caesar) both were rulers or had a fair amount of power ( E.G Caesar as Rome had a senate not a monarchy in his time conquering Gaul). Hannibal didn't have that much power. The leader of Carthage at the time should have seen his victories at Trebia, Trasimene and Cannae, and sent more supplies and men to him. They didn't though, so Hannibal couldn't besiege Rome. I think the leader of Carthage at the time thought that if Hannibal captured Rome and won the war, he/she (I don't know who they were) would be overthrown. If he had the support or was a ruler, then maybe Hannibal would be considered the greatest general of all time.

[@ageco.6896]

Carthage was an oligarchic republic, they did not really have a single leader.

[@ageco.6896]

It means it was a republic however a lot of power was held higher up. Oligarchic meaning lots of power held by a "small" group.

[@ageco.6896]

+Cecil Holstein Ya basically from what I understand.

[@TheBacknblack92]

The oligarchy was extremely corrupt and jealous of Hannibal. the oligarchy ruled Carthage. Hannibal did basically become chief magistrate of Carthage after Zama. His reforms and payment plans with Rome were actually pretty successful. Rome became extremely concerned with how quickly Carthage was getting back together under Hannibal so they basically forced Carthage to send him into exile

[@TheAlgorath]

Hamilcar Barca was the major force behind the first punic war, yes.

[@NetGhoul666]

That was more fascinating than every history lesson I had in school. Alexander the Great or Genghis Khan would be lovely.

[@mynameisinigomontoya8179]

Actually Hannibal had hundreds of latins from Italy in his last line that he pressed into service. He kept them in the rear just in case they decided to turn sides and help the Romans so it would be easier to defend against a betrayal with his second line. This was according to the writings of levy.

[@giftzwerg7345]

That doesnt really make sense tho, if they betraied him he would be surrounded. It is allso well know that he kee his elite in reserve, somthing he commonly did. Unreliable troops are to be put in front of you or maby in second line. Bc if they betrai you in the first, not mutch changes, more so, unless there is a secret agreemen t( in whitch case you are fucked either way and then it would still be better to have them in fornt of you.) They will have to be ready to fight the romans, bc they dont know / can trust them. so Having them in the middle as cannon fodder / a barrier make a lot more sense.

[@justin908]

This makes me excited for Lindybeige's In Search of Hannibal graphic novel!

[@XXTheMoleXX]

Great video and great channel. I think one of the unique things you add to the library of historical analysis here on KZbin is that you are really good at providing perspective for important events/situations that might otherwise be overlooked by someone less learned. For example: the way you described Scipio's success in Spain and his rise through the ranks despite lacking the prerequisites really brings down to Earth (for me, at least) the importance of his commanding abilities during 2nd Punic War. Anyway, keep up the good work.

[@hoop6988]

I agree.

[@davemartino4953]

these videos are of exceptional quality, keep up the fantastic work!

[@classycthulhu8449]

Ex Deo brought me here. For those who don't know, Ex Deo is a Canadian death metal band whose songs mainly revolve around roman history. There latest album, Immortal Wars, is about the 2nd Punic war, with one of the final songs being about the battle of Zama.

[@riftbandit223]

8:27 that drama build up tho xD lol I was on the edge of my seat.

[@ideallyjekyl5200]

Oh I'm so glad to see another video from you.

[@alucardromeo]

that fcking war elephant symbol XD

[@lactosetheintolerant1812]

+Corey Messick Except that studies suggest that those who use more "vulgar" language tend to be more intelligent. Also this is compounded by the fact that only the witless think that certain words are inherently "good" or "bad." The only thing that matters to the punch of the word is the context in which is used, and how people interpret them. In other words, fuck off. I hate people language policing over a collection of throat noises apparently being inherently "good" or "bad." That kind of objective morality DOES NOT EXIST in language. If that were the case, then comedy would simply not exist as we know it.

[@gianferrepuse8873]

Goodness I love this! It gives a whole new perspective of ancient battles. It also made me miss playing "Rome: Total War", loved that game

[@jakethespaceman9896]

Romans: Oh, no. We're fighting the most experienced army in history. Roman Cavalry: Cheers, Luv! The cavalry's here!

[@--9120]

You're videos are awesome, glad to see more

[@paulduffy4585]

This is my social life, here at 1am after two hours of reading strangers arguing about a 2000 year old battle. Phone at 4%. Ready to die. When it does I'll be relieved and pissed off all at once. Poor Hannibal. The student had become the master.

[@hugohom2280]

this is thebest video in youtube ive seen it like 10 times

[@Alliloux]

Wonderful content. Thank you. I'd love to see something on Frederick the Great.

