Siege of Zama

Siege of Zama
Part of the Jugurthine War
Date 109 BC Location the city of Zama in Numidia 36°06′43″N 9°17′08″E / 36.1120°N 9.2856°E / 36.1120; 9.2856 Result Numidian victory
Belligerents
Roman Republic	The city of Zama (Numidia) King Jugurtha of Numidia
Commanders and leaders
Quintus Caecilius Metellus Gaius Marius	King Jugurtha of Numidia
Strength
25,000-35,000	Unknown (probably comparable or larger)
class=notpageimage| Location within Tunisia

The siege of Zama, part of the Jugurthine War, was an investment of the Numidian town of Zama by a Roman army. The Romans were commanded by Quintus Caecilius Metellus, one of the consuls of 109 BC, while the Numidians were under the overall command of Jugurtha, the king of Numidia. The Romans' main objective was to lure Jugurtha into a set-piece battle; the Numidians had been wearing down the Roman legions by guerilla warfare and the Roman commander hoped the siege would pressure the Numidian king into giving battle.^[1] Jugurtha did not let himself be goaded into a pitched battle and kept up his opportune attacks while the defenders of Zama kept the Romans at bay. Failing to take the city and failing to provoke the Numidian king into entering a set-piece battle, the Romans gave up on the siege and marched back to the Roman province of Africa.^[2]