Battle of Zama, (202 bc), victory of the Romans led by Scipio Africanus the Elder over the Carthaginians commanded by Hannibal. It was the last and decisive battle of the Second Punic War. The battle took place at a site identified by the Roman historian Livy as Naraggara (now Sāqiyat Sīdī Yūsuf, Tunisia).Soon after this defeat on their home ground, the Carthaginian senate sued for peace, which was given to them by the Roman Republic on rather humiliating terms, ending the 17-year war.

By the year 203 Carthage was in great danger of attack from the forces of the Roman general Publius Cornelius Scipio, who had invaded Africa and had won an important battle barely 20 miles (32 km) west of Carthage itself. The Carthaginian generals Hannibal and his brother Mago were accordingly recalled from their campaigns in Italy; Hannibal returned to Africa with his 12,000-man veteran army and soon gathered a total of 37,000 troops with which to defend the approaches to Carthage. Scipio, for his part, marched up the Bagradas (Medjerda) River toward Carthage, seeking a decisive battle with the Carthaginians. Scipio had no more troops than did Hannibal, but his 6,000 Numidian cavalrymen led by Prince Masinissa were superior to the Carthaginian cavalry.

The Battle was fierce, but in the end victorious for the Roman soldiers, as the Roman cavalry fell into Hannibal's rear.

2500 Roman soldiers as well as up to 20000 Carthaginian soldiers lost their lives on the battleground.

The Battle of Zama left Carthage helpless, and the city accepted Scipio's peace terms whereby it ceded Spain to Rome, surrendered most of its warships, and began paying a 50-year indemnity to Rome. Scipio was awarded the surname Africanus in tribute of his victory. Hannibal escaped from the battle and soon returned to Carthage.