Explore the real-world places that appear in Africanus: Son of Rome by Douglas Jackson. Each location on the map shows what happens there in the novel, the real history of the place, and what's there today. Featured locations include The Roman Forum, Capitoline Hill, Ticinus River — Battle Site, Trebia River — Battle Site, Cannae — Battle Site and 7 more.
Via Sacra, Rome — Heart of the Republic
The Forum serves as the political heart of the novel's Roman scenes, where the young Publius Cornelius Scipio — destined to become Scipio Africanus — witnesses the Senate's debates over the war with Carthage and the fate of Rome. The weight of his patrician family name and Rome's republican institutions press upon him here as he grows into his destiny as a military commander.
The Roman Forum was the center of Roman public life for centuries, hosting political assemblies, criminal trials, commercial activity, and religious ceremonies. By the Second Punic War (218–201 BC), it was already a densely built civic space surrounded by temples, basilicas, and the rostra.
The Roman Forum is one of the most visited archaeological sites in the world, open daily as part of the Colosseum and Palatine Hill complex. Visitors walk the ancient Via Sacra among the ruins of temples, arches, and basilicas.
Visit: Foro Romano (Roman Forum) (historic site)
Piazza del Campidoglio, Rome — Seat of Jupiter and Roman power
The Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus on the Capitoline is the symbolic pinnacle of Roman religious and civic identity in the novel. Scipio and his family would have offered prayers and sacrifices here before and after campaigns, and victorious generals celebrated triumphs on this hill — a destiny Scipio himself will eventually claim after Zama.
The Capitoline Hill was Rome's most sacred hill, home to the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus, the greatest temple in Rome. Triumphal processions culminated here, and it was the symbolic center of Roman religion and imperial authority throughout the Republic.
The Capitoline Hill today hosts the Capitoline Museums, the oldest public museums in the world, containing vast collections of Roman sculpture and art including the original bronze Marcus Aurelius equestrian statue. The piazza was designed by Michelangelo.
Visit: Musei Capitolini (Capitoline Museums) (museum)
Near Pavia, Lombardy — First major engagement of the Second Punic War
At the Battle of the Ticinus (218 BC), the young Scipio witnesses Roman cavalry routed by Hannibal's Numidian horsemen. According to tradition — central to his legend — Scipio personally rescues his wounded father, Publius Cornelius Scipio the Elder, from the battlefield. This act of filial courage and the shock of Roman defeat forge the steel of the future Africanus.
The Battle of the Ticinus was a cavalry skirmish fought in November 218 BC near the confluence of the Ticinus and Po rivers. Hannibal's superior Numidian cavalry defeated the Roman horsemen under Consul Scipio, who was himself wounded. It was the first pitched engagement of the Second Punic War on Italian soil.
The battlefield area lies near modern Pavia in Lombardy. The Ticino River remains, flowing through a regional natural park. There is no dedicated battlefield monument, though the area is historically acknowledged in local heritage.
Near Piacenza, Emilia-Romagna — Roman disaster
The Battle of the Trebia (December 218 BC) is another catastrophic Roman defeat at Hannibal's hands that reverberates through the novel's early chapters. Rome loses tens of thousands of men in an ambush of devastating precision, and the shock waves reach the Scipio family and the Senate. The cumulative defeats at Ticinus, Trebia, and later Trasimene define the desperate crucible in which Scipio's character is forged.
The Battle of the Trebia was fought in December 218 BC on the western bank of the Trebia River. Hannibal feigned a retreat to lure the Roman consul Sempronius Longus into crossing the freezing river, then destroyed the Roman army with his concealed brother Mago's force attacking from the rear. Rome lost approximately 20,000 men.
The battlefield lies in the Po Valley near modern Piacenza. The Trebbia River (modern spelling) still flows through the area. Local historical societies mark the general area, though no major monument exists at the site.
Near Barletta, Apulia — Rome's greatest military catastrophe
The Battle of Cannae (216 BC) — where Hannibal annihilates a Roman army of perhaps 70,000 in his masterpiece of double-envelopment — casts a long shadow over the entire novel. Rome loses an entire generation of its officer class. Scipio survives and is among those who rally the survivors at Canusium, emerging as a natural leader who refuses to abandon hope when others speak of fleeing Italy entirely.
Fought on August 2, 216 BC, Cannae is considered one of the greatest tactical victories in military history. Hannibal encircled and destroyed a numerically superior Roman army under consuls Lucius Aemilius Paullus and Gaius Terentius Varro, killing between 50,000 and 70,000 Romans. The battle remains a standard case study in military academies worldwide.
The Cannae Archaeological Park exists near the modern town of Canne della Battaglia in Apulia. The site includes excavated remains of the ancient town, a museum with artifacts from the battle, and memorials. It is open to visitors.
Visit: Parco Archeologico di Canne della Battaglia (historic site)
Cartagena, Murcia, Spain — Scipio's greatest strategic coup
The capture of Carthago Nova in 209 BC is Scipio's defining military masterstroke in Iberia and a pivotal moment in the novel. Scipio leads a bold surprise assault on the Carthaginian capital of Hispania, exploiting a shallow lagoon to attack from an unexpected direction. The city contains the treasury, supplies, and hostages of the entire Iberian campaign — its fall turns the tide of the war in Spain.
Carthago Nova (modern Cartagena) was founded by the Carthaginian general Hasdrubal the Fair around 228 BC as the capital of Carthaginian Iberia. It possessed one of the finest natural harbors in the western Mediterranean and controlled rich silver mines. Its capture by Scipio Africanus in 209 BC was one of the most significant strategic victories of the Second Punic War.
Modern Cartagena is a major Spanish port city. The Roman Theatre of Cartagena, excavated in the 1980s, is a remarkable archaeological site open to visitors. The city has a dedicated Punic and Roman heritage trail including the Museo del Teatro Romano.
Visit: Museo del Teatro Romano de Cartagena (museum)
Near Santo Tomé, Jaén, Andalusia — Scipio outmaneuvers Hasdrubal
At Baecula (208 BC), Scipio demonstrates for the first time the innovative tactical genius that will culminate at Zama. He launches aggressive flanking attacks on Hasdrubal Barca's elevated position, routing the Carthaginian army and seizing the camp, though Hasdrubal escapes northward to Italy with a substantial force. The battle establishes Scipio as a general of extraordinary instinct and boldness.
The Battle of Baecula was fought in 208 BC in the upper Guadalquivir valley in southern Spain. Archaeological excavations near the modern town of Santo Tomé, Jaén have unearthed Roman and Carