In the Second Punic War, which general defeated Hannibal at Zama?

• A. Gaius Marius
• B. Julius Caesar
• C. Publius Cornelius Scipio, Scipio Africanus
• D. Lucius Aemilius Paullus

Answer: (C)

Defeating Hannibal at Zama shows how Roman leadership and allied forces finally shifted the war from Hannibal’s Italian victories to a decisive end in Africa. The general who led Rome to victory at Zama was Publius Cornelius Scipio, later known as Scipio Africanus. He built momentum from successful campaigns in Spain and then brought the war to Carthage, forcing Hannibal to fight on Roman terms. At Zama, Scipio fielded a well-balanced force and coordinated Roman legions with Numidian cavalry under Masinissa, countering Carthaginian formations and bluntly neutralizing the threat of Hannibal’s elephants. This disciplined, flexible approach broke the Carthaginian line and secured a decisive Roman victory, ending the Second Punic War and earning Scipio his famed surname.

Other figures were not involved in this battle: Gaius Marius is associated with later reforms and conflicts; Julius Caesar lived after the Punic Wars; Lucius Aemilius Paullus fought at Cannae and died there, not at Zama.