Battle of Ilipa

The Second Punic War in 206 BC was said to have seen Scipio Africanus achieve his most stunning victory at the battle of Ilipa. Scipio used his plan to overcome two adversaries from Carthage, Mago Barca, and Hasdrubal Gisco. Scipio foresaw the invasion that Mago and Gisco were planning, so he sheltered his forces behind the hill and drove the enemy back. He was able to assault the Carthaginians at dawn thanks to the successful execution of his plan.

The two armies, which were around 55,000 to 45,000 in favor of the Carthaginians, were sufficiently evenly matched that neither side rushed into battle, instead opting to start with minor skirmishes. The two armies deployed their forces in the same ways on the first two days, but on the third day, Scipio got the bright idea to completely alter his troop formations, primarily to favor his army's flanks. He then launched an early assault to engage the Carthaginians in combat before Hardusal could observe how the Romans had deployed their forces. The Carthaginians finally disintegrated after failing to push their counterattack. According to some accounts, the Iberian Peninsula was lost and their defeated army suffered over 49,000 losses compared to Rome's 7,000.

Date: Spring 206 BC
Location: East of Ilipa or modern Seville, Spain)
Combatants: the Roman Republic against Carthage
Result: Roman victory