Quote Originally Posted by Cimon View Post
It's certainly possible, CBR, and I hope I didn't sound like I was foreclosing the possibility. After all, we are never going to know for sure what the plan was; there's just too many variables that we can't possibly pin down. I merely think that the factors against a double envelopment strategy outweigh those factors that suggest it.
No worries. It is afterall a battle with very little detail from the sources, as with most ancient battles. Even one of the most well documented Napoleonic battles like Waterloo there are gaps and controversies so why expect any less from an ancient battle

About the cavalry:

It is speculated that Hannibal did not expect to have Masinissa show up so Hannibal would either have had a small advantage of at least parity and the plan was designed for that.

Could he expect to envelop Scipio without the cavalry advantage as seen in Cannae? I would say so for two reason:

1)He had the advantage in numbers of infantry. Enough to pin down a majority of Scipios army while still having troops to pull off the flanking attack.

2)That it seems his plan was to stay back with a majority of his army and thereby pull the Roman infantry forward so he had room for the outflanking while the cavalry were doing their fight further forward on the wings.

Also I do not think he had to surround Scipio completely. Hitting both flanks would provide a rather devastating result by itself.

Since it is pretty certain that his cavalry was both outnumbered and became disordered by the elephants I do not think a feigned flight is needed to explain the quick "rout" of his cavalry wings. Nor is a feigned flight very likely IMO.

IIRC Polybius states that the elephants covered the whole line. Maybe that was Hannibal improvising when he saw his disadvantage in cavalry.


CBR