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Zama

Battles
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A 202 BCE Roman victory over Hannibal, ending the Second Punic War and establishing Roman dominance.

Detailed Definition
Zama marked the final defeat of Carthage’s greatest general. In poetry, it symbolizes the triumph of persistence over genius—frequently appearing in classical and neoclassical verse to explore themes of destiny, the rise of Rome, and the tragic end of a legendary adversary whose brilliance could not overcome the relentless machinery of a determined republic.
Example
Example in poetry:
Zama, 202 BCE Scipio’s victory, appears in Roman poetry as end of Carthaginian threat; A modern sonnet might frame Zama’s plains as where Hannibal’s dream died; In a dramatic lyric, a Numidian cavalryman recalls switching sides at Zama; A free-verse elegy could mourn the elephants and legions lost at Zama; Contemporary poets use Zama to reflect on the price of hegemony; A haiku might capture desert wind whispering over Zama’s forgotten stones.
Additional Notes
Zama (202 BCE) ended the Second Punic War with Scipio’s victory over Hannibal; in Roman poetry (e.g., by Ennius or later neoclassicists), it symbolizes the triumph of discipline over genius, and the moment Rome emerged as the Mediterranean’s unchallenged power.
Other Meanings of “Zama”
Also Known As
Battle of Zama
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