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In 202 bc P. Cornelius Scipio defeated the famous Hannibal Barca in the last battle of the war at Zama. At the end of the war we look one time back and try and get rid of a number of misconceptions about Hannibal at the page Fiction and facts
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P. Cornelius Scipio sails to Africa

Scipio got that message and hastened his preparations. Notwithstanding the opposition by Q Fabius Maximus in 204, he was ready and sailed to Africa where he had planned to land south east from Carthago. But in fact he landed north west of Carthago, between Utica and Hippo Diarrhytus. From here he moved his army to what later became known as castra Cornelia and started to besiege Utica.

Link: http://www.the-romans.eu/maps/maps-of-ancient-rome.php

Link: http://www.the-romans.eu/punic/2nd-punic-war-in-italy-208-204bc.php

As a result of the Licinian law there had to be elected one patrician and one plebeian as a consul. This year (207) this gave problems. One patrician, G. Claudius Nero, seemed to be a good consul It proved very difficult to find a good plebeian to complete the couple and the senate meant M. Livius (Salinator) would be a good candidate, even if these two men were not really on speaking terms.

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Link: http://www.the-romans.eu/punic/2nd-punic-war-in-italy-214-208bc.php

Problems for Hannibal

Hannibal had to divide his troops over the cities that had chosen his side. Either to protect them or to threaten them in case that city had not volunteered. He had gotten Tarentum in his power by treason, but the citadel had remained in Roman hands. For his attempts to conquer this too he needed a lot of manpower. When the Roman consuls attacked and besieged Capua, which was an important city for both parties, he would have to give up these attempts in Tarentum.