80 



A HISTORY OF CAVALRY. 



[period I. 



but a repetition of his first general engagement, with the 

 parts and the results rt^versed. 



The consequences of the battle of Iling were the 

 conquest of Spain, and the evacuation of the whole 

 country by the Carthaginians. Within four years Scipio 

 had carried the war into Africa, and after a considerable 

 amount of fighting Hannibal had been recalled from 

 Italy, anc* both of the contending parties gathered their 

 strength for a final and decisive battle, which it was felt 

 would decide to whom should belong the empire of the 

 then known world. 



This battle, oii^ of the most important in its results, 

 and one of the most decisive, took place near Zama, a 

 village about five days* march to the south-west of 

 Carthage, in the year 202 B.C. 



Scipio's army consisted it is supposed of about 40,000 

 men, although the records are obscure upon the point, 

 but in his army he counted 6,000 infantry, and 6,000 

 Numidian cavalry, which Massanissa had brought to his 

 standard shortly before the action.^ Hannibal is supposed 

 to have had about 2,700 newly-raised, and not very 

 efficient Carthaginian horse, 2,000 Numidian cavalry 

 only, about 50,000 infantry, and 80 elephants. 



Here, again, we see that the flight of years had 

 brought many changes, and that the relative strength of 

 the cavalry in the Roman and Carthaginian armies had 

 been reversed, since Hannibal, sixteen years previously, 

 in the vigour of his early manhood, had first met his 

 Roman enemies in battle array. He had 24,000 of the 

 veteran infantry who had served with him so long in 

 Italy, and had acquired such steadiness of discipline, and 

 such skill in the use of their weapons, as made them 

 equal to the best Roman legions. His cavalry were 

 weak in numbers, newly raised, and poorly equipped, 

 while of Numidian horsemen he had but 2,000. Scipio, 

 on the other hand, had a force of cavalry trained with 

 the greatest care, well armed, and in the highest state of 

 efl&ciency. Hannibal must have known this, but what 

 must have been his thoughts when he saw ranged against 



^ Lecomte, 109. 



