The Battle of Ilipa 206 B.C.E. - History of Scipio Africanus and The Punic Wars
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Scipio - known to history as Scipio Africanus was one of the greatest generals in all time. He was Rome's answer to the brilliance of Hannibal during Rome's darkest hour. Ilipa was the battle that he proved he was a military genius - equal to the impressive Carthaginian prodigy.
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Thanks People for being a part of Flash Point History - Please hit that like button, leave some comments, and don't forget to share the video. I'd love to see the channel grow. For those who are into history podcasts - download the episodes for your road trip / work out / or comment - but please remember to rate and review on iTunes! Ok heres the breakdown:
2:08 Rome's new Strategic Situation
4:14 The Battle of Ibera - Hasdrubal is just not his brother
5:37 The Deaths of the of the Scipi
8:39 The Return of the Scipi
9:50 New Carthage
11:29 The Battle of Baecula
14:14 THE BATTLE OF ILIPA
Why can't you pronounce anything correctly? Cannae, Gnaeus, Indibilis, whose name was on screen as you said "Idibilis"! Undermining your own work needlessly, and it's otherwise good work; few know about this side of this Punic War. Focus more on the battles too, rather than some screenshots; entertainment value is why Kings and Generals, BazBattles etc. are so popular; throwing information at people isn't enough, you've got to make it 'sexy'. Also why are there explosions at every confrontation of these ancient armies?
Wow - thanks for the feedback. I’ll see if I can make some changes for the next one. As far as explosions - wanted to make it look exciting always something to say about artistic preferences. Plus to get the really fluid shots require After Effects which I can’t afford just yet. Perhaps in time I’ll get this software.
What animation software do you use now? I know you draw the maps on Photoshop but what do you use about the animation? Anyway, you can use a cracked version of After Effects till you are financially stronger to buy the software. It's not really unfair usage if you buy the software later on. Good luck and keep it up you have massive potential to make this huge.
Thank you for the vote of confidence ! I use Apple Motion which is a nice cheaper software that has some excellent effects. It doesn’t have all the flair of after effects - but a decent learning curve. IMHO it’s still a really good program. Thanks again!
Yeah your product and work looks pretty cool. I just mentioned After Effects because you mentioned it can deliver more. Nevertheless, you can do enough with Apple Motion at least for the time being. One very important thing is that your narration is pretty solid, you have a good narrating voice and intonation which means you don't need to hire professional narrators like Baz Battles and Kings and Generals do.
Just one advise, as the guy before me said, ditch the explosions and change them with something more suitable and less distracting :D
Scipio along with Subutai and Belisarius are of the most underrated commanders in history.
No kidding - I read a book on Scipio Africanus (that was the title) that stated that the winners in a conflict are the ones that are sometimes forgotten. The author mentions Grant, Duke of Wellington, and Scipio. Subutai and Belisarius were the best generals (in my opinion) that the Great Khan and Justinian respectively had. Yet there are overshadowed for some reason. Scipio was in a class of his own. Logistics master, excellent trainer, dynamic thinker etc. His biggest fault was that he was not a politician as well. You'd have to get to Julius Caesar to have all this - and then you have the power to bring down a Republic as mighty as Rome.
agree but the offer there is too rich for both romans and Mongolians. That century of mongols domination really had competent generals. Yeah Scipio was a great general and -if we are to take Polybios words for granted - also a great man/person.
Ive recently found out more about Sulla.. man such a badass
I need to read more about Sulla - he seems like he was a badass
So true, the book Scipio Africanus, Greater than Napoleaon is remarkable.
Subutai is top rated commander already. Truly underrated commanders are the likes of Duke of Marlborough.
That strategy of having the center troops move in slowly (keeping the Carthaginian elites almost engaged) while the sides mop up was pure genius!
Hey Epi!! I figured you’d like this - yes Scipio’s development as a commander and his rise to power, along with his tactical brilliance is an often neglected item in the Punic Wars. Everyone goes right to Zama and ‘boom’ he took on Hannibal and he won. They miss all this good stuff. Glad you liked it. Now to get started on Zama. . .
nah I do that all the time, what clan is this Scipio from ?
It's like seeing an hypnotizer at work. The best Chartagenean troops could do nothing, while the flanks of the army were destroyed, other than looking at the mercenaries slowly approaching.
I’ll take that as a compliment . . . I think :)
you can really see the inspiration from hannibal, with his own twist to it.
We never hear enough about the satellite battles that were waged that Hennibal had nothing to do with, i had no idea that Hannibal's brother failed at replicating the pincer-formation in Spain. thanks for taking the time to flesh out the lesser known battles of the Punic wars!
Yes its a bit unfortunate - but without these battles - Scipio would not have come of age. Glad you liked the series!
A truly impressive analysis of the Second Punic War's Iberian Campaign. I believe that not only was Scipio Africanus one of the greatest generals in history, but that his strategy to attack Iberia while Hannibal was distracted with fighting in Italy was one of the greatest military masterpieces. I also believe that this campaign mirrors the Vicksburg and Gettysburg Campaigns of the American Civil War. In both cases, one general was intent on destroying his enemy's most important army in the field in one decisive battle, whereas the other commander understood that victory comes to the one who has great patience and deploys a divide-and-conquer stratagem.
That’s a fascinating comparison! From a military perspective trying to take out the enemy’s main force - Hannibal’s veteran force or Lee’s attempt to destroy the Army of the Potomac north of the Mason Dixon - is definitely the more daring and risky. Grant had to go down the Mississippi and make his way up through Jackson and attack Vicksburg from the east was much more calculated - and required more time. Ultimately requiring a prolonged seige.. Then he used this same patience when he was elevated to Lt. general - and lead the multi-pronged attack on the confederacy. He gave Butler power in the southern approach, Sherman got GA / Atlanta, and Sheridan the Valley. He then commandeered Meade and had his overland campaign against the Army of N. Virginia.
I question if Lee and Grant - like Hannibal and Scipio, did this out of necessity or personality. Had the situation been reversed - both the logistical, material, and political, would Lee and Grant have acted differently? If Lee had to lead a war of domination with a bigger war machine or Grant had to gain a major battle to Invoke a political victory while working with a smaller reserve - would they have adopted the others tactics? .
By the way - thank you for the lovely comment!
I also just thought further about this and realized that you could also compare Hannibal and Scipio's separate campaigns to Napoleon's numerous campaigns and Wellington's victory during the Peninsular War. Napoleon always tried to destroy his enemy's army through imaginative tactics and strategy, but he was always intending to do so through rapid warfare. Wellington, with far fewer resources than the Corsican-French Emperor, had to rely upon a slow methodical approach, which actually complemented the Spanish guerrillas' own methodology of hit-and-run. And, as we know, both Napoleon and Wellington met at Waterloo in the same manner as Hannibal and Scipio at Zama.
I also believe that you could argue that the Vietnam War was another conflict which shared many traits with the Scipio Campaign. In the one hand, General William Westmoreland and the American Government was intent upon inflicting high body counts against the North Vietnamese military forces, a strategy which we now know to be inadequate. On the other hand, Vo Nguyen Giap favored a slow, methodical buildup of NVA and VC units, one which ran contrary to the hardliners in Hanoi. Giap's strategy was proven to be a masterful one, as he laid the groundwork for the NVA's conquest of Saigon.
Thats the thing about imaginative generals - It works until it doesn't. Napoleon was famous for audacity - with his famous "middle position" - kind of like what Patton (supposedly) said - if he was between the Germans and the Russians - he's attack in both directions. Napoleon thought he would be able to take on both armies - but the rain slowed him down and he got sandwiched at Waterloo. Lee was high off his victories at Fredericksburg and his incredible victory at Chancellorsville. He had no doubt in his mind that Pickett's charge would work. Its all fun and games until someone gets their eye poked out. =)
Actually, during the Vicksburg campaign, the Confederate commander, John C. Pemberton, had the opposite problem. He was intensely loathe to risk the defense of Vicksburg at all, to the extent that even when he confronted Grant, he left two of his five divisions in Vicksburg. Had he taken those divisions, Pemberton probably would have beaten Grant at the Battle of Champion Hill. As-is, only lack of reserves prevented the Confederates from winning the battle.
Wow just really noticing your channel, excellent stuff.
Ilipa is definitely one of my favorite battles of antiquity and a masterclass example of how proper battlefield discipline, maneuvers and foresight should be done. Scipio really showed his Art of War in being calculatedly cautious, yet fully decisive General once committed. The Second Punic Wars is arguably my favorite in history due to the rather impressive tactical and strategic engagements with saw from both sides.
Agree Ilipa was Scipio's masterpiece imo
I'm glad you've decided to devote individual videos to the critical battles of The Second Punic War: there is an immense amount of subtle tactical brilliance associated with each and every battle prosecuted by Scipio Africanus. The attack of New Carthage was example of tactical, strategic, and psychological brilliance of a commander. Scipio was clever enough to conduct not one, but two diversionary attacks - thereby ensuring the defenders would be recklessly preoccupied with a single concerted defense of the front of the garrison. One thing that wasn't mentioned, was that Scipio informed his men that the assault would be long and difficult, but that Neptune would emerge at a critical moment and assist the Romans and help them prevail in the battle and take New Carthage; this action was brilliant as it accomplished several critical objectives: 1. It motivated his men and earned Scipio their complete trust and undying loyalty 2. It created this aura of a god-like around Scipio. 3. It motivated the men and spurred them forward. The man was a military genius who truly understood the psychology of men. Great job as usual my friend!
Thank you as always. Yes I remember the Neptune thing. It made his men believe that their Gods were condoning their actions. I usually avoid biblical quotes but it was that ‘If God is for us, who can be against us?’ mentality. Alas this video was already 20min. I’m trying to get these down to ten minute installments.
My pleasure bro! And I completely understand your reluctance to invoke religion, though I figured why not mention it in the comments section as it shows another aspect of Scipio's strategy. I should also add that you r introduction set the set stage nicely and truly illustrated how horrendous a situation the Roman's found themselves in, in the immediate aftermath of Cannae. The end was also brilliant as it showed the miraculous turnaround that occurred in a matter of 2-3 years. You're a gifted storyteller and I was delighted to see "To be continued" at the conclusion of the video.
Thanks - this is an often overlooked part of the Punic Wars. Which is a bit distressing. Everyone seems to jump to Zama. But, Scipio’s developement and why he won at Zama - the lessons he picked up are relegated to a footnote. I am going to finish up this podcast on medieval Spain and the cultural legacy of Al Andalus and will get started on Zama. Should make a nice trilogy.
I completely agree! If you simply look at Zama, you have zero perspective and context and would likely be baffled as to how Scipio could defeat Hannibal. And yes, he learned one very important lesson from Hannibal: war does not have to be fought with honor and deception can (and should) be used. That lesson served as the catalyst that changed his entire outlook on warfare. Thus, enabling him to be innovative without the constraints of the previous Roman war philosophy. Also, Zama featured the two masters who essentially negated the creativity of the other, forcing a fairly traditional battle - save for the brilliant columns to negate the elephant charge. And the Spanish continuation sounds great! Though, admittedly, I'm more excited about Zama. Hopefully, the WWII series will follow in due course.
You hit on the head. Scipi was pulling subterfuge up to the last second. He caught Carthaginian spies in his camp a few days before Zama and gave them the grand tour of his forces as his Cavarly had not shown up yet. He figured the spies would report the wrong info. Hannibal already knew of the cavalry and was intrigued enough by this move that he asked to meet Scipio face to face the night before the epic Battle. Let me get out this podcast on Medieval Spain done and see when I can fit in Rommel.
Really great stuff. Love it.
Thanks ! Praise from Caesar none the less - love your channel as well
Oh how I wish someone like Steven Spielberg would make major epic films about Scipio Africanus and Julius Caesar!
Ditto!
Thank you SO Much for these fantastic videos! I loved your history of Spain was delighted to find this one. There are really professional...everything from your voice to the graphics to the content. I look forward to learning so much and using these in my teaching! Videos like yours is what's good about TH-cam.
He basically replayed the battle at Cannae. Its interesting how the Spartans avoided prolonged battles with the same opponent in order not to teach them war. It's interesting how Hannibal has trained the next generation of roman commanders.
Its impressive that Romans could adapt so quickly - but they had to
Basically. Plus he had better soldiers, better equipment and better supplies routes. Tells you how important was that Scipio survived and endured all of Hannibal masters pieces. What were the odds?
@@FlashPointHx Good point. The Romans always managed to absorbe the best they encountered in other civilizations, and became so good as to beat them all at their own game.
@@FlashPointHxThe whole point of First Punic war is that Rome have to learn this thingie call naval combat.
@@dyingearth Rome never put much into their navy - I question what would have happened had they had the same expertise in Naval design as they did in engineering, city planning, weapons development etc
Hannibal didnt March on Rome because he didnt have the manpower or capacity to siege it, he had to abandon much smaller sieges and knew his limitations
Agree - his army wasn’t built for sieges. It was a highly mobile tactical machine designed for field combat.
Indeed. That was really the only part that made me raise an eyebrow in this video
Adrian Magaña yeah but it would have huge psychological effect on Romans.
Aníbal não sitiou Roma porque não queria, pois achava que ainda não era a hora, mas tinha um exército capaz de sitiar Roma, assim como fez em Sagunto. A primeira intenção de Aníbal foi criar sofrimento e angústia no povo romano, privando-os de seus recursos, destruindo todos os seus campos nutritivos em torno da cidade romana, onde os romanos dependiam para seu comércio e sustento de fabricação, bem como para a sobrevivência. Aníbal realmente se moveu com o psicológico dos romanos, mas isso foi com a intenção de gerar sofrimento no povo romano. Não era de admirar que os romanos criassem um sentimento de ódio e vingança contra os cartagineses, prometendo a destruição de Cartago!
Many Romans died during the Carthaginian rule in Italy, where Rome lived in the state of total calamity!
This has to be the closest thing to a tactically perfectly fought battle next to Cannae. When you remember that this was all before Marius and his famous military reforms , it really drives home just how amazing Scipio really was.
I once went to SW Utah with 7 friends for hiking / mountain biking. Coordinating 7 other people was had - couldn't imaging leading thousands in such precision - the amount of training must have been staggering
Fantastic video! Most videos cover Hannibal's march to Cannae, but that is where you start. I learned quite a bit about House of Scipio's Spanish campaign.
Thanks ! I’m happy you liked this. What you said is why I made this video - no one seems to focus on how Scipio became the brilliant commander that he was. Btw - the next (and last) video in this series will be out soon.
Hannibal didn't have siege equipment and also his strategic strength was movement surprise and being able to access the ground and us it to his advantage. Scipio learnt hard lesson at Cannae. He realised the brilliance of Hannibal and the use of superior Cavalry of Numidian. The Roman stoic nature and toughness won them the war. Scipio was able to get the Numidians to come over his side,they could see the writing on the wall with Carthaginians,their course was lost. Hannibal doesn't get the recognition as a brilliant general he deserves. He was in a league of his own. The Romans were practical people and used others ideas and utilised them to the full!
