Carthage's illegal military action at Oroscopa gave Rome a pretext to launch the Third Punic War, ending in Carthage's total destruction in 146 BC.
Key Facts
- Carthaginian army size
- More than 30,000 men
- Core Carthaginian force
- 25,400 infantry and cavalry
- Allied Numidian cavalry
- 6,000 riders under dissident leaders
- Date of battle
- Late 151 BC
- Outcome
- Heavy Carthaginian defeat and forced surrender
- Consequence
- Triggered Third Punic War (149–146 BC)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following the Second Punic War's peace treaty of 201 BC, Carthage was forbidden from waging war without Roman approval. Masinissa, king of Numidia and a Roman ally, repeatedly raided Carthaginian territory with impunity. In 151 BC, Carthage could no longer tolerate his aggression and assembled an army under Hasdrubal, openly violating the treaty, to defend the town of Oroscopa.
Hasdrubal led a Carthaginian force of over 30,000 men to confront Masinissa near Oroscopa in northwestern Tunisia. Masinissa drew the Carthaginians into rough terrain with scarce water and food, then encircled them. Underestimating the discipline of the Numidian army, the Carthaginians waited for it to disperse but were instead starved into surrender, after which many were killed in violation of the surrender terms.
Hasdrubal returned to Carthage and was condemned to death as a gesture to Rome, but the episode proved insufficient. Anti-Carthaginian factions in Rome exploited Carthage's illegal military campaign as justification for a punitive war. The resulting Third Punic War ended in 146 BC with the complete destruction of Carthage and the death or enslavement of its entire population.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Hasdrubal.
Side B
1 belligerent
Masinissa.