When was Scipio Africanus alive?
Scipio Africanus, also called Scipio Africanus the Elder, Latin Scipio Africanus Major, in full Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus, (born 236 bce—died 183 bce, Liternum, Campania [now Patria, Italy]), Roman general noted for his victory over the Carthaginian leader Hannibal in the great Battle of Zama (202 bce), ending ...
How did Scipio aemilianus die?
Astin, Scipio Aemilianus, Oxford, 1967, p. 241, and the reference to the funeral oration of Laelius which apparently implied that Scipio's death was the result of natural causes.
How old was Scipio Africanus when he defeated Hannibal?
In desperation, the Roman Senate eventually turned to an unproven 24-year-old Scipio—son of Publius Scipio, the general defeated and slain by Carthaginian forces in 211 BCE—to remove the threat of Hannibal's forces from Rome's doorstep.
Who did Scipio Africanus defeat?
In 202 B.C., Scipio defeated Hannibal in the Battle of Zama and ended the Second Punic War. He died circa 183 B.C. in Liternum.
How did Hannibal die?
At some point during this conflict, the Romans again demanded the surrender of Hannibal. Finding himself unable to escape, he killed himself by taking poison in the Bithynian village of Libyssa, probably around 183 B.C.
What is Scipio helmet?
Scipio Africanus' Helmet is an unique medium helmet which has the ability of allowing an unused action point, to be transferred to the next turn and the unit then has two actions points to spent.
Who was the strongest Roman soldier?
Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus was perhaps the greatest of Rome's generals. He was a man who never lost a battle, and who defeated the most dangerous enemy Rome had ever faced. From his first combat experience at Ticinus, it was clear that the young boy was a skilled warrior and talented commander.
Who named Africa?
the RomansAll historians agree that it was the Roman use of the term 'Africa' for parts of Tunisia and Northern Algeria which ultimately, almost 2000 years later, gave the continent its name. There is, however, no consensus amongst scholars as to why the Romans decided to call these provinces 'Africa'.
Who was the most powerful Roman?
AugustusGaius Octavius Thurinus, also known as Octavian or “Augustus,” served as the first official emperor of the Roman Empire, and is often seen by historians as the greatest.
Did Scipio and Hannibal meet?
On the eve of the battle Hannibal requested a meeting with Scipio and the two men met face to face. Perhaps unusually, Hannibal was not very keen to fight and tried to negotiate peace terms but they were flatly refused by the Roman general.
Was Scipio better than Hannibal?
Hannibal is the more well-known out of the two generals. Hannibal is a better general than Scipio Africanus because he was a master mind with his tactics, great at winning the big battles, and people believed in him and what he was doing.
Who were the most elite Roman soldiers?
Legionnaires. The legionaries were the elite soldiers. A legionary had to be over 17 years old and a Roman citizen. Legionaries signed up for at least 25 years service, and at the end of the 25 years, they were generally awarded land they could farm and/or a large sum of money.
Was Scipio better than Hannibal?
Hannibal is the more well-known out of the two generals. Hannibal is a better general than Scipio Africanus because he was a master mind with his tactics, great at winning the big battles, and people believed in him and what he was doing.
Who defeated Hannibal at Carthage?
Publius Cornelius ScipioThe Battle of Zama was fought in 202 BC near Zama, now in Tunisia, and marked the end of the Second Punic War. A Roman army led by Publius Cornelius Scipio, with crucial support from Numidian leader Masinissa, defeated the Carthaginian army led by Hannibal.
Why did Scipio weep over the destruction of Carthage?
According to the Histories of Polybius, Scipio burst into tears when he saw Carthage perishing amidst the flames, and stood long reflecting on the inevitable change which awaits cities, nations, and dynasties.
What was Scipio known for?
Scipio was one of the greatest soldiers of the ancient world; by his tactical reforms and strategic insight, he created a new army that defeated even Hannibal and asserted Rome's supremacy in Spain, Africa, and the Hellenistic East.
How did Scipio die?
Scipio retired to his country seat at Liternum on the coast of Campania. He lived there for the rest of his life, revealing his great magnanimity by attempting to prevent the ruin of the exiled Hannibal by Rome. He died probably in 183 BC (the actual year and date of his death is unknown) aged about 53. His death is said to have taken place under suspicious circumstances, and it is possible that he either died of the lingering effects of the fever contracted while on campaign in 190 BC, or that he took his own life for causes unknown. He is said to have demanded that his body be buried away from his ungrateful city, and the Emperor Augustus is said to have visited his tomb in Liternum more than 150 years later. However, it is not certain that he was actually buried at Liternum, and no contemporary accounts of his death or funeral exist. It is said that he ordered an inscription on his tomb: Ingrata patria, ne ossa quidem habebis ("ungrateful fatherland, you will not even have my bones").
