Editing Second Punic War (section)

=== Iberia, 211–205 BC ===
[[File:Bust of Sulla (loan from Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek) - Glyptothek - Munich - Germany 2017.jpg|alt=a black and white photograph of a marble bust of a man, with the nose broken off|thumb|upright=0.55|left|{{center|2nd century{{nbsp}}BC marble bust of the younger Scipio, [[Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek|Glyptoteket]]{{sfn|Coarelli|2002|pp= 73–74}}{{sfn|Etcheto|2012|pp= 274–278}}}}]]

In 210 BC [[Scipio Africanus|Publius Cornelius Scipio]],{{#tag:ref|Publius Scipio was the bereaved son of the previous Roman co-commander in Iberia, also named Publius Scipio, and the nephew of the other co-commander, Gnaeus Scipio.{{sfn|Miles|2011|pp=268, 298–299}}|group=note}} arrived in Iberia with further Roman reinforcements.{{sfn|Edwell|2015|p=323}} In a carefully planned assault in 209{{nbs}}BC [[Battle of Cartagena (209 BC)|he captured]] the lightly defended centre of Carthaginian power in Iberia, New Carthage,{{sfn|Edwell|2015|p=323}}{{sfn|Zimmermann|2015|p=292}} seizing a vast booty of gold, silver and [[Siege engine|siege artillery]]. He released the captured population and liberated the Iberian hostages held there by the Carthaginians, in an attempt to ensure the loyalty of their tribes.{{sfn|Edwell|2015|p=323}}{{sfn|Barceló|2015|p=362}}

In the spring of 208{{nbs}}BC Hasdrubal moved to engage Scipio at the [[battle of Baecula]].{{sfn|Edwell|2015|p=323}} The Carthaginians were defeated, but Hasdrubal was able to withdraw the majority of his army and prevent any Roman pursuit; most of his losses were among his Iberian allies. Scipio was not able to prevent Hasdrubal from leading his depleted army over the western passes of the [[Pyrenees]] into Gaul. In 207{{nbs}}BC, after recruiting heavily in Gaul, Hasdrubal crossed the Alps into Italy in an attempt to join his brother, Hannibal, but was defeated before he could.{{sfn|Edwell|2015|p=323}}{{sfn|Carey|2007|pp=86–90}}{{sfn|Bagnall|1999|p=211}}

In 206{{nbs}}BC, at the [[battle of Ilipa]], Scipio with 48,000 men, half Italian and half Iberian, defeated a Carthaginian army of 54,500 men and 32 elephants. This sealed the fate of the Carthaginians in Iberia.{{sfn|Edwell|2015|p=323}}{{sfn|Zimmermann|2015|p=293}} The last Carthaginian-held city in Iberia, [[Cádiz|Gades]], defected to the Romans.{{sfn|Miles|2011|p=303}} Later the same year a [[Mutiny at Sucro|mutiny]] broke out among Roman troops, which attracted support from Iberian leaders, disappointed that Roman forces had remained in the peninsula after the expulsion of the Carthaginians, but it was put down by Scipio. In 205{{nbs}}BC an attempt was made by Mago to recapture New Carthage when the Roman occupiers were shaken by another mutiny and an Iberian uprising, but he was repulsed.{{sfn|Bagnall|1999|p=216}}{{sfn|Carey|2007|pp=96, 99}} Mago left Iberia for northern Italy with his remaining forces.{{sfn|Barceló|2015|p=362}}{{sfn|Carey|2007|p=111}} In 203{{nbs}}BC Carthage succeeded in recruiting at least 4,000 mercenaries from Iberia, despite Rome's nominal control.{{sfn|Edwell|2015|p=334}}