Battle of Zama

1 8.5

A decisive 202 BC battle in North Africa that ended the war between Rome and Carthage

proper noun

: Batalla de Zama

Historians often study the tactics used at the Battle of Zama to understand ancient military strategy.

Examples

The Battle of Zama marked the decisive end to Hannibal's campaign against Rome.
The Battle of Zama was a turning point in history.
After losing the Battle of Zama, Carthage was forced to surrender to the Romans.
Did you know that the Battle of Zama occurred in 202 BC?
The decisive victory at the Battle of Zama marked the end of the Second Punic War.
In 202 BC, the Battle of Zama was fought between Rome and Carthage near Zama in North Africa.
Scipio's forces triumphed over Hannibal at the Battle of Zama, changing the course of history.

Synonyms

Zama

vsBattle of Zama

1 9.1

A place in North Africa where Romans defeat Carthage and end the Second Punic War

refers to the actual decisive military engagement rather than the place

Surface Forms

Battle of Zama main

Morphology

battle + of + Zama

The phrase is a straightforward place-name construction: 'battle' (armed conflict) + 'of' (linking/locative) + 'Zama' (a place), so its meaning 'the battle that took place at Zama' is directly derivable from the constituents. A B1 learner who knows those words will infer it denotes that specific engagement (though they may not know its date or historical significance), and this compositional pattern is cross-linguistically common.

Etymology

Battle of Zama was fought in 202 BC when the Roman general Scipio beat the Carthaginian Hannibal on the plain near Zama. Because this victory stopped the Second Punic War, the name now marks the decisive moment that 'ended' that long fight.