How many sons did Scipio Africanus have?
Scipio Africanus had two sons. The elder Publius Cornelius Scipio was appointed an augur in 180 BC; he never ran for office due to poor health. The younger Lucius Cornelius Scipio became praetor in 174 BC, and was expelled from the Senate by the censors.
What did Scipio do to help the Romans?
He obtained a rich cache of war stores and supplies and an excellent harbour and base of operations. Scipio's humanitarian conduct toward prisoners and hostages in Hispania helped in portraying the Romans as liberators as opposed to conquerors. Livy tells the story of his troops capturing a beautiful woman, whom they offered to Scipio as a prize of war. Scipio was astonished by her beauty but discovered that the woman was betrothed to a Celtiberian chieftain named Allucius. He returned the woman to her fiancé, along with the money that had been offered by her parents to ransom her. This humanitarian act encouraged local chieftains to both supply and reinforce Scipio's small army. The woman's fiancé, who soon married her, responded by bringing over his tribe to support the Roman armies.
Why was Scipio praised by Livy?
For his self-restraint in putting the good of the republic ahead of his own gain, Scipio was praised by Livy for showing uncommon greatness of mind —an example conspicuously not emulated by Marius, Sulla or Caesar. The relatives of Scipio continued to dominate the republic for a couple of generations.
What was Scipio's greatest achievement?
The victory was one of the feats that earned him the agnomen he is best known for: Africanus . Scipio's conquest of Carthaginian Iberia culminated in the Battle of Ilipa (near Alcalá del Río, Spain) in 206 BC against Hannibal's brother Mago Barca.
When was Publius Cornelius Scipio born?
His birth year is calculated from statements made by ancient historians (mainly Livy and Polybius) of how old he was when certain events in his life occurred and must have been 236/5 BC, usually stated as circa 236 BC.
How many soldiers did Hannibal have?
Hannibal could boast a strength of around forty thousand : 36,000 infantry and 4,000 cavalry, compared to Scipio's 29,000 infantry and 6,100 cavalry. The two generals met on a plain between Carthage and Utica on October 19, 202 BC, at the final Battle of Zama.
Who Was Scipio Africanus?
Scipio Africanus was a member of a patrician Roman family. His father, a Roman consul, was killed during the Second Punic War. Scipio took up the mantle of military leadership and proved himself to be a gifted general and tactician. In 202 B.C., Scipio defeated Hannibal in the Battle of Zama and ended the Second Punic War. He died circa 183 B.C. in Liternum.
What city did Scipio conquer?
Two years later, he took the city of Carthago Nova (New Carthage), the center of Carthaginian power in Spain. This gave Scipio access to a new cache of weapons and supplies. At the Battle of Baecula in 208 B.C., Scipio defeated Hasdrubal (Hannibal's brother), who escaped to Italy with some of his troops.
Why was Hannibal recalled from Italy?
Hannibal was recalled from Italy in order to defend Carthage. In 202 B.C., the armies of Scipio and Hannibal faced each other in the Battle of Zama. During the conflict, the Romans sounded horns that panicked the Carthaginian elephants, causing them to reverse and trample many of Hannibal's troops.
Why did Scipio fight for Rome?
Scipio rode into the battle of the Ticinus River to rescue his father in 218 B.C. Scipio continued to fight for Rome as Hannibal's army moved into Italy.
What battle did Scipio fight in?
Scipio continued to fight for Rome as Hannibal's army moved into Italy. In 216 B.C., at the Battle of Cannae, the Romans suffered heavy losses after being encircled by Hannibal's forces. Scipio survived the battle, and regrouped at Canusium with 4,000 other survivors. He also kept some of these men from deserting.
What was the charge against Scipio?
Scipio faced charges of bribery and treason that were intended to discredit him, and he left Rome in 185 B.C. At the approximate age of 53, Scipio died at his estate in Liternum, Campania (now Patria, Italy), circa 183 B.C.
Who was Hannibal in the Punic War?
In 219 B.C., Hannibal, a Carthaginian general, started the Second Punic war by attacking the city of Saguntum (Sagunto, Spain), an ally of the Roman Republic. Scipio—who had been trained to become a military leader — followed his father into war to defend Rome's strategic interests. Scipio rode into the battle of the Ticinus River to rescue his father in 218 B.C.