[@BeesNTrees47]

HC everytime i re listen to your work i gain a new layer of appreciation. You can pack more value in your videos in ten minutes than i often get from hour long podcasts. For example, including that tiny tidbit about his army trying to declare him king, thats a very important little detail absent from a very lengthy podcast and here you are pluggin it in with a quick sentence.

[@michaelpisciarino5348]

0:10 Publius Cornelius Scipio 0:53 Landslide Election to Consul 2:30 3:17 The Most Experienced Army in Human History 5:47 Elephants and Cavalry Gone, Infanty Vs Infanty. FIGHT 7:30 Oo. Hannibal Was Ready 8:25 The Roman Cavalry Got The Carthaginians!

[@someguy9293]

So in short this was Hanable's waterloo.

[@kucingcat8687]

Some guy not really, in the battle of Waterloo, Napoleon army were outnumbered and in this battle it was Hannibal's army that outnumbered the Roman army.

[@IMPERATOR-EL]

not really, the army was really 3 parts, 1 part was hannibals army from italy and the other two were carthages forces, at the begining of the battle the other two parts abandoned hannibal to fight with his part of the army, in reality he was outnumbered

[@nickcara97]

More like Hannibals Leipzig

[@TomSeliman99]

Waterloo is an overrated battle. Napoleon was outnumbered

[@fernandoespinosa1596]

Napoleon lost in Russia.

[@ekin4260]

Great job as always. Zama is one of my favourite battles of all time, and you managed to make it even more exciting than it normally is.

[@Ollie2220]

I love your videos, really have sparked an interest in Roman and other ancient civilizations battle tactics and political scenes. Keep making them :)

[@alfinandy1612]

Omg i was so happy when i saw this at my feed

[@magnvsmarcvs]

This was just what I needed :)

[@mmadddog]

Garbage always gets taken out in the end...good work Scipio

[@Punicia]

He used Hannibal’s tactics against him. Hannibal was the better general tired from constant government rejection and troop disobedience. Disrespecting someone doesn’t give you a better legacy than them.

[@mmadddog]

@Punicia I think your in the wrong discussion group,..what i meant to say was,...Garbage=filthy,dirty pile of ___t

[@ElectronLord]

YES I LOVE THIS CHANNEL

[@cmdrfrosty3985]

Scipio exists Carthage:Why do I hear boss music

[@cameronlingo2969]

Right before the battle Hannibal found a save point, extra health and ammunition.

[@samhughes8436]

Great vid man

[@frauleinhohenzollern]

I can't believe we know as much as we do thousands of years after this happened. It's incredible

[@JoshBruzzzano]

You just keep getting better and better. I fucking love this channel

[@Derederi]

New video!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAAAAAAAY!!!!!!!

[@paulteti]

OUTSTANDING! Thanks for the great videos.

[@howwwwwyyyyy]

He was one of the greatest generals of all time-they still teach Cannae today

[@Mingus718]

I love this channel so much

[@blonded0532]

3:08 I’d say that if Caesar had any soldiers that participated in all of his campaigns from Gaul to Egypt, they’d be the most experienced army in history,

[@casparvoncampenhausen5249]

He did, the tenth, he raised them in Gaul, they fought there, in the civil war, in Egypt and in the civil war in Africa again, during that time, they mutinied twice due to their term if service expiring (twice)

[@Rpgesusgoingin]

He did he had a lot of them I’ve seen people in documentary’s say they’re some of the most experienced soldiers in history

[@Chaz-q2l]

very helpful video

[@TheScott10012]

2:21 check the spelling of "invasion". Great video btw!

[@BroodyQuil]

The Senate was very nervous when they wrote the decree.

[@TheScott10012]

+monsterGrey5 Hahahahaha

[@SGTRVN1]

He put that in on purpose, for you nitpickers.

[@OHYS]

@@BroodyQuil it's not often a reply to a comment gets more likes than the original comment itself.

[@paulteti]

Outstanding, thanks for the video.

[@Blacksmith__]

I feel like you should have developed Scipio and Hannibals's relationships with the Numidians and the maneuvering before the battle, although it would've made the video longer. Relevant stuff that makes the battle itself even more dramatic.

[@dexterjettster8875]

this one is my favorite battle on your whole channel

[@19maurice66]

Love the videos, would you consider branching out more into other periods of history? I'm particularly interested in the Napoleonic era, Talavera or Waterloo would be fascinating.

[@Grumppant]

Another excellent video! Good job!

[@tempestandacomputer6951]

Napoleonic warfare HAS to be something to come from the future from you guys!

[@Max-zr7hr]

Can't get enough of these videos great job!

