Zama, Battle of

Battle fought 202 BC in Numidia (now Algeria), in which the Carthaginians under Hannibal were defeated by the Romans under the younger Scipio, so ending the Second Punic War. The Carthaginians were forced to give up Spain and were also subject to harsh peace terms.

The Carthaginians had 80 elephants as their shock arm, but these got out of control, some turning back and throwing their own cavalry into disorder. The Romans, simply parted their ranks to allow the elephants to dash past, then closed up and attacked the Carthaginians, killing 20,000 according to legend although Hannibal himself escaped.