Who is Scipio Africanus?
In this novel people who had suffered an untimely death were reincarnated in an England recovering from a nuclear war; Scipio Africanus was a famous war hero and a detective inspector in the Metropolitan Police.
How old was Africanus when he died?
Africanus died in the Great House aged eighteen.
Where did Africanus live?
Very little is known of Africanus' life. He was the slave of Charles William Howard, 7th Earl of Suffolk, who lived in the "Great House" in Henbury, Bristol. It is not clear how he came to the household; historians believe that he may have been born into the household as the son of an enslaved West African woman, and named by Howard.
Who wrote the song "Scipio Africanus"?
The Bristol-based reggae band Black Roots wrote a song about Scipio Africanus which they performed live at Trinity Hall, Bristol on Channel 4 's 10-part series Rockers Roadshow, produced by Mike Wallington and hosted by Mikey Dread in the 1980s. They featured a short scene of the grave.
Why did Howard want to free Africanus?
One biographer has suggested that Africanus' name implies that Howard intended to free him for loyal service because the Roman historian Polybius wrote about how the Roman general Africanus freed people he had enslaved who promised to work hard. Africanus died in the Great House aged eighteen.
Why did Numantinus get the name Numantinus?
He received the name Africanus and celebrated a triumph in Rome after his destruction of Carthage (146 bc ). He acquired the (unofficial) name Numantinus for his reduction of Spanish Numantia (133 bc ).
What was Scipio's political apathy?
Scipio’s early political apathy was soon cast aside; by 152 he had probably been elected quaestor, which was the first rung of an official career, and had entered the Senate. But at the same time, he was also pursuing his cultural interests: he was among the young nobles who were attracted by the lectures of three visiting Athenian philosophers whose views on political morality shocked more old-fashioned Romans, such as Cato. Scipio achieved public acclaim in 151. A series of disasters to Roman armies in Spain resulted in such reluctance to undertake military service in the peninsula that, in a dispute over the levy, the consuls who were responsible for it were even temporarily imprisoned by the tribunes who opposed the levy. In the crisis, Scipio, who had been assigned to Macedonia, inspired confidence by volunteering to serve in Spain instead; his example was immediately followed by other officers and men.
What was Polybius's goal?
Under Polybius’ guidance, he was determined to prove a worthy representative and to pursue the normal aims of a Roman noble: honour, glory, and military success. Polybius emphasized two aspects of Scipio’s character, his personal morality and his generosity.
What was the name of the camp that the Carthaginians attacked?
The two consuls besieged Carthage by land and sea, but later in the year, after one had returned to Rome, the Carthaginians launched a night attack upon the camp of the isolated Manilius, a situation that was retrieved only by the skill of Scipio.
What was Scipio's education based on?
This education, based on a combination of Greek and Roman culture, set the direction of Scipio’s further interests. He was introduced to military life in 168, when he and his brother served under their father in the Third Macedonian War.
Who was Scipio Africanus?
Scipio Africanus the Younger, also called Scipio Aemilianus, Latin Scipio Africanus Minor, in full Publius Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus Africanus (Numantinus), (born 185/184 bc —died 129 bc, Rome), Roman general famed both for his exploits during the Third Punic War (149–146 bc) and for his subjugation of Spain (134–133 bc ).
Who was Scipio in the Macedonian War?
Background and early life. Scipio was the second son of Lucius Aemilius Paullus Macedonicus, hero of the Third Macedonian War and son of the consul (of the same name) who fell at the Battle of Cannae in 216.
Who were Scipio Africanus' parents?
Scipio Africanus was born Publius Cornelius Scipio, in 236 BC, in Rome, Italia, in the Roman Republic. His parents, Publius Cornelius Scipio and Pomponia, were Roman aristocrats and descendants of Etruscan Elites.
Where was Scipio born?
He was born in Rome in 236 BC and was raised in a family of aristocrats. He was raised as a proper statesman and received military training early in his life. His father, Publius Scipio, was elected as one of the consuls of the court in 218 BC. He died in a battle at the Spanish coast in 212 BC.
Why did Scipio plan to attack Carthage?
Using his sharp tactical mind, Scipio planned to attack Carthage (Africa) to grab Hannibal’s attention. Hannibal was planning an attack on Italy. However, due to the envy of the others in the senate, Scipio was not given any additional troops beyond the Sicilian garrison.
What battle did Scipio Jr. fight?
