I have long believed that the etymology of "Look at Zama" comes from the Battle of Zama.
But when I looked it up, the etymology was to look at "Zama" where the Buddha statue was placed in the Kamakura period!
I was deceived ...
Aside from that, the Battle of Zama is truly a history-changing battle that will give Rome complete control of the Mediterranean.
It is also a battle in which two geniuses, Hannibal, who is said to be the best strategist in the world history, and Scipio Africanus, the strongest hero in Roman history, actually fought, even in one battle that changed the appearance of battle in ancient times. There is.
Let's take a look at the Battle of Zama this time.
Hannibal predicted a loss.
Prior to the Battle of Zama, Rome had hardly beaten Hannibal. He has lost many battles, including the Battle of Cannae, and the only victory is a small victory at the Battle of Nola by Marcus, who was called the Italian sword.
It was such a Hannibal, but there is a section that predicted defeat in the Battle of Zama even before the battle.
The reason why Hannibal is the greatest strategist in history would have been his overwhelming ability to grasp the current situation.
Hannibal knew his own disadvantages.
To put it a little more, only Hannibal and Skipio probably knew.
In terms of troops, the Carthaginian army led by Hannibal had an advantage.
The Carthaginian army had more than 50,000 people, and the Roman army led by Scipio had a little more than 40,000 people, so it seems that the Carthaginian side has an advantage even if you think about it.
However, realizing his disadvantage, Hannibal applied for a meeting with Scipio and tried to conclude a peace. Hannibal, who had only considered the annihilation of Rome until now.
And Scipio rejected the peace by simply saying, "Let's talk on the battlefield." Scipio did not doubt his own victory.
Only two super geniuses could accurately predict the outcome of this battle.
When I looked up "Battle of Zama" in Yamakawa's World History Glossary, it was written as follows.
"In the southwestern part of Carthage, the Roman army overwhelmed Carthage. This determined the victory or defeat of the Second Punic War, and Carthage lost all foreign territories, was charged a large amount of reparations, and had maritime rights in the Western Mediterranean. Has become dominant in Rome. "
When I was a high school student, I was strange. How could the Roman army overwhelm the Carthaginian army with Hannibal?
The answer is said to have been the number of cavalry.
Only Hannibal knew
Go back a little.
Hannibal won the Battle of Cannae against the Roman army with few soldiers and little damage.
How was this possible?
One is because the siege and annihilation battle was successful, and the other is because the number of cavalry was won.
At about the same time, Han's high-ranking ancestor, Liu Kun, lost to the horse-riding race of Xiongnu.
Xiongnu eventually passed through the steppe road, becoming known as the Huns, and scatterd the Germanic people. The Germanic people eventually destroy Western Rome, but the horsemen are basically strong.
You can see this from the fact that it was the Mongol Empire, the empire of the horsemen, that built the largest empire in history.
This is why Ma Chao and Lu Bu, who are Liang provinces, were strong in the Three Kingdoms.
Hannibal crossed the Alps with the then Mediterranean Numidian cavalry. Insane, but he made it happen.
There are few horses in Rome. Fewer people can ride a horse.
Rome does not rely on mercenaries, but its own humans become soldiers.
Only aristocratic or advanced knights can ride horses.
There was an overwhelming lack of cavalry.
There was no stirrup at that time. The stirrup is believed to have been developed in China in the 4th century, and is said to have been introduced to Europe around the 6th century.
Riding a horse without a stirrup requires a great deal of training.
This was the reason why Numidia's cavalry was said to be the strongest in the Mediterranean at that time, and Hannibal knew this well.
And I knew Scipio well.
As a teenager, Scipio participated in the Battle of Lake Trasimene and the Battle of Cannae and was defeated.
Scipio wasn't just defeated. He learned from defeat.
Scipio has lost his father and uncle in the fight against the Barca clan.
If Hannibal was born to destroy Rome, Scipio is like a man born to defeat Hannibal.
Scipio formed an alliance with Prince Masinissa of Numidia and had a lineup of cavalry. At that time Carthaginian was tied up with Masinissa's rival Sfak, but Scipio succeeded in defeating the Numidia-Carthage Allied Forces in the Battle of the Great Plains and the Battle of Cirta to make Masinissa the king of Numidia.
Perhaps at this time Scipio was convinced of his victory.
On the contrary, Hannibal must have realized the defeat at this time.
The panicked Carthage takes the foolish tactic of calling Hannibal from Italy to Carthage.
Even Hannibal must obey national orders. Hannibal left Italy and landed in Africa.
As far as cavalry is concerned, Carthage was 3000 and Rome was 6000.
Rome is advantageous only for cavalry.
In such a state, the two troops started a battle in Zama.
Battle of Zama
Hannibal deployed elephant troops all over at the beginning of the battle.
But Scipio had read this operation completely. Abandoning the Roman crowded tactics, Scipio created a gap between each corps and rushed through the elephants.
Once an elephant begins to rush, it is difficult to turn or stop. Scipio made this point.
Scipio made a noise attack on an elephant that passed the Roman army. Elephants are vulnerable to loud noises. The confused elephant was quickly subdued.
At the same time, Scipio had the Carthaginian cavalry on his wings assault his own cavalry.
Hannibal always had Numidian cavalry on both wings. Scipio knew this very well.
The cavalry corps that defeated the Carthaginian cavalry continued to rush.
And he assaulted the Carthaginian army from behind.
The siege is complete.
The rest wasn't a match anymore.
The besieged Carthaginian army was destroyed.
Hannibal lost to the cavalry-centered siege tactics he had developed.
Scipio imitated Hannibal's tactics. He was also studying how Hannibal would come.
Ironically, Hannibal was defeated by his own tactics, creating his own strongest rivals.
The Battle of Zama is over.
Hannibal managed to survive and became Carthaginian Ambassador of Plenipotentiary, drinking all the conditions in peace with the Roman side. The conditions were as follows.
- Carthage becomes an ally of Rome.
- Carthage will not wage war without Roman consent. (Now the real Carthage is no longer a completely autonomous nation)
- Relinquish sovereignty over Carthaginian territory in Sicily, Sardinia and Spain.
- All but 10 warships will be handed over to Rome.
From then on, as in Yamakawa's textbook, Rome seized the hegemony of the Mediterranean Sea and transformed into a world nation.
Carthage, on the other hand, had its fangs pulled out and quietly but surely followed the path of destruction.
The fierce thing is finally destroyed
Unbalancedly the same as the dust in front of the wind
It is exactly the reason for the desperation of the prosperous.