Scipio africanus biography summary examples

(236-183)

Who Was Scipio Africanus?

Scipio Africanus was a member of a patrician Roman family. His father, a Roman consul, was killed during the Second Punic War.

Scipio took up the mantle of military leadership and proved himself to be a gifted general and tactician.

Scipio africanus meaning

In 202 B.C., Scipio defeated Hannibal in the Battle of Zama and ended the Second Punic War. He died circa 183 B.C. in Liternum.

Early Life

Publius Cornelius Scipio, who would become famed Roman general Scipio Africanus, was born in Rome, Italy, in 236 B.C.

His patrician family was one of Rome's five great families. Scipio shared the same name as his father, a Roman consul.

The Second Punic War Begins

In 219 B.C., Hannibal, a Carthaginian general, started the Second Punic war by attacking the city of Saguntum (Sagunto, Spain), an ally of the Roman Republic.

Scipio—who had been trained to become a military leader — followed his father into war to defend Rome's strategic interests. Scipio rode