He held out in Italy for over a decade against a massive Roman contingent and no reinforcements from Carthage. The logistical battle alone is impressive.
Flash Point History Hannibal really only had a bridgehead, Carthage should had a plan to reinforce him proper. With reinforcements maybe more of the Latin cities would come over to the Carthaginians cause. Still amazing what he undertook and how long he was able operate in Italy. Carthaginians were trader first and foremost they just wanted to trade, they didn't want build an empire like Rome. To have beaten Rome they would have had to annihilated them completely.
Completely agree - have you listened to my 7 part series on the Punic Wars? You have great insite - you may like the full series
Fantastic video! Ilipa may not have been as revolutionary as Cannae, but it had its own kind of subtle ingenuity, and Scipio proved himself to be a master of pre-battle maneuvers .
Thanks ! Glad you liked the video. Yes, I’m that titanic clash between Rome and Carthage played between House Barca and House Scipio - this was the other side of the coin. The brilliance of Hannibal’s one true worthy opponent finally showed through.
One of the best historical battle videos ive ever seen..out of dozens and dozens ive viewed.Very fine work and narrator with low octave pleasant voice like kings and generals.Many are annoying to listen to.thanks for your golden work.Niiiiice
Wow, thank you!
Can you imagine someone at the age 25 years old do this? Most generals even to today's standard are old men. To have a 25 year old shows the Guy Might's "Spirit of Youth" has some meaning behind it
he was also a genius if he had this much talent at so young an age
Thanks for a very good and detailed video about the Spanish campaign of Scipio. It's often just a side note in most history books.
My only point of critique is your pronunciation of Latin, f.e.: Cannae is pronounced as "Cahn-nai" and the plural form of Scipio is Scipiones (Nominative and Vocative). But this is only a minor flaw in an otherwise very good video.
Keep up the great work!
Hey, really happy liked the video. Between you and me, I just mispronounced Cannae and just kept rolling with it to see if anyone noticed ;) and the Plural of Scipio I changed to Scipi - because I had on my podcast Episode III - 'A new hope' then Episode IV 'Hannibal Strikes Back' and finally Episode V - 'The Return of the Scipi' - it was meant to rhyme with Jedi. Just got it stuck in my head. Again, thanks for the kind words!
WOW What a battle! GENIUS!
I see a lot of videos of historical battles but THIS was probably the most enjoyable one I have seen, both for the strategy used and for the way the video was made, really enjoyable, great job!
How have I just now learned of this channel! Awesome work!
It's amazing that Scipio didn't get a Triumph for this victory, his troops on that battlefield proclaimed him Imperator. Even at his early career, haters back in Senate have already aligned against him. Albeit, they do have a point, he haven't been elected to any position in Cursus Honorum. He was literally only elected to 1 position, Consul at age 31 (9 years earlier than the minimum required age), and once more after Zama. He did finally get his Triumph after Zama.
Had he been more adept in politics as he was on the battlefield - he might have been a Julius Caesar. Definitely had the patrician name. Who knows? Perhaps the Roman Empire would have started early.
Love the presentation of your videos, it's so cool and interesting, history can be exciting to learn.
thank you! this is exactly the reason i set out to create these videos - to make the content accessible for everyone
To answer who is better, according to Livy:
Claudius, following the Greek history of Acilius, reports that Publius Africanus was a member of that embassy and that at Ephesus he conferred with Hannibal, and he even relates one conversation: when Africanus asked who, in Hannibal's opinion, was the greatest general, Hannibal named Alexander, the king of the Macedonians, because with a small force he had routed armies innumerable and because he had traversed the most distant regions, even to see which transcended human hopes.To the next request, as to whom he would rank second, Hannibal selected Pyrrhus; saying that he had been the first to teach the art of castrametation; besides, no one had chosen his ground or placed his troops more discriminatingly; he possessed also the art of winning men over to him, so that the Italian peoples preferred the lordship of a foreign king to that of the Roman people, so long the master in that land. When he continued, asking whom Hannibal considered third, he named himself without hesitation. Then Scipio broke into a laugh and said, “What would you say if you had defeated me?” “Then, beyond doubt,” he replied, “I should place myself both before Alexander and before Pyrrhus and before all other generals.” Both this response, with the unexpected turn given it by Punic cleverness, and this unlooked-for kind of flattery, he says, stirred Scipio deeply, because Hannibal had segregated him from all other commanders as one beyond estimation.
I remember reading this when I made the formal podcast - amazing how beautiful his writing was. I always thought Scipio and Hannibal had their own bromance going. Thanks for posting this - it brought some awesome memories of when I was researching the Punic Wars.
Literally one of the greatest stories in ancient history. Thanks for posting
Andrew - my pleasure. I’m working on Zama now - should be out soon
Excellent vid. It was exactly what I was looking for.
Nice!
