After the defeat of Hannibal and Bomilkar at Ariminum, the roman senate decided to bring war to Carthage.
In 203 BC, 2 legions were raised. Command was given to the proconsul Tiberius Gratius Brutus, vanquisher of Hannibal, seconded by Titus Cassius Parmensis.
In the summer of 204, the two generals crossed to Africa landing near Cape Bon without further incident.
For 6 months their fleet established a close sea blockade of the port to force the carthaginian council to negociate a large tribute.
With no result.
So Tiberius went north to put the city under siege but was soon met by a carthaginian force led by Theages.
Theages army was composed of seasoned libyan spears, war elephants, heavy numidian cavalry, archers and the mighty carthaginian Sacred Bands, as well as small allied contingent led by a second class commander.
Tiberius decided to face Theages in open battle.
The romans drew up their infantry in 2 close lines. The hastati and principes took the front, the second line was formed by the triarii, and the campanian cavalry was deployed on the flanks.
Theages meanwhile, deployed his troops in an extanded single line, positioning his cavalry, elephants and heavy infantry on the flanks.
Tiberius slightly advanced his army in the front of the carthaginians and stopped to let his archers deploy forward and fire at will on the ennemy.
But Theages wasn't disposed to let his troops die under fire. He took the initiative and decided to launch his attack.
The battle began with a charge of 48 carthaginian war elephants against Titus on the right flank, instantly killing half of his cavalry.
He almost died in the attack and had no other choice but to flee.
The elephants then turned back to support the numidian cavalry engaged with the right side of the roman infantry.
The campanian cavalry on the left faced a combined charge of numidian cavalry and libyan spearmen.
As the two armies collided, the archers were thrown back and the infantry engaged in the center.
Tiberius Gratius Brutus had fought Hannibal and was conscious that Theages would use similar tactics to overflow him by the sides and strike him from the rear.
To prevent that, he repositioned his troops on the sides of his line to form corners and face the carthaginian pressure from the flanks.
As their flanks were protected, the discipline of the romans allowed them to face the punic infantry in the center with minimum engagement of the triariis
which, when allowed, were dispatched to support the flanks. Indeed the situation on the right was critical due to the war elephants causing enormous casualties to the infantry. The principes cohort was almost entirely destroyed, but the triarii line stood firm at the cost of terrible suffering.
With his right flank starting to collapse, Tiberius commanded the cretan archers to shoot fire on the elephants. Many triarii were killed by the flaming arrows but the nervous animals, paniqued, ran amok throught their own troops, causing great loss to the sacred band and the numidian cavalry.
In the center, the cretan and carthaginian archers were firing at each other over the melee. Meanwhile the left flank was safe, due to the unbreakable campanians still facing the numidian cavalry and the libyan spearmen.
At that moment the battle was under relative control.
Back from its retreat, Titus and his cavalry joined Tiberius, composing a large cavalry force ready to strike. It was time for the roman to take the initiative.
As the allied light units routed, the main roman line broke to reinforce its critical spots, thus opening a way for the cavalry.
Tiberius ordered Titus Cassius to charge the carthaginians archers and to rout them.
Through the dust rising out of the conflict, Tiberius then located Theages and his heavy bodyguards. The Roman and his dreaded cavalry charged in perfect order in the direction of the foe.
Overnumbered, the carthaginian managed to drive the roman throught the melee to a squadron of light libyan spearmen.
They were soon decimated and Tiberius continued pursuit until he reached his ennemy who was engaged in melee with an hastati unit.
Theages and his bodyguards fought like devils but the spear of a roman finally took his life.
With the loss of their general, the confidence of the carthaginians drastically dropped.
However at that point of the battle, the balance of forces was matched everywhere except on the right side where the punic forces had a significant advantage.
The left side of the roman army was still engaged with a large number of heavy infantry when it faced a devastating charge of a fresh war elephants contingent.
In a couple of minutes, a entire cohort was trampled on the ground. Tiberius ordered his cretan archers to fire the pachiderms like they did before with good results.
The same confusion followed and the elephants ran crazy throught their troops.
Meanwhile, Tiberius, Titus Cassius and their cavalry had routed the last carthaginian archers and had reformed in the center. They lead a massive charge in the back of the punic line.
Already weakened by the loss of their general, the libyan spearmen instantly fled in complete disorder and were slaughtered one by one by the cavalry.
Free from opponents, the center infantry immediatly joined force with the flanks against the sacred bands.
Once again Tiberius lead his cavalry in the back of the carthaginians and charged them brutally.
Between the hammer and the anvil, the mighty warriors finally broke and fled. The battle ended in a unimaginable slaughter...
...which sealed Tiberius's victory and opened him the road to Carthage.
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