Atlas of Battles

battle, landmark, ancient

Battle of Zama

Battle of Zama was a battle fought on 19 October 202 BC at Zama Regia, in what is now Tunisia. It was part of Second Punic War, which ran from 218 BC to 201 BC. The recorded result: Roman victory.

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Battle of Zama
anonymous, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought19 October 202 BC
WhereZama Regia, Tunisia36.299N, 9.449E
OutcomeRoman victory
BelligerentsRomeagainstCarthage
Casualties and lossesAt least 1,500 killed; Many woundedand20,000 killed; 20,000 captured
Part ofSecond Punic War218 BC to 201 BC

Where it sits in Second Punic War

Battle of Cissa, 218 BCBattle of Lilybaeum, 218 BCCapture of Malta, 218 BCSiege of Mutina, 218 BCHannibal's crossing of the Alps, 218 BCBattle of Rhone Crossing, 218 BCBattle of Ticinus, 218 BCBattle of the Trebia, 218 BCBattle of Ebro River, 217 BCBattle of Geronium, 217 BCBattle of Ager Falernus, 217 BCHannibal's crossing of the Apennines, 217 BCBattle of Plaisance, 217 BCBattle of Lake Trasimene, 217 BCBattle of Nola, 216 BCBattle of Silva Litana, 216 BCSiege of Petelia, 216 BCSiege of Acerra, 216 BCBattle of Cannae, 216 BCBattle of Dertosa, 215 BCBattle of Cornus, 215 BCBattle of Cumae, 215 BCBattle of Nola, 215 BCSiege of Syracuse, 214 BCBattle of Nola, 214 BCBattle of Beneventum, 214 BCBattle of Munda, 214 BCSiege of Arpi, 213 BCBattle of the Silarus, 212 BCBattle of Herdonia, 212 BCBattle of Capua, 212 BCBattle of Beneventum, 212 BCFirst Battle of Tarentum, 212 BCSecond Battle of Beneventum, 212 BCSiege of Capua, 212 BCBattle of Tarentum, 212 BCBattle of the Upper Baetis, 211 BCBattle of Capua, 211 BCHannibal's raid to Rome, 211 BCBattle of Herdonia, 210 BCBattle of Numistro, 210 BCBattle of Sapriportis, 210 BCBattle of Castulo, 210 BCBattle of New Carthage, 209 BCBattle of Canusium, 209 BCBattle of Tarentum, 209 BCSecond Battle of Tarentum, 209 BCSiege of Baria, 209 BCBattle of Baecula, 208 BCBattle of Petelia, 208 BCBattle of the Metaurus, 207 BCBattle of Grumentum, 207 BCBattle of Carmona, 207 BCBattle of Ilipa, 206 BCBattle of Carteia, 206 BCBattle of Carteia, 206 BCBattle of Cartagena, 206 BCBattle of Iliturgi, 206 BCBattle of Crotona, 204 BCSiege of Utica, 204 BCRoman invasion of Africa, 204 BCBattle of the Great Plains, 203 BCBattle of Utica, 203 BCPo Valley Raid, 203 BCBattle of Cirta, 203 BCBattle of Zama, 202 BC218 BC202 BCBattle of Zama, 202 BC
67 placed engagements of Second Punic War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date19 October 202 BC
PlaceZama Regia, Tunisia
36.299N, 9.449E
KindBattle, ancient
Strengthabout 29,000–30,000; 23,000–24,000 infantry; 6,100 cavalryabout 40,000 or 50,000; 36,000 or 46,000 infantry; 4,000 cavalry; 80 war elephants
Casualties and lossesAt least 1,500 killed; Many wounded20,000 killed; 20,000 captured
Commanders
Battle of ZamaBattle of ZamaHammadid capture of Béja (1015)Battle of KefBattle of Hill 609Battle of the MuthulBattle of AdysHammadid capture of Béja (1015)Battle of KefBattle of Hill 609Battle of the MuthulBattle of AdysAnnabaSousseTébessaQairouanBizerteNabeulQasserineGuelma100 km36.299N, 9.449E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Zama
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 25 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Zama today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-08-25. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 369 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 199 to 526 m, 327 m of relief, hilly country and today it is 70% cropland, 16% grassland, 8% shrubland.

cropland: 70%grassland: 16%shrubland: 8%tree cover: 4%bare ground: 2%cropland 70%grassland 16%shrubland 8%tree cover 4%bare ground 2%
west to east, 10.0 km284 to 474 mnorth to south, 10.0 km264 to 498 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 202 BC

Battle of Zama is one of 193 engagements of the 3rd century BC in the atlas and one of 133 in present-day Tunisia.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q200056, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Zama, revision 1384328652, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.