Great background video, plus gives me tips for startegy for Rome II total War. :D
Dont know why but this video is soo good had to watch it like 5 times
Hey I'm really happy that you like it that much!
Rule 1 in contemporary geopolitics: Don't start a land war in Asia
Rule 1 in ancient geopolitics: Don't start shit with Rome
Great video
Ideally, maps should not show names of provinces or cities that did not yet exist in the 3rd century BC (Baetica, Carthaginensis, Caesar Augusta, etc)
For future reference, the pronunciation of Gades is GAH-DEH-S
Thanks! Will do
B H Liddel Hart, the great military historian. Stated that Scipio was the best general in history.
Won every battle.
Defeated great generals
I agree - and yet they are overshadowed by those who they defeated. Hannibal by far holds the human imagination. As did Napoleon compared to the Duke of Wellington and Robert E Lee compared to Grant.
Liddel Hart definitely makes a convincing case for Scipio. I dont know if he's the best general in history, but he's definitely a strong candidate as the best Roman general. Regarding the curious tendencies of people favoring the losing general over the victorious ones, once again Liddell Hart in his own words says;
"the flash of the meteor impresses the human imagination more than the remoter splendour of the star, fixed immutably in the high heavens. Is it that final swoop earthwards, the unearthly radiance ending in the common dust, that , by its evidence of tangible or the finite, gives the meteor a more human appeal? So with the luminaries of the human system, provided that the ultimate fall has a dramatic note, the memory of spectacular failure eclipses that of enduring success."
I loved B.H. Liddell Hart's book!
Superb video save one inconsequential detail: can knee
outstanding explanation of the action ,really excellent
Hey thanks ! I’m really happy you liked it. Let me know what you think of the next one - Zama !
Nice details, thank you. Very entertaining.
You're welcome - glad you liked it
Really good stuff!
Thank you!!
Excellent documentary, thank you! Who was the better general, Hannibal or Scipio? Hannibal was a military genius, and let us not forget that he confronted the Roman legions, not the decadent Persian army that Alexander encountered. But Scipio was he himself a genius of the first order, he studied and learnt all it was possible to learn from Hannibal, his strategic mastery was unrivalled - and in the end, he won, beating Hannibal at his own game. So it's a very, very difficult question indeed!.... 🤔🙂
Seems in history one remembers the vanquished rather then the one who was triumphant. We know the Napoleons, the Hannibals, the Lee's - but not so much the Wellingtons, the Scipios, and the Grants
Can't wait for the next one! What an amazing channel this is! Subscribed!
Rome did have some amazing battles! been liking every video!
It was an epic time period. I’m going to finish this series with the battle of Zama - hopefully out later this month. Happy to hear you liked it
Good information well presented
So nice of you
Great quality, instant sub!
Nice to have you here! Let me know what you think of the next video - Zama
@@FlashPointHx Just finished it, top notch. Thanks for your hard work.
I just want to point out the fact that Scipio thought it was a shame Archimedes had been killed
Fantastic video! Keep up the good work!
The city on the map Caesar Augusta ( now Zaragoza) was not founded until 15 bc 200 years later. 5:15 but very detailed compared to all other Scipio vids
You’re right - it was named after the first emperor - good eye!
I would say that Hannibal made the right choice by not attacking Rome after Cannae.
I agree with you. The core of latin cities that Rome had Hegemony over would have been difficult to turn to his side. He would have walked up against a city that he would have been unable to siege and Roman manpower would have been called in to push him back. In any other situation Hannibal would have won the war after so many victories. However, Rome was just tenacious at hanging on.
Yes. Well he had thousands of wounded after Cannae and couldn't get on time to besiege Rome, because it was quite far. Theodore Dodge said in his book ''Hannibal'' that Rome raised a garrison of 40 thousands men to defend the city in case of a siege. So even if Hannibal managed to get on time to the city, before other troops from other cities came in aid, he still didnt had enough men to besiege it. His only chance of winning was to destroy the allied system/network of Rome and deprive them from they're manpower. He did quite a good job but Rome became more cautious and didn't fall for his ruses anymore.
Yeah, he never would have been able to take Rome. His army was not built for sieges. It took him 8 months alone to take Saguntum. I don't he would have been able to even surround the massive Roman capitol. And as you mentioned, Rome had this incredible well of manpower. In my research I read that within a year she could field 250k men. An insane number for any power before the industrial revolution. I mean the Army of Northern Virginia had at most 90k at her height - prior to Gettysburg.
Hmm, i wouldnt say his army was not built for sieges. Despite popular opinion, Hannibal was a good besieger, not a top tier one, but good :) He just lacked the sophisticated siege engines that Rome had. Saguntum was a different story. I dont remember clearly, but when the city was besieged, he had to go elsewhere to fight a rebelion in Hispania, leaving his subordinates in charge of the siege so that's why it took him so long to take it. He took some cities in Italy in matter of days, but he wasn't an Alexander or a Caesar :D . Rome could muster 250K, but i dont think they had the logistics to field so many at a time...maybe many armies. From what i know, the biggest roman armies fielded were at Philipi, where Antony and Brutus fought. They had about 100K men each and it was a huge battle for that time Now depends at what time you referred when you said 250K
It was by 215-214 and yes this was 250k spread out in various legions.