Inspired by this, Scipio Sr. took his son with him to the Battle of Cannae in 216 BC. It was there that Scipio Jr. came face to face with the powerful military strategies that Hannibal had formed to ensure the defeat of the Romans. The Romans lost 44,000 men in the battle and were badly defeated.
How many men did Scipio have to leave Rome?
However, he still volunteered and was allowed to leave Rome with a force of 11,000 men, who were supposed to face 40,000 men of Hasdrubal’s army. Scipio reached Ebro River in Spain and targeted the city of Carthago Nova. The city was surrounded by a strong fortress and was considered to be impregnable.
How old was Scipio Jr. when he was in the army?
Scipio Jr. was 25 years old at that time and still too young to command the army.
Why did Scipio come back?
Scipio came back and threatened the senate that he would use people’s help to become stronger. His rising popularity among the Romans threatened the empire. Scipio managed to gather a highly motivated and experienced force for his African invasion. He was given the command of Sicily and used it to train his army.
How old was Scipio when the Punic War broke out?
Scipio was only 17 when the Second Punic War broke out in 218. His father was a consul and so led the Roman armies to Spain to fight the Carthaginians, then back into Italy to counter Hannibal’s invasion. The younger Scipio accompanied his father on these expeditions, gaining his first experience of war alongside many other young aristocrats. He stood out among them as a gifted officer who learned from the difficult experience.
How old was Scipio when he was a proconsul?
In 210 BC, the Senate granted Scipio the position of proconsul and command of the troops fighting the Carthaginians in Spain. He was only 27 years old, unprecedentedly young for such a position, and brought with him only modest reinforcements. His army faced three Carthaginian forces of equal or larger size.
What was Scipio's role in the Carthaginian Empire?
He used his new power to gather an army in Sicily and from there launch an invasion of North Africa, into the very heart of the Carthaginian Empire.
What city did Scipio attack?
Scipio started his campaign by attacking a target of significance to the Carthaginians – the strategically important city of New Carthage.
Where is the Scipio Africanus statue?
No. 5634), dated mid 1st century BC, from the Villa of the Papyri in Herculaneum, modern Ercolano , Italy.Photo Miguel Hermoso Cuesta CC BY-SA 3.0
Why did Scipio return to Rome?
Following his successes in Africa, Scipio returned home to Rome. He adopted the name Africanus, a reminder to all of what he had achieved.
What did the Romans do as they approached the Carthaginians?
As they approached the Carthaginians, the Romans maneuvered to lap around the edges of the enemy line. The Carthaginians had some of their less reliable troops on the flanks. They broke before the Roman onslaught, leading to the collapse of the whole army.
What was Scipio's goal in Spain?
Thus Scipio was given the chance to avenge his father's death in Spain, where he hoped not merely to hold the Carthaginian armies at bay and prevent them sending reinforcements to Hannibal in Italy but to resume his father's offensive policy, to turn back the tide of war, and to drive the enemy out of the peninsula.
What was Scipio's greatest achievement?
A man of wide sympathies, cultured and magnanimous, Scipio easily won the friendship of such men as Philip, king of Macedonia, and the native princes of Spain and Africa, while he secured the devotion of his own troops. Though essentially a man of action, he may also have been something of a mystic in whom, at any rate, contemporary legend saw a favourite of Jupiter as well as a spiritual descendant of Alexander the Great. One of the greatest soldiers of the ancient world, by his tactical reforms and strategic insight he created an army that defeated even Hannibal and asserted Rome's supremacy in Spain, Africa, and the Hellenistic East. He had a great appreciation of Greek culture and enjoyed relaxing in the congenial atmosphere of the Greek cities of Sicily, conduct that provoked the anger of old-fashioned Romans such as Cato. Indeed, he was outstanding among those Roman nobles of the day who welcomed the civilizing influences of Greek culture that were beginning to permeate Roman society. His Greek sympathies led him to champion Rome's mission in the world as protector of Greek culture; he preferred to establish Roman protection rather than direct conquest and annexation. For 10 years (210-201) he commanded a devoted army at the people's wish. His position might seem almost kingly; he had been hailed as king by Spanish tribes, and he may have been the first Roman general to be acclaimed as imperator (emperor) by his troops; but, though convinced of his own powers, he offered no challenge to the dominance of the Roman nobility ensconced in the Senate except by normal political methods (in which he showed no outstanding ability). Reaction against his generous foreign policy and against his encouragement of Greek culture in Roman life led to his downfall amid personal and political rivalries, but his career had shown that Rome's destiny was to be a Mediterranean, not merely an Italian, power.
