20 Apr 206 Jahr v. Chr. - Battle of Ilipa, Spain

Beschreibung:

Massive battle that marked the end of Carthaginian rule in Spain.
an engagement considered by many as Scipio Africanus’s most brilliant victory in his military career during the Second Punic War in 206 BC.

It may have taken place on a plain east of Alcalá del Rio, Seville, Spain, near the village of Esquivel, the site of the Carthaginian camp.[1]

Though it may not seem to be as original as Hannibal’s tactic at Cannae, Scipio’s pre-battle maneuver and his reverse Cannae formation stands as the acme of his tactical ability, in which he forever broke the Carthaginian hold in Iberia, thus denying any further land invasion into Italy and cutting off a rich base for the Barca dynasty both in silver and manpower.

After his final subjugation of Carthaginian Iberia and revenge upon the Iberian chieftains, whose betrayal had led to the death of his father and uncle, Scipio returned to Rome. He was elected consul in 205 BC with a unanimous nomination, and with the Scipiones and their allies now in power, he would have the control of Sicily as proconsul, from where his invasion of the Carthaginian homeland would be realized.

Losses
Carthage: 48,500
Rome: 7,000