Battle of Ilipa

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Battle of Ilipa
Part of the Second Punic War
Date Spring 206 BC Location East of Ilipa (or Silpia) (modern Seville, Spain) 37°32′56″N 5°56′11″W / 37.548825°N 5.936332°W / 37.548825; -5.936332 Result Decisive Roman victory Territorial changes Roman conquest of Carthaginian Iberia
Belligerents
Roman Republic	Carthage
Commanders and leaders
Publius Cornelius Scipio Lucius Marcius Septimus Marcus Junius Silanus	Hasdrubal Gisco Mago Barca
Strength
Total: 48,000–55,000 Polybius: 48,000 men • 45,000 infantry • 3,000 cavalry Livy: 55,000 men	Total: 54,500–74,000 Polybius: 74,000 men • 70,000 infantry • 4,000 cavalry 32 war elephants Livy: 54,500 men • 50,000 infantry • 4,500 cavalry Unknown number of elephants Modern estimate:[1] 64,000 men • 60,000 infantry • 4,000 cavalry 32 elephants
Casualties and losses
7,000 killed	More than 48,500 killed or captured All cavalry killed, wounded or captured
class=notpageimage| Location within Spain

The Battle of Ilipa (/ˈɪlɪpə/) was an engagement considered by many as Scipio Africanus’s most brilliant victory in his military career during the Second Punic War in 206 BC.

It may have taken place on a plain east of Alcalá del Río, Seville, Spain, near the village of Esquivel, the site of the Carthaginian camp.^[2]

Though it may not seem to be as original as Hannibal’s tactic at Cannae, Scipio's pre-battle maneuver and his reverse Cannae formation stands as the acme of his tactical ability, in which he forever broke the Carthaginian hold in Iberia, thus denying any further land invasion into Italy and cutting off a rich base for the Barca dynasty both in silver and manpower.