The Battle of Cannae & Zama

The Battle of Cannae & Zama

The Battle of Cannae was landmark defeat for the Rome. In the summer of 216 BC Hannibal victory taught Rome a harrowing lesson. Despite Rome’s legions being likely the best trained and equipped army of the time, Hannibal show that at the end of the battle the most important factor is the leadership of the army’s commander. The Roman infantry attacked head on relying on their superior numbers and strength; despite their advantages, the Roman troops could not breach the enemy lines. The reason is most likely because Hannibal’s troops crescent formation. Eventually the Roman legions sheer mass broke through the line. The line feigns a retreat the Roman forces hastily pursued only to be surrounded on all sides by Hannibal’s infantry men and his Calvary at their backs. “…after the Roman infantry had been killed to the last man, Polybius tallies the Roman dead at just over 40,000 infantrymen and 5000 cavalrymen.”1 The Battle of Cannae revealed two problems with the current Roman warfare structure. First the need for an improved Calvary, and second the issue of inconsistent chain of command. This ongoing conflict between Rome and Carthrage came to a close with the battle of Zama (202 BC), was the deciding conflict between these colossal. One of the Roman Generals Scipio, learning from Rome’s mistake at Cannae, gained the support of Masinissa the king of Numidia. “King Masinissa brought to the campaign a determinative edge, his cavalry corps having been trained to resist the aversive scent of elephants that causes most horses to flee.”2 At the start of the battle Hannibal’s line of war elephants lost their nerves, some of them charging back at Hannibal’s own forces, the rest charging the Roman army head on. Masinissa quickly took advantage of the confusion to strike the Carthaginian Calvary which was defeated. As Planned beforehand, the Roman legion in the path way of the runaway elephants, made gaps through which most of the elephants passed through. The Roman legion advanced on Hannibal’s forces, and the Numidian Calvary flanked around cutting off escape and Hannibal was defeated, eliminating Carthage as a formidable power in the Mediterranean. “The battle of Zama highlighted the versatility of Rome’s maniple legion and the training of Roman soldiers.”3 It was the Rome’s ability to adapt and learn from their defeat at Cannae that resulted in Carthage’s demise, and what lead them to become a world super power.

Bibliography

1. Stuckart, Dan. "The Success of the Roman Republic and Empire." The Roman Empire. July 14, 2015. Accessed January 23, 2016. http://sites.psu.edu/successoftheromans/roman-campaigns/battle-of-cannae-216-bc/

2. Daly, Gregory. Cannae: The Experience of Battle in the Second Punic War. p. 119. London: Routledge,