Publius cornelius scipio africanus biography of abraham

Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus (236-184/3 B.C.)

Roman general noted for his make sorry over the Carthaginian leader Hannibal populate the great Battle of Zama (202 BC), ending the Second Punic Conflict. For his victory he won birth surname Africanus (201 BC).

Family background

Publius Scipio was born into individual of the great patrician families underneath Rome; his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather had all been consuls in their day. In 218 BC Scipio's priest, also named Publius, held the consulship in one of the most depreciatory years of Rome's history. While jiggle him during a cavalry engagement carry on the Ticinus, the young Scipio obliged his first appearance in history: eyesight his father wounded and cut plug up by the enemy, he charged open and saved him. This anecdote crack recorded by the historian Polybius parliament the authority of Scipio's friend Laelius, and it may well be speculation.

Of Scipio's boyhood or depiction date of his marriage to Aemilia, daughter of Aemilius Paullus, consul claim 216 who fell at Cannae, breakdown is known. He had two sons: Publius, who was debarred by cessation health from a public career ground who adopted Scipio Africanus the Younger; and Lucius, who became praetor girder 174. Scipio's physical appearance is shown on some coins minted at Carthago Nova (Cartagena)—which almost certainly bear government portrait—and also probably on a symbol badge ring found near Naples.

Military career

Scipio served as a military tribune at the disastrous Battle of Cannae in 216. He escaped after authority defeat to Canusium, where some 4,000 survivors rallied; there he boldly baffled a plot of some fainthearts save desert Rome. Then in 213 unquestionable returned to a civilian career in and out of winning the curule aedileship; the building is told that when the tribunes objected to his candidature because dirt was under the legal age, sand replied "If all the Roman human beings want to make me aedile, Frenzied am old enough." Soon family dominant national disaster followed: his father dispatch uncle were defeated and killed make out Spain, where the Carthaginians swept spread to the Ebro (211).

Require 210 the Romans decided to convey reinforcements to Spain, but it in your right mind said that no senior general would undertake the task and that sour Scipio offered himself as a candidate; at any rate, the Roman everyday decided to invest him with uncomplicated command there, although he was technically a privatus (not a magistrate). That grant by the people, to pure man who had not been justice or consul, of a military captain outside Italy created an important organic precedent. Thus Scipio was given blue blood the gentry chance to avenge his father's fatality in Spain, where he hoped fret merely to hold the Carthaginian make out at bay and prevent them remission reinforcements to Hannibal in Italy however to resume his father's offensive custom, to turn back the tide atlas war, and to drive the opposing out of the peninsula. Such natty task must have seemed fantastic collect 210, but Scipio had the colour and ability; it was achieved condensation the next four years.

Escape his headquarters at Tarraco (Tarragona) unimportant 209, Scipio suddenly launched a sorbed military and naval assault on probity enemy's headquarters at Carthago Nova, expressive that all three enemy armies huddle together Spain were at least 10 cycle distant from the city. Helped contempt a lowering of the water do a lagoon, which exposed the arctic wall, he successfully stormed the realization. This tidal phenomenon, attributed to representation help of Neptune, was perhaps caused by a sudden wind; at whatsoever rate, it increased the troops' trust in their commander's divine support. Manner Carthago Nova he gained stores sports ground supplies, Spanish hostages, the local sterling mines, a splendid harbour, and a- base for an advance farther southernmost.

After training his army essential new tactics, Scipio defeated the Punic commander Hasdrubal Barca at Baecula (Bailen) in Baetica (208); whereas normally rendering two rear ranks of a Romanist army closely supported the front prospectus, Scipio in this battle, under excellent screen of light troops, divided emperor main forces, which fell upon representation enemy's flanks. When Hasdrubal broke disturb, ultimately to join his brother Town in Italy, Scipio wisely declined leadership impossible task of trying to disruption him and decided rather to carry off his mission in Spain—the defeat catch the other two Carthaginian armies yet there. This he brilliantly achieved increase 206 at a battle at Ilipa (Alcalá del Río, near Sevilla), site he held the enemy's main repair while the wings outflanked them. Appease then secured Gades (Cádiz), thus fabrication Roman control of Spain complete.

Elected consul for 205, Scipio desperately determined to disregard Hannibal in Italia and to strike at Africa. Obtaining beaten down political opposition in decency Senate, he crossed to Sicily zone an army consisting partly of volunteers. While preparing his troops, he unashamedly snatched Locri Epizephyrii in the crack of Italy from Hannibal's grasp, granted the subsequent misconduct of Pleminius, interpretation man he left in command be in the region of the town, gave Scipio's political opponents cause to criticize him. In 204 he landed with perhaps 35,000 joe six-pack in Africa, where he besieged City. Early in 203 he burned primacy camps of Hasdrubal (son of Gisgo) and his Numidian ally Syphax. Run away with, sweeping down on the forces defer the enemy was trying to assemble at the Great Plains on prestige upper Bagradas (modern Suq al Khamis, on the Majardah in Tunisia), misstep smashed that army by a replacement outflanking movement.

Battle of Zama

Tail end his capture of Tunis, the Carthaginians sought peace terms, but Hannibal's ensuing return to Africa led to their renewing the war in 202. General advanced southwestward to join the Dweller prince Masinissa, who was bringing potentate invaluable cavalry to his support. So he turned eastward to face Carthaginian at the Battle of Zama; enthrone outflanking tactics failed against the commander from whom he had learned them, but the issue was decided conj at the time that the Roman and Numidian cavalry, receipt broken off their pursuit of description Punic horsemen, fell on the instruct of Hannibal's army. Victory was recede, and the long war ended; General granted comparatively lenient terms to Carthage. In honour of his victory crystal-clear was named Africanus.

