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The Battle of Utica was fought in 203 BC between armies of Rome and Carthage during their second war for dominance over the Western Mediterranean. By a sudden attack the Roman commander Publius Cornelius Scipio managed to destroy a numerous force of the Carthaginians and their Numidian allies not far from the outflow of the Medjerda River in modern Tunisia. Thus he gained a decisive strategic advantage, switched the focus of the war from Italy and Iberia to the Carthaginian northern Africa and contributed largely for the final victory of Rome. ==The lead-up to the Roman invasion of Africa in 204 BC== The Romans first invaded ancient Libya (modern Tunisia) during the First Punic War. This expedition ended with a disastrous defeat. The second one was to follow only fifty years later. The invasion of Africa was a part of the initial Roman plans for the conduct of the Second Punic War. The Carthaginian leader Hannibal thwarted them when he set out from his base in Iberia, went through western southern Gaul and crossed the Alps in 218 BC. The consul, to whom the expedition to Carthage was entrusted, decided to transfer his army from Sicily to Cisalpine Gaul to defend the north of Italy. This resulted in the battle of Trebia and a series of other heavy defeats of the Romans by Hannibal which put the idea of an assault on the Carthaginian homeland out of question. During the following years the war raged primarily in Italy, Iberia and Sicily, but north Africa was largely spared. The situation changed with the growing fortunes of Rome. By 205 BC the Romans had effectively dealt with two invasions of Italy – that of Hannibal, who was gradually worn out and stripped of allies,〔Mommsen, Theodor, The History of Rome, (Book III ), Chapter VI〕〔Delbrück, Hans, Geschichte der Kriegskunst im Rahmen der politischen Geschichte, I Teil: Das Altertum, Walter de Gruyter & Co., Berlin 1964, S. 358-361, 386〕 and that of Hasdrubal, son of Hamilcar Barca, who was defeated outright in the battle of the Metaurus river.〔Creasy, Edward, (The Fifteen Decisive Battles of The World From Marathon to Waterloo ), The Project Gutenberg Etext〕 The various Carthaginian forces had been driven off Sicily and Iberia or hemmed in the far south and northwestern corners of the Apennine peninsula. By the fall of Syracuse and the reconquest of the parts of Sicily which had been temporarily lost after the battle of Cannae, the Romans secured a base for naval assault on Carthage. They made use of that by carrying out a number of raids on African soil in 208, 207〔Livy, History of Rome, XXVII.9; XVIII.4〕 and 205 BC.〔Livy, XXIX.3〕 Since 206 BC, when Publius Cornelius Scipio finally expelled the Carthaginians from Iberia (see the battle of Ilipa), he was preoccupied with the idea that Africa should be the next target. To this end he concluded an alliance with Syphax – one of the most powerful Numidian rulers at the time and an old foe of Carthage – even before he got authority from Rome to lead the future invasion.〔Livy, XXVIII, 17-18; Appian, Roman History, (The Punic Wars, Section 2.10 ); Smith, Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, vol. 3, (pp. 964-965 )〕 Even though Scipio was elected consul for 205 BC, he had to endure hard political wrangling before the Senate approved his intentions. His main opponent was Quintus Fabius Maximus Cunctator (the Delayer), who argued that the expedition to Africa was too risky and that the primary objective was to fight Hannibal in Bruttium. Scipio managed to persuade the senators that his plan was the perfect way to force the Carthaginians out of Italy.〔Livy, XXVIII.40-45〕〔Plutarch, The Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans: Fabius〕 Nevertheless, he was not given enough resources〔〔Cassius Dio, Roman History, (Book XVII )〕 and had to spend a whole year in preparations. The Carthaginians were warned of what was coming when Scipio sent his legate C. Laelius with a naval force to plunder the area of Hippo Regius on the African coast west of Carthage (205 BC).〔 They took various measures to prevent a major Roman invasion. However, the attempt to persuade the Macedonian king Philip to invade Sicily was unsuccessful, and the reinforcements sent to their own commanders in Bruttium and Liguria were not sufficient to revive the war in Italy (see the articles about the battle of Croton and the Po valley raid). Nor was Scipio dissuaded by the defection of Syphax, who took the side of Carthage thanks to the diplomatic skills of Hasdrubal Gisgo and the charms of his daughter, Sophonisba.〔〔Livy, XXIX, 23-24〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Battle of Utica (203 BC)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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