Great history videos, Im seeing the increase in the graphics, looking great as well as being very informative! I see this channel growing really big.
Making these videos is a blast - to hear comments like this is so rewarding - happy you liked the video and thanks for the kind words!
great video, thanks for sharing
Thank you. I am happy you liked it.
Scipio was such an amazing genius!!!!!
Right? The history books just jump in Zama - as if the man appeared from thin air to beat Hannibal and then disappeared.
@Robinson Pittman you are profoundly misinformed
Robinson Pittman because Scipio never directly fought Hannibal as a general until Zama.
GREAT VID, subscribing right away !
Awesome! Good to have you here!
Amazing video! Would be even cooler if you'd coloured the maps according to Roman/Carthaginian occupation, but that's a minor point
Good thought - I’m actually still learning this software and haven’t figured out how to do that - just yet.
pls add this to the punic wars playlist... or maybe merge the 2 punic wars playlist into one...
O.k. look forward to another who was the better General. I didn't think of Romes prior loss at Cannae as some Romans threw in the Towel Scipio maintained his Poise
Love these videos from yourself and others. Keep up the good work 😄.
In that last battle, no wonder why the Romans won, you don't get Spaniards to give up a meal 😄
Hahaha - digging that you liked the video. Yeah Spaniards I’ve met are big into thier food - and rioja
🤣
What an audacious manoeuvre. The Carthaginian’s jaws probably dropped.
Oh yeah - wait till we get to Zama
Never surrendering when you're already at the loosing side is a gamble really..
True - I’d youre going to negotiate a truce - do it from a position of strength.
Great video, totaly new informations...
I'm really glad you liked it - yes, wanted to show a video that talks about Hannibal's great opponent
@@FlashPointHx
I saw many video and documentaries about the second war, they very little spoke about the two Scipio brothers, never knew that they lost, and killed. nobody spoke about that last battle.....thanks a lot.
if you are interested in the full story - look at my video on the Punic Wars - Episode V - the Return of the Scipi
Great great video and narating. I watched this after Zama.
Well done!
Thanks!
Awesome. Subbed. Hate your pronunciation of Cannae, but it's not like anyone of us was around to experience the proper pronunciation anyways. 😝
Hahaha - well I’m glad you liked it! You’re right, no ones perfect
Almost a century ago,in 1926 Liddell Hart did write a book "GREATER THAN NAPOLEON SCIPIO AFRICANUS"
No more words....
I've read this - he starts by mentioning about how all the underdogs in history who got defeated are remembered better than those that defeated them. We all know Napoleon, Hannibal, and Robert E Lee, but it seems that Wellington, S. Africanus, and Grant are 2nd rate characters.
@@FlashPointHx My edition is from 2008 and a new, hardcover edition is comming.......few books are reprinted almost for a century!!!!
good explaination
thank you - glad it made sense =)
I strongly recommend readying the Africanus' saga written by Santiago Posteguillo. Best writer ever about roman history. You will put yourself in Scipio's shoes. Really, best books ever.
Is it in English?
@@FlashPointHx i'm afraid it isn't. At least for the time beimg. thedeathofcarthage.com/865/book-review-africanus-el-hijo-del-consul/
Awesome video
Thanks!
Scipio was "inspired" by Hannibal, not taught. He realized that the Roman penchant for brute force frontal attacks was doomed to failure by more sophisticated strategic manuever warfare. When he opted to train his troops for a year instead of blundering out into the usual Roman "Ready, Fire, Aim" tactics you see an even more subtle and methodical mind than Hannibal's at work. Where Hannibal was literally timid when it came to laying siege to a well fortified city such as New Carthage was, Scipoio' s brilliant marine and land assault to capture the gem of Carthaginian Spain is just the beginning of his campaign to avenge his families torment at the hands of clan Barca.
Scipio's military genius had the beneficial side effect of preserving our Greco/Roman heritage. Had Hannibal triumphed in Italy we may still be fighting the 40th odd Punic war...or speaking Cartheginian, whatever that sounded like.
@@AbdelOveAllhan funny lol
Great documentary. The Punic wears Hispania are usually neglected.
Exactly!! It makes the history seem like Scipio just popped up from the Earth and then defeated Hannibal.
12:13 Damn what !! Scipio actually attacked uphill… and won 😂😂
This dude has no chill.
He thought his way through the problem
@@FlashPointHx who’s better…? Augustus + Agrippa..?
Or My boi Belisarius + Justinian the great.. ?
@@ryanmurphy6528 Id go with Augustus and Agrippa - The first emperor of Rome was given a city of brick and left it a city of marble. His civil wars tested the state to the limit. But don't get me wrong. Justinian's Renovatio Imperii was nothing to sneeze at - and Belisarius was a total warrior incarnate. I base this decision on the ramifications these duo of men had on the empire as a whole. The first two set the path to the Empire's Greatness. The latter two was a bright spot on the path to destruction.
