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How did Scipio Africanus respond when Hannibal’s veteran third line held against the Roman infantry?
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Scipio Africanus
Silver coin from Carthago Nova, believed to be a portrait of Scipio Africanus the Elder; in the Royal Collection of Coins and Medals, National Museum, Copenhagen.
At the Battle of Zama, when the Roman infantry became exhausted after crushing Hannibal’s first two lines and faced his fresh, veteran third line, the outcome was decided by the return of the Roman and Numidian cavalry.12
Having broken off their pursuit of the fleeing Carthaginian horsemen, the cavalry led by Masinissa and Gaius Laelius returned to the battlefield and attacked the rear of Hannibal’s army. This maneuver trapped the Carthaginian veterans between the combined force of the Roman infantry and the cavalry assault, leading to their total defeat.12