Editing Battle of Zama (section)

==Background==
{{main|First Punic War|Barcid conquest of Hispania|Second Punic War}}

The [[First Punic War]] was fought between the two main powers of the western [[Mediterranean]] in the 3rd century BC: Carthage and Rome.{{sfn|Goldsworthy|2006|p=82}} The war lasted for 23 years, from 264 to 241 BC, before the Carthaginians were defeated.{{sfn|Lazenby|1996|p=157}}{{sfn|Bagnall|1999|p=97}} It took place primarily on the Mediterranean island of [[Sicily]], its surrounding waters and in [[North Africa]].{{sfn|Goldsworthy|2006|p=82}}

[[File:Map of Rome and Carthage at the start of the Second Punic War Modified.svg|thumb|right|upright=1.4|alt=a map of the western Mediterranean region showing the territory controlled by Rome and Carthage in 218 BC|{{center|The approximate extent of territory controlled by Rome and Carthage immediately before the start of the Second Punic War}}]]

[[Carthaginian Iberia|Carthage expanded its territory in Iberia]] (modern Spain and Portugal) from 236 BC,{{sfn|Miles|2011|p=220}} in 226 BC agreeing the [[Ebro Treaty]] with Rome which established the [[Ebro River]] as the northern boundary of the Carthaginian [[sphere of influence]]. A little later Rome made a separate treaty of association with the city of [[Saguntum]], well south of the Ebro. [[Hannibal]], the de facto ruler of Carthaginian Iberia, led an army to Saguntum in 219 BC and [[Siege of Saguntum|besieged, captured and sacked it]]. Early the following year Rome [[declaration of war|declared war]] on Carthage, starting the [[Second Punic War]].{{sfn|Goldsworthy|2006|pp=143–145}}{{sfn|Collins|1998|p=13}}{{sfn|Zimmermann|2015|p=281}}

Hannibal led a large Carthaginian army from Iberia, through [[Gaul]], [[Hannibal's crossing of the Alps|over the Alps]] and invaded [[mainland Italy]] in 218 BC. During the next three years Hannibal inflicted heavy defeats on the Romans at the battles of [[battle of the Trebia|the Trebia]], [[battle of Lake Trasimene|Lake Trasimene]] and [[battle of Cannae|Cannae]].{{sfn|Ñaco del Hoyo|2015|p=377}} At the last of these alone, at least 67,500 Romans were killed or captured.{{sfn|Bagnall|1999|pp=192–194}} The historian Toni Ñaco del Hoyo describes these as "great military calamities",{{sfn|Ñaco del Hoyo|2015|p=377}} and Brian Carey writes that they brought Rome to the brink of collapse.{{sfn|Carey|2007|p=2}} Hannibal's army campaigned in Italy for 14 years.{{sfn|Edwell|2015|p=322}}

There was also extensive fighting in [[Iberia]] from 218 BC. In 210 BC [[Scipio Africanus|Publius Cornelius Scipio]] arrived to take command of Roman forces in Iberia.{{sfn|Edwell|2015|p=323}} During the following four years Scipio repeatedly defeated the Carthaginians, driving them out of Iberia in 206 BC.{{sfn|Goldsworthy|2006|pp=277–285}} One of Carthage's allies in Iberia was the [[Numidians|Numidian]] prince [[Masinissa]], who led a force of [[Numidian cavalry|light cavalry]] in several battles.{{sfn|Edwell|2015|p=330}}{{sfn|Bagnall|1999|p=233}}