Was the name Africanus given to the name of The Scipio in this videos? One with his slain father or is it his grandson in the 3rd Punic Wars that was given the name Scipio Africanus ?
Scipio Africanus was the adopted grandson of this Scipio. He was given the name because he 'conquered' north Africa.
For me Illipa is the Scipio masterpiece.
I agree - Zama was what he was known for - but this battle showed just how well he could outthink an opponent and maneuver on the battlefield
Zama became an attrition battle as both knew the other's playbook and countered their signature plan. Scipio beated the greatest enemy He had encountered. Depriving him of his strengths.
@@josepnebotrius872 perfectly said!
Wow, what animation! How do you do this? Brilliant work.
I use a program called Apple Motion
Really great stuf
Thank you!
God damn what a genuis man
I agree - only man in antiquity that was even close to Hannibal’s equal
Great video, Thx
You're totally welcome!
Yo why dont this have more views??
haha - wonder that myself
The significance of Hasdrubals defeat at Metarus should be emphasized with its own video. If Hasdrubal linked up with Hannibal in Italy then it would have given Hannibal critical reinforcements that would have changed the entire equation on the Italian peninsular. The reinforcements would have been just enough to tip the scale in Hannibal’s favor and quite possibly take Rome and game over. History would have taken a completely different trajectory. Instead the Romans flung Hasdrubals head into Hannibal’s camp which was a brutal omen for Hannibal.
Excellent point! If you look at my other videos I have a longer podcast video on this. I also have a what if scenario video if you’re interested
It was not possible for Roman cavalry to charge the Carthaginian Elephants. A horse cannot tolerate the smell of an Elephant and will not come anywhere near. That is the precise reason why Elephants are sometimes dispersed in front of infantry to avoid a cavalry charge. Looks like the Carthaginians did well to put the Elephants in front of their weaker Spanish allies to prevent a Cavalry charge of the Romans, but the reversed formation of Scipio put paid to that. Instead they would have sent the Elephants to charge the now Roman Legions on the wings, leading the Legions to attack with their Pila as javelins, causing the Elephants to stampede back into their own lines. Very smart thinking by Scipio Africanus.
scipio was in a league of his own with military tactics. Everything that he did, reminded me of something out of the art of war. He knew how to use an enemy is weakness against them.
Awesome!!!
Glad you liked it - next one coming out soon
holy fuck , that is genius
The Second Punic War was like the Second World War in antiquity, whose Hannibal was the Hitler of that era!
Scipio for sure.
Great
Thanks!
Hello notice the Cartagoneses and the Romans fought for the control of the Iberian peninsula. Hispania is the name Roma give the juridisticion after VICTORY. Spain is the name of the Kingdom of Spain in the Iberian peninsula sheared with Portugal, Andorra, United kingdom. Nice video looking for the next saludos
Well done very detailed but very long
Thanks. I know - talking about Scipio takes a while. The next video on Zama should be much shorter, which saves your sanity as well as mine.
Flash Point History XD
The greatest-Scipio Africanus!
Indeed! An impressive general
The best is always on the day and the battle
Throwing a javeline as wake up call.lol
Awesome channel and vids. The only downside is that it's not pronounced can-EE
Hey thanks! Yeah to be honest I've heard it both ways.
Gj , nice video .
Thank you!
Hannibal is often so over romanticized when the reality is that Scipio Africanus was simply better. A young lad who narrowly escaped death in the greatest defeat of Roman history at the time turns the entire war around and saves the Republic.
And he does all this while learning on the job simply makes it all the more epic. Meanwhile, Hannibal had only one strategy and failed to adapt and stuck with it until the end.
Now, this should be a movie. Not some woke, Hannibal remake.
Hannibal knew how to use subterfuge as well - that saved him in the Volturnus valley. But agree Scipio was impressive. Seems that history favors the vanquished however. We know Lee better than Grant, we know Napoleon but not so much Wellington etc
The great military historian, B H Liddel Hart, declared that Scipio Africanus was better than Hannibal.
More than that, he declared Scipio Africanus to be the greatest general in all history. Better than Alexander. Better than Napoleon. And better than Caesar. He made this declaration in the book he wrote about Scipio.
Scipio NEVER lost.
Scipio defeated other great generals of history - namely Hannibal.
He defeated Hannibal with fewer troops, and on Hannibal's home ground.
Scipio was definitely better than Hannibal.
FYI - B H Liddel Hart is the most respected military historian of the 20th Century. I recommend any of his many books.
Scipio actually and carefully planned his demise, taking his far far less competent brother first to avoid reinforcements , using a variant of his own tactics, then with those victories in hand proceeded to isolate him politically from the numidians, then carefully choose to plan his return on his land to defeat Hannibal. The amount of over exertion is incredible. He deviced a whole strategy to take him down, again taking advantage of the other side titanical hardships and overall lack of competence. If he was a superior tactician why did he waited so much and burned him so much before facing the “master”? Short answer: he wasn’t and he would had lost. Although not a historian I disagree with hart. He was an extremely talented general whose odds were facing the hardships of Roman politics, but aside that had all of the advantages in comparison. The fact that he was a patrician himself likely came to play in his survival from the previous battles and the chance to learn from his nemesis.
