Roman Republic · 210-201 BC

Scipio and Zama: the end of Hannibal's war

A young Roman general took the war to Spain and then to Africa, and finally beat Hannibal at Zama. Students follow Scipio's strategy and weigh the peace of 201 BC.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
50 minutes
Ages
11–14
On the map
3 steps, 209 BC to 202 BC
Live lesson
7 rounds, 3 on the map
Worksheet
Two A4 pages, with Classroom
You need
A projector; phones for live

Live lesson · new in Classroom

Teach it live. The class answers on their phones.

Put the board on the projector. Students join with a six-digit code, no account needed, and tap the map: where was the frontier, where did the grain come from. Their pins drop in together when you reveal, and the closest student takes the round.

€19 per month: every lesson live, every worksheet, cancel anytime. Rome at its height runs live for free.

A live lesson on the projector: the class's pins on the map around Alexandria, the closest students listed beside it A student's phone: the question and a map to tap
7 rounds
3 places to find on the map, quiz questions, a class vote and a one-line answer.
About 15 minutes
Run it as the map step, or to open the discussion. You move on with the space bar.
A report
Every answer, per student and per round, to read back or print after the lesson.
1

Introduction

5 min

Read aloud

A young Roman general took the war to Spain and then to Africa, and finally beat Hannibal at Zama. Students follow Scipio's strategy and weigh the peace of 201 BC.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Explain how Scipio's campaigns in Spain and Africa changed the course of the war.
  • Locate Carthago Nova, the Metaurus and Zama on the map.
  • Describe the peace terms of 201 BC and what they meant for Carthage.
2

Explore the map

15 min

Project the map, or let students follow on their own devices. Each step opens the map at the right year and place.

a

209 BC

War in Spain

Open the map in 209 BC and zoom in on the southeast coast of Spain. Find Carthago Nova, Carthage's main base there. Why would losing it hurt Hannibal, far away in Italy?

Open this view on the map
b

207 BC

The brother who never arrived

Turn on Historical Events, choose Battles, and find the Metaurus (207 BC) in Italy. Hannibal's brother Hasdrubal was killed here before he could join him. What did this mean for Hannibal?

Open this view on the map
c

202 BC

War in Africa

Jump to 202 BC and find the Battles marker for Zama in North Africa. Why did Scipio attack Africa instead of chasing Hannibal around Italy?

Open this view on the map
3

Class discussion

15 min

Pick two or three. They run from what happened to why it mattered.

  1. Scipio was only about 25 when he took command in Spain. Why might Rome trust such a young general?
  2. Instead of fighting Hannibal in Italy, Scipio attacked Carthage at home. Why was that clever?
  3. At Zama, the Numidian prince Masinissa, a former ally of Carthage, fought for Rome. How can switching sides decide a war?
  4. Carthage had to give up its fleet and could not make war without Rome's permission. Was this peace fair?
  5. Hannibal later fled from Carthage and died in exile. How should we remember him: as a hero, a loser or something else?
4

Game round

10 min

Play the Hannibal Barca round in Rule History up to the decision at Zama. Discuss as a class: could Hannibal still have won at Zama, or was the war already lost by then?

Open Rule History
5

Worksheet

5 min

This worksheet comes with Classroom

€19 per month unlocks every worksheet, every live lesson and the class workspace. The free lesson prints without a subscription.