The Second Punic War involved combatants.
The Second Punic War , also referred to as The Hannibalic War and ( by the Romans ) the War Against Hannibal , lasted from 218 to 201 BC and involved combatants in the western and eastern Mediterranean . This was the second major war between Carthage and the Roman Republic and its allied Italic socii , with the crucial participation of Numidian-Berber armies and tribes on both sides . The war was to a considerable extent initiated by Carthage at Saguntum in Spain and is marked by Hannibal 's surprising overland journey and his costly crossing of the Alps , followed by his reinforcement by Gallic allies and crushing victories over Roman armies in the Battle of the Trebia and the ambush at Trasimene . The final engagement was the Battle of Zama in Africa between Scipio Africanus and Hannibal , resulting in the latter 's defeat and the imposition of harsh peace conditions on Carthage ( Carthaginian peace ) , which ceased to be a major power and became a Roman client-state . All battles mentioned in the introduction are ranked among the most costly traditional battles of human history ; in addition , there were a few successful ambushes of armies that also ended in their annihilation .