Battle of Munda (214 BC)

Battle of Munda (214 BC)
Part of Second Punic War
Roman campaign in Iberia. The battles of Munda and Orongi are marked with the number 5.
Date End of 214 BC Location Munda, Solomon Islands Result Inconclusive Romans retreats from Munda
Belligerents
Roman Republic	Carthage
Commanders and leaders
Publius Cornelius Scipio  (WIA) Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio	Hasdrubal Barca Mago Barca Hasdrubal Gisco
Casualties and losses
	12,000 Killed 3,000 captured 57 ensigns captured

The Battle of Munda was fought in 214 BC between the Carthaginian and Roman armies in Spain near the town of Munda (now Montilla).

Background

While the exhausting war in Italy continued, the campaign in Spain had assumed an increasingly important role. Hispania Ulterior would have rebelled against the Romans if Gnaeus and his brother Publius Cornelius Scipio had not crossed the Ebro, to encourage wavering spirits. ^[1] The Romans initially set up their camp at Castrum Album (Alicante), famous for a stinging defeat suffered in the past by Hamilcar the Great. ^[2] The fortress was fortified. In it the Romans had placed important reserves of grain, however they had been surprised by the enemy cavalry and 2,000 of them had been killed. So they had withdrawn, camping at the "Mount of Victory". Here the two Scipios arrived with their entire army. At the same time Hasdrubal Gisco with a complete army positioned himself across the river, in front of the Roman camp. ^[3] Livy relates that Publius, having set out on an inspection tour, was surprised by an enemy contingent, which forced him to take refuge on a hill and, if it had not been for the prompt intervention of his brother Gnaeus, he would have been heavily defeated. ^[4] In this same period Castulus, who was the birthplace of Hannibal's wife, went over to the Romans. Meanwhile the Carthaginians prepared to besiege Iliturgi, where a Roman garrison had been located since the previous year. It is said that Gnaeus Scipio, setting out to help his men with a legion, passed between two enemy camps, causing a great slaughter and managing to penetrate into Iliturgi; the following day there was a new battle, at the end of which 12,000 of the enemy were killed. Furthermore, more than a thousand men were taken prisoner and 36 enemy standards were stolen. ^[5] So the Carthaginians withdrew from Iliturgi and went to Bigerra (perhaps modern Bogarra), in the territory of the Oretani, also allied with the Romans. And this time too the intervention of Gnaeus Scipio put an end to the siege without having to fight. ^[6]

Battle

The Carthaginians, after this latest clash, preferred to move their camps near Munda (today's Montilla ) and the Romans followed them. On this occasion too, a new battle broke out which lasted for about four hours. And although the Romans were winning, Gnaeus Scipio was wounded in the femur by a bullet, forcing his staff to give the signal to retreat, while the frightened soldiers feared that it was a mortal wound. ^[7]

Moreover, there was no doubt that, had this interruption not occurred, the Carthaginian camp could have been captured that day. Not only the soldiers, but also the elephants had already been driven back to the rampart, and on the rampart itself thirty-nine elephants had been pierced by javelins. ^[8]

It seems that at the end of the battle 12,000 men were killed among the Carthaginian ranks, in addition to almost 3,000 prisoners and 57 standards captured. ^[9]

Consequences

At this point the Carthaginians preferred to retreat to Orongi (Aurinx, probably positioned between Monclova and Jimena de la Frontera), where the Romans pursued them to press them while they were still terrified by the defeat they had suffered. ^[10]

References

1. Livy, pp. 41.1–2.
2. Livy, pp. 41.3.
3. Livy, pp. 41.4–5.
4. Livy, pp. 41.6.
5. Livy, pp. 41.7–10.
6. Livy, pp. 41.11.
7. Livy, pp. 42.1–2.
8. Livy, pp. 42.3.
9. Livy, pp. 42.4.
10. Livy, pp. 42.5.

Bibliography

• Appian, of Alexandria. Historia Romana (Ῥωμαϊκά) (in Ancient Greek). Vol. VII–VIII.

• Nepos, Cornelius. De viris illustribus (in Latin).

• Eutropius. Breviarium ab Urbe condita (in Latin). Vol. III.

• Polybius. Storie (Ἰστορίαι) (in Ancient Greek). Vol. VII.

• Strabo. Geografia (in Ancient Greek). Vol. V.

• Livy, Titus. Ab Urbe condita libri (in Latin). Vol. XXI–XXX.
• Brizzi, Giovanni (1997). Storia di Roma. 1. Dalle origini ad Azio (in Italian). Bologna: Patron. ISBN   978-88-555-2419-3.

• Montenegro Duque, A. (1982). La Conquista y la Explotación Económica (in Spanish). Vol. 1. Madrid: Ed. Espansa Calpe S.A.

• Blázquez Martínez, J. M. (1982). La Conquista y la Explotación Económica (in Spanish). Vol. 1. Madrid: Ed. Espansa Calpe S.A.

• Piganiol, André (1989). Le conquiste dei romani (in Italian). Milano: Il Saggiatore.

• Scullard, Howard H. (1992). Storia del mondo romano. Dalla fondazione di Roma alla distruzione di Cartagine (in Italian). Vol. I. Milano: BUR. ISBN   978-88-17-11903-0.