Then at zama even with less numbers, had a way better equipped and trained infantry, better trained and skilled cavalry he took away thanks to hasdrubal defeat serving as leverage, with the actual issue being the elephants who were untrained and he nicely managed to face, and even with all it was a close call.
@@williamconto6977 Zama was NOT a close call. It was an utter and COMPLETE defeat of Hannibal.
I advise you to read Hart's book on Scipio.
I also advise you to read any of the good accounts of the 2nd Punic War.
Hannibal was great at the start. But, after his his wintering in the South of Italy, he never won again. The Romans had him outfoxed. The Fabian strategy worked.
Scipio did take 2 years to train his legions. But, that is part of being a good general -- making sure your army is prepared.
Total reliance on mercenaries was a weakness, IMO, of the Carthaginian military.
@@craigkdillon Zama was hanging in the balance, even after the initial movements the Roman infantry was unable to break the defensive third line of Hannibal (his last remaining elite troops from the older campaigns). And to use the mercenary cavalry once it came back. It was a close one as the Carthage command was able hold its position for a long time and was starting to bleed out the more limited numbers of Scipio.
Keep in mind Hannibal was already drained of much resources and Zama was literally a last resort army compared to Scipio's veterans. He didn't have much of a home advantage since he himself hadn't lived much in Africa. Since his teenage years he was already fighting in Spain and spent most of his life there.
Scipio was great too, but I would argue he had a much easier task than Hannibal in terms of taking away valuable allies from the enemy. The centralization of Italy, with multiple interdependent people made the situation much more difficult for Hannibal. That is a magnitude more complicated than what Scipio had to do. After the fall of Spain, Carthage had no similar system of allies (the Numidians or Libyans were mostly mercenary).
the Roman battle tactics at Illipa is one of the highest examples of tactical sophistication ever displayed in any era of war and shows just how underrated Scipio is in the pantheon of great captains. Next to him, Caesar with his inconsistencies and many gross military blunders appear as an amateur.
I don’t think I could have said it better myself! The man was brilliant - hence the reason I made this video. People only seem to focus on Hannibal at Cannar and then at Zama. As if Scipio appeared out of no where defeated the one of the greatest generals in history and then disappeared. I take it you liked this episode?
Flash Point History yes very well done episode. im glad you pointed out the masterful pre battle preparations of Scipio, the fixing of battle formation in the days prior, then the sudden switch of formation to mentally throw the enemy off balance, then the purposeful delay to let the bite of hunger set in on the Carthaginians.
Scipio laid the groundwork for victory, Illipa imo was a perfect battle from start to finish. much more impressive than Cannae because it was a proactive strategy rather than a reactive one.
Like I said - he deserve better recognition than he got. btw - the next video on Zama should be out in a few days. Let me know what you think.
what was hannibal doing while all those battles happened in spain ?
He spent 13 years in Italy waiting for reinforcements going from place to place trying to feed his army. Every time a Roman army would attack in strength, he’d destroy it. The Roman eventually just kept up thier Fabian strategy of non-engagement / attritional warfare.
For the algorithm.
Brilliant
Thank you!
Stop spoiling us
❤️
Interesting that the drawings and painting used to depict the Romans show many with beards.
I believe that Romans, at that time, viewed beards as barbaric, and the same with tattoos. They had Greek ideals of the human body.
I wonder how many of the depictions of ancient Greeks with beards are accurate??
Great video, however, as far as I am aware, the house of Publius Cornelius Scipio was the Cornelia, as the familial name came second in the latin naming system. Scipio was the name given to him when he was a small child and was essentially a nick name, albeit the nick name was official and effectively his first name.
Cornelia is the name of the great house he belongs to, Scipio is one of several branches of the Cornelii family, while Publius is the name given to him when he was a child. The most important parts of his name are Cornelius and Scipio.
Why you have a backgroud music destroy a fine narrative ;
Hannabill was a genius general,and all time great warrior.
As you recommended I'm here to see if I can recreate this battle on the campaign but I have to wait for Carthage to instigate the attack as their weak atm after sacking the capitol
I’m not sure how this game engine works. I’m used to total war. Is it anything like that?
@@FlashPointHx well I'm playing a mod called divide en imperia so it works dif than the normal engines but so far the ai seems pretty competent
He is in the game rise of civilization
Why were the Carthaginian so able to do such techniques?
SCIPIO ADAPTED HIS TACTICS TO FINALLY DEFEAT HANNIBAL. I BELIEVE HE HAD A CHANCE TO CONQUER ROME. THE ROMANS WERE SHELL SHOCKED AT THE TIME. HOWEVER,,LEGIONS FROM AROUND THE WORLD WOULD HAVE RALLIED TO STOP HANNIBAL. SCIPIO TOOK THE FIGHT TO CARTHAGE. BRILLIANT MOVE THAT CHANGED THE COURSE OF HISTORY!🇮🇹🗡🛡