Scipio Africanus: The Defeat of Hannibal (1939)
Director: Carmine Galleone
Cast: Annibale Ninchi .... Publius Cornelius Scipio, Camillo Pilotto .... Hannibal, Fosco Giachetti .... Captain Massinissa, Francesca Braggiotti .... Queen Sophonisba, Marcello Giorda .... King Syphace, Guglielmo Barnabb .... Furius, fat Roman, Isa Miranda .... Velia, a Roman woman, Memo Benassi .... Cato, Franco Coop .... Mezio, Roman soldier, Ciro Galvani .... Quinto Fabio Massimo, Carlo Lombardi .... Lucio, Marcello Spada .... Arunte, Piero Carnabuci .... Il Reduce della Battaglia, Carlo Ninchi .... Lelius, Lamberto Picasso .... Hasdrubal, advisor to Hannibal.
Scipio Africanus defeats the famous Hannibal of Carthage in 202 BC.
Historical Background:
235 B.C. -- Scipio Africanus was born in Rome in the future Italy into the highly connected Cornelii family.
Scipio was present at the Battle of Ticinus (where it is said he saved his father's life).
He was present at the Battle of Trebia.
He was present at the battle of Cannae.
212 BC -- Scipio was elected unanimously as a candidate for the Curule Aedileship.
211 BC -- his father and uncle were both killed in battle against Hasdrubal Barca, the brother of Hannibal Barca.
210 BC -- Scipio was unanimously elected to be commander of the new army to be sent to Hispania, then under Carthaginian control.
210 BC -- since the three Carthaginian generals did not or were not able to coordinate their efforts, Scipio was able to capture Carthage Nova (the center of Carthaginian power in Hispania).
209 BC -- he won a battle against Hasdrubal at Baecula on the upper Guadalquivir.
206 BC -- Scipio won a decisive victory over the Carthaginians at Ilipa (now Alcalá del Río, near Seville). Hispania was then evacuated by the Punic commanders.
206 -- Scipio secured the Roman occupation of Hispania by the capture of Gades. He then gave up his command and returned to Rome.
205 -- he was unanimously elected to the consulship and assigned the province of Sicily. Scipio received many army volunteers and they trained in Sicily. Hannibal was in the southwest toe of Italy. Scipio received permission from Rome to undertake the expedition.
204 -- Scipio landed near Utica. Forced to abandon the siege of Utica, he dug in on the shore between Utica and Carthage.
203 -- Scipio destroyed two combined armies of Carthaginians and Numidians (under Syphax). This enabled him to secure the siege of Utica. His two lieutenants, Laelius and Masinissa, pursued and ultimately dethroned Syphax. Masinissa was crowned King of the Numidians.
Hannibal returned to Carthage to negotiate with Scipio, but suddenly Carthage prepared for war. Hannibal had 58,000 infantry and 6,000 cavalry, to Scipio's 34,000 infantry and 8,700 cavalry.
202 (October 19) -- Hannibal and Scipio fought each other on a plain between Carthage and Utica known as Zama. The Romans were able strike fear into the elephants in Carthaginian charge in the center of their line and the Roman/Numidian cavalry was able to chase their Carthaginian counterpart from the field. The two infantries were fighting to a stalemate, when the Roman/Numidian cavalry returned to the field in back of the Carthaginian infantry, and act which led to a Roman victory.
Scipio was very generous to Hannibal and because of this Hannibal was allowed to become the civic leader of Carthage. Scipio was welcomed back to Rome with the new name of Scipio Africanus. (He rejected any honors which may have even included Dictator for life.)
199 BC -- Scipio was elected Censor and lived a quiet life for a while.
193 -- he was one of the commissioners sent to Africa in an unsuccessful attempt to settle a dispute between Massinissa and the Carthaginians.
185 -- Africanus was accused of having been bribed by Antiochus III of Syria. But he reminded the people that it was the anniversary of his victory at Zama and the public went wild with enthusiasm over him. Scipio then retired to his country seat at Liternum on the coast of Campania.
183 BC -- death of Scipio Africanus at Liternum.
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