[@stevenreid2223]

5:40-5:55 The skirmishers are just like, I'm gonna pretend like this never ever happened.

[@maxiritzer9061]

I thought I would be the only one who noticed it.

[@FH_Forge]

dude I love these videos, try are everything I hoped I would've learned in history classes. thank you!

[@FH_Forge]

*they are

[@thefrosty1925]

2 videos in 1 month? The God's are pleased with Rome this day! Praises be to Venus and Mars!

[@k0a1a5F0rLife]

Best video yet. Keep it up!

[@stevecarnall832]

That was his father that died at Cannae. His name is publies Corneulious. Scipio is his son.

[@moonknightish]

His father died in Spain.

[@Sebach82]

Damn, man, these are getting better and better!

[@Sebach82]

I just realized that this is the battle that they were "recreating" in the Colosseum for Russel Crowe in "Gladiator." Isn't it?

[@AhrimanVII]

Awesome work as always. I don't know if you have the time to do the proper reaserch but could you one day do some videos about the tactics and battles of Tamerlan? ( He arguably had the best army ever in human history) It would allow you to use more of these war elephants symbols ^^

[@rolfskytte]

Wow thanks for this video. Unique ambience and very good recounting of this historical event.. Good stuff

[@saftsuse866]

Scipio was the greatest Roman who ever lived. In comparison Cesar was a despot. Scipio could have gone for the throne, but did not put himself before the republic as Cesar did. And to that alone we should honour him. Scipio was the first Roman general to expand Roman territories outside Italy and islands around the Italian mainland when he conquered the Carthaginian territory of Iberia for Rome. But that was not his greatest feat. After the victory over Hannibal he acted forgiving. Many Roman aristocrats expected Scipio to raze Carthage to the ground after his victory. However, Scipio dictated extremely moderate terms in contrast to an immoderate Roman Senate. While the security of Rome was guaranteed by demands such as the surrender of the fleet, and a lasting tribute was to be paid, the strictures were sufficiently light for Carthage to regain its full prosperity. With Scipio's consent, Hannibal was allowed to become the civic leader of Carthage. He was during his lifetime greatly hailed for his intellect. He was probably the greatest proponent for grecophilia, and thus helped bring Greek philosophy and art to Rome. While Cesar conquered a whole lot more new land for Rome, Scipio stopped the Republic from falling apart by stopping Hannibal. And stopping Hannibal wasn't just a military victory, before that he had to defeat the paralyzed Senate. In comparison Cesar brought civil war and devastation to Rome in order to get his will across. In contrast Scipio tried to bring the Romans together. In the end Scipio was betrayed by the Senate. Unfounded charges were put against him that were only meant to discredit him before the public. He ordered his burial to be far from the city of Rome and wrote on his grave "Ingrata patria, ne ossa quidem habebis" - ungrateful fatherland, you will not have my bones. His great intelligence, tactical and strategic understanding, his willingness to fight for what he believed in, his ability to not put himself first, his sense of justice and his mercy - this is the reason I believe Scipio was the greatest Roman leader there ever was. But this is also the reason he is not remembered as such. We tend to remember the big conquerors, the emperors, the dictators, the tyrants. I fear if Hitler had lived in the Roman times we would have celebrated him above Scipio as well. But to me Scipio was the greatest Roman who ever lived.

[@johnkim7802]

@Saft Suse Well stated! You couldn't have said it better!

[@charliesaint]

@@johnkim7802 This comment was plagiarized from Wikipedia.

[@charliesaint]

@Águila701 Scipio's legacy is just "sort of putting the final nails on the coffin" of Carthage? How about being responsible for the future greatness of Rome?

[@DocterWaffles]

@Catch_Me_If_You_Can how was he not

[@greenmushroom4258]

Great as always

[@StealthDonut1]

Well done! This is a great series, sir! I'd like to request you do a video on the Battle of Isandlwana and/or Rorke's Drift, or Cowpens (sometimes called "Little Cannae") and Guilford Courthouse, but any good battle video will do! :)

[@danielfalhofaastrup1763]

Yet another great video!! :)

[@Fergus99]

Those elephants tho, great video as always:)

[@killamonjaromon]

wow you make these battles sound really entertaining. This video was well worth the wait.

[@iigel352]

Hannibal was an exellent tactician but that was it, while scipio was a multi talented guy who excelled hannibal at basically everything else, especially the grand strategy, leadership, and diplomacy.

[@Diogenerate]

thank you for making these

[@tomcat-ek3bh]

Like you have your boy Caesar, I have my homie Hannibal.

[@as7river]

Your homie Hannibal's got nothing on my boy Caesar. My boy literally destroyed the Roman Republic, something Hannibal never could do.

