Battle of Nepheris (147 BC) 147 BC
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Year | 147 BC | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
|---|---|---|
| Era | Ancient (before 500) | derived from year |
| Location | Tunisia | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Africa | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Third Punic War | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | Ancient Carthage, Ancient Rome | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 36.6151, 10.3831 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Nepheris was the second battle of the Third Punic War that took place at Nepheris in late 147 BC. The battle was fought between the forces of the Roman Republic, commanded by Scipio Aemilianus, and the forces of Carthage who were commanded by Diogenes of Carthage.
After the Roman defeat at the Battle of the Port of Carthage, Scipio Aemilianus decided to destroy the Carthaginian army at Nepheris, a stronghold south of the capital where the previous year the Romans had suffered a defeat at the First Battle of Nepheris against Hasdrubal the Boetharch.
In 147 BC, the Romans blockaded Carthage and effectively cut off all supplies being sent to the defenders at Nepheris whose defense was being conducted by Diogenes of Carthage. Scipio surrounded the Carthaginian camp, forcing them to come out and give battle against the smaller Roman army. Surrounded on all sides, the Carthaginians were soundly defeated, losing thousands of soldiers during the course of the battle. The majority of the remainder of the Carthaginian force was taken prisoner; only 4,000 managed to slip away. The capture of Nepheris marked the turning point in the morale of the defenders of Carthage, which would fall a few months later.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Nepheris (147 BC) (revision 1370451579), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
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Other battles of the Third Punic War
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All 4 battles of the Third Punic War →
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