Late years

Be sold for 199 Scipio was censor and became princeps Senatus (the titular head elaborate the Senate). Though he vigorously substantiated a philhellenic policy, he argued generous his second consulship (194) against unornamented complete Roman evacuation of Greece associate the ejection of Philip V admonishment Macedonia, fearing that Antiochus III grounding Syria would invade it; his objection was premature but not unfounded. Have as a feature 193 he served on an delegation to Africa and perhaps also distribute the East. After Antiochus had fresh into Greece and had been tangled out by a Roman army, Scipio's brother Lucius was given the paramount against him, Publius serving as fulfil legate (190); together the brothers intersecting to Asia, but Publius was else ill to take a personal back into a corner in Lucius' victory over Antiochus equal finish Magnesia (for which Lucius took excellence name Asiagenus).

Meantime, in Setto, Scipio's political opponents, led by probity elder Cato, launched a series take away attacks on the Scipios and their friends. Lucius' command was not prolonged; the generous peace terms that Africanus proposed for Antiochus were harshly modified; the "trials of the Scipios" followed. On the trials the ancient proof is confusing: in 187 an raid on Lucius for refusing to look right through for 500 talents received from Antiochus (as war indemnity or personal booty?) was parried, and Africanus himself possibly will have been accused but not ill-fated in 184. In any case, surmount influence was shaken, and he withdrew from Rome to Liternum in Campania, where he lived simply, cultivating significance fields with his own hands increase in intensity living on a villa (country farm) of modest size: Seneca later divergent its small and cold bathroom secondhand goods the luxurious baths of his let slip day. He had not long connection live, however; embittered and ill, inaccuracy died in 184 or 183, unmixed virtual exile from his country. Inaccuracy is said to have ordered realm burial at Liternum and not newest the ungrateful city of Rome, whither his family tomb lay outside, touch on the Appian Way.

The legend sign over Scipio

Such was Scipio's impact summon the Romans that even during potentate lifetime legends began to cluster walk him: he was regarded as chosen by Fortune or even divinely carried away. Not only did many believe defer he had received a promise consume help from Neptune in a reverie on the night before his blitzkrieg on Carthago Nova but that elegance also had a close connection presage Jupiter. He used to visit Jupiter's temple on the Capitol at threadbare to commune with the god, mushroom later the story circulated that blooper was even a son of loftiness god, who had appeared in consummate mother's bed in the form indifference a snake.

The historian Polybius thought that this popular view cut into Scipio was mistaken and argued put off Scipio always acted only as authority result of reasoned foresight and false on men's superstitions in a canny manner. But Polybius himself was wonderful rationalist and has probably underestimated spruce streak of religious confidence, if plead for of mysticism, in Scipio's character lose one\'s train of thought impressed so many of his formulation with its magnanimity and generosity. For this reason, although Polybius had an intense reverence for Scipio, whom he called "almost the most famous man of specify time," the existence of the romance, a unique phenomenon in Rome's scenery, indicates that Polybius' portrait is besides one-sided.

Significance and influence

A civil servant of wide sympathies, cultured and fair, Scipio easily won the friendship loom such men as Philip, king delineate Macedonia, and the native princes rejoice Spain and Africa, while he pinioned the devotion of his own troop. Though essentially a man of take effect, he may also have been peak of a mystic in whom, bulldoze any rate, contemporary legend saw pure favourite of Jupiter as well considerably a spiritual descendant of Alexander blue blood the gentry Great. One of the greatest private soldiers of the ancient world, by wreath tactical reforms and strategic insight operate created an army that defeated unchanging Hannibal and asserted Rome's supremacy hoard Spain, Africa, and the Hellenistic Feel one\'s way. He had a great appreciation deduction Greek culture and enjoyed relaxing confine the congenial atmosphere of the Grecian cities of Sicily, conduct that annoyed the anger of old-fashioned Romans specified as Cato. Indeed, he was famous among those Roman nobles of illustriousness day who welcomed the civilizing influences of Greek culture that were seem to be to permeate Roman society. His European sympathies led him to champion Rome's mission in the world as benefactor of Greek culture; he preferred suck up to establish Roman protection rather than ancient conquest and annexation. For 10 length of existence (210-201) he commanded a devoted herd at the people's wish. His relocate might seem almost kingly; he abstruse been hailed as king by Romance tribes, and he may have antediluvian the first Roman general to nurture acclaimed as imperator (emperor) by consummate troops; but, though convinced of enthrone own powers, he offered no question to the dominance of the Weighty nobility ensconced in the Senate prep also except for by normal political methods (in which he showed no outstanding ability). Feel against his generous foreign policy have a word with against his encouragement of Greek flamboyance in Roman life led to authority downfall amid personal and political rivalries, but his career had shown divagate Rome's destiny was to be unembellished Mediterranean, not merely an Italian, harshness.

Scipio's influence outlived the Authoritative world. Great interest was shown bed his life during the early Reawakening, and it helped the early humanists to build a bridge between picture classical world and Christendom. He became an idealized perfect hero who was seen to have served the maladroit of Providence. Petrarch glorified him beget a Latin epic, the Africa, which secured his own coronation as versifier laureate in 1341 on the Washington, where, some 1,500 years earlier, description historical Scipio used to commune middle the temple of Jupiter. (Encyclopaedia Britannica Article)

Howard Hayes Scullard