[@ED-wf1pu]

Love your videos Keep them coming

[@Telsion]

where did the skirmishers go? or were they like normal troops but with ranged weapons? bc then you should have added those divisions back as regular infantry imo XD

[@ql9066]

no, they are ranged units, they normally don't have great first line ability xD

[@TheBacknblack92]

They were ranged troops. what use could they have been after they did their jobs? Having them throw missiles during the brawl would hit their own troops. They were probably lightly armoured so sending them into a meat grinder vs armoured troops could cause a mass route.

[@ql9066]

And roman skirmishers were used to desorganizate(idk if this is good spelled) the enemy troops and not to kill.

[@Telsion]

since the main Roman soldiers also had throwing spears, thats where my confusion came from. everyone, thx for the answers!

[@ql9066]

Telsion lol

[@aramhalamech4204]

What strikes me as interesting when it comes to Hannibal's comment about the battle, is that it is him bragging about his own achievements as well as a huge indirect compliment to Scipio.

[@chipaway]

Casualties: Rome/Scipio (army of 35.100): 2,500 killed 4,000 wounded Carthage/Hannibal (army of 40.000): 20,000 killed 20,000 captured seems to me like hannibal "got knocked the fuck out"!

[@IMPERATOR-EL]

i dont believe the sources on that battle

[@kittenkat4987]

Hannibal got Hannibaled.

[@raminoramino4805]

Google that : Battle Of Cannae

[@chipaway]

ramino ramino i did. what about it?

[@african8855]

Great work and your vids are getting only better.

[@TheFancyRoman]

Wait... you said "years later", so does that mean that Hannibal lived after the battle of Zama? Wouldn't Rome just kill off the person who won Rome in 3 different battles? Couldn't Hannibal maybe recruit another army? No? I just think that if you lose 3 battles against a general and then finally win, you shouldn't let him live.

[@RickyBobby_USA]

Wiki that...it talks about his exile and death.

[@VMUDream]

This battle was the end of the second punic war and they went on to fight a third. So ya maybe killing him would have been a good idea.

[@TheBacknblack92]

he didn't just live, he became chief magistrate of Carthage. Hannibal was only 43 at Zama. the corrupt carthaginian oligarchy was jealous of him but he reformed the system, brought about elections, and set up installment payments so carthage could pay back Rome without completely destroying their economy. The Romans were extremely alarmed at how fast Carthage was getting on her feet and becoming prosperous again under Hannibal, so they demanded Hannibal be sent into exile. They should have been worried, the general that spanked them over and over was a huge threat if carthage got back on her feet. Carthage was basically a defeated client state so it's not like they could refuse.

[@TheBacknblack92]

he didn't just live, he became chief magistrate of Carthage. Hannibal was only 43 at Zama. the corrupt carthaginian oligarchy was jealous of him but he reformed the system, brought about elections, and set up installment payments so carthage could pay back Rome without completely destroying their economy. The Romans were extremely alarmed at how fast Carthage was getting on her feet and becoming prosperous again under Hannibal, so they demanded Hannibal be sent into exile. They should have been worried, the general that spanked them over and over was a huge threat if carthage got back on her feet. Carthage was basically a defeated client state so it's not like they could refuse.

[@RickyBobby_USA]

Keeping a country poor is still a tactic employed today. Even keeping your citizens poor.

[@CampbellMcIntosh]

These videos are the best! Keep it up!

[@jurjen8703]

that's some ride of rohirrim shit

[@Marcatordu44]

This is really good video mate : the presentation and the speech are really good ! Continue like that !

[@karl_fookin_tanner9605]

my tiny brain cannot comprehend a 19 year old general leading military campaigns, look at what the 19year olds in this generation are doing...

[@ImperatorRom]

Think about Alexander, General at 16, King at 20, Emperor at 26, dead at 32 :/

[@moonknightish]

Scipio was 19 during the Battle of Cannae, but he wasn't a general at the time.

[@AnhTrieu90]

Yes, Scipio was 19 at the Battle of Cannae, and he was just a leader of a unit, not a general. The Battle of Zama happened 14 years after that. So he's 33 at the time.

[@malnutritionboy]

Johnny Zhu And what the fuck are you doing? you ain't a general boy

[@karl_fookin_tanner9605]

Melting Clocks Looks like I hit someone's sensitive spot

[@franzluggin398]

Such an entertaining video, again! I wanted to throw in something more unusual, something that might not be covered 1000 times already, as input for what to do next, if you actually wish to continue with something else: The battles of the Thirty Years War, the total shift of focus during the war, a military dominant Sweden, a recently conquered Prague that was held against the Swedish assault that continued until after the final truce was signed.