What was the name of the battle that Scipio fought in?
Scipio served as a military tribune at the disastrous Battle of Cannae in 216. He escaped after the defeat to Canusium, where some 4,000 survivors rallied; there he boldly thwarted a plot of some fainthearts to desert Rome.
Where did Scipio launch his attack?
From his headquarters at Tarraco (Tarragona) in 209, Scipio suddenly launched a combined military and naval assault on the enemy's headquarters at Carthago Nova, knowing that all three enemy armies in Spain were at least 10 days distant from the city.
What happened in 210?
In 210 the Romans decided to send reinforcements to Spain, but it is said that no senior general would undertake the task and that young Scipio offered himself as a candidate; at any rate, the Roman people decided to invest him with a command there, although he was technically a privatus (not a magistrate).
How did Scipio influence the Roman world?
Scipio's influence outlived the Roman world. Great interest was shown in his life during the early Renaissance, and it helped the early humanists to build a bridge between the classical world and Christendom. He became an idealized perfect hero who was seen to have served the ends of Providence.
What was Scipio's impact on the Romans?
Such was Scipio's impact upon the Romans that even during his lifetime legends began to cluster around him: he was regarded as favoured by Fortune or even divinely inspired. Not only did many believe that he had received a promise of help from Neptune in a dream on the night before his assault on Carthago Nova but that he also had a close connection with Jupiter. He used to visit Jupiter's temple on the Capitol at night to commune with the god, and later the story circulated that he was even a son of the god, who had appeared in his mother's bed in the form of a snake.
Overview
Marriage and issue
With his wife Aemilia Tertia, daughter of the consul Lucius Aemilius Paullus who fell at Cannae and sister of another consul Lucius Aemilius Paullus Macedonicus, he had a happy and fruitful marriage. Aemilia had unusual freedom and wealth for a patrician married woman, and she was an important role model for many younger Roman women, just as her youngest daughter Cornelia, mother of the …
Early years
Publius Cornelius Scipio was born by Caesarean section into the family of the Cornelii Scipiones. His birth year is calculated from statements made by ancient historians (mainly Livy and Polybius) of how old he was when certain events in his life occurred and must have been 236/5 BC, usually stated as circa 236 BC.
The Cornelii were one of six major patrician families, along with the gentes Manlia, Fabia, Aemilia, …
Early military service
Scipio joined the Roman struggle against Carthage in the first year of the Second Punic War when his father was consul. During the Battle of Ticinus, he saved his father's life by "charging the encircling force alone with reckless daring."
He survived the disaster at the Battle of Cannae, where his would-be father-in-law, the consul Lucius Aemilius Paullus, was killed. After the battle, with the other consul surviving elsewhere, S…
Campaign in Hispania
In 211 BC, both Scipio's father, Publius Scipio, and uncle, Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Calvus, were killed at the Battle of the Upper Baetis in Spain against Hannibal's brother, Hasdrubal Barca. At the election of a new proconsul for the command of the new army which the Romans resolved to send to Hispania, Scipio was the only man brave enough to ask for this position, no other candidates wanting the responsibility, considering it a death sentence. In spite of his youth (25 years), his n…
African campaign
In 205 BC, Scipio was unanimously elected to consulship at the age of 31. Scipio intended to go to Africa, but due to the envy of others in the Senate, he was not given any additional troops beyond the Sicilian garrison. Despite this resistance, Scipio gathered resources from clients and supporters in Rome and among the Italian communities; this allowed him to muster a volunteer force of 30 warships and 7000 men.
Retirement
Scipio's political enemies, led by Cato the Censor, gained ground. When the Scipiones returned to Rome, two tribunes prosecuted (187 BC) Lucius on the grounds of misappropriation of money received from Antiochus. As Lucius was in the act of producing his account-books, his brother wrested them from his hands, tore them in pieces, and flung them on the floor of the Senate house. Scipio then allegedly asked the courts why they were concerned about how 3,000 talents had …
Resting place
Archaeology has not yet determined the resting place of Scipio Africanus. The Tomb of the Scipios has been discovered and is open to the public, but it is not believed that Scipio Africanus was interred there. The possibility exists that he was returned to Rome and laid to rest there in a still undiscovered crypt. Livy says in his History of Rome that statues of Scipio Africanus, Lucius Scipio and the Roman poet Ennius (a friend of the family) were present at the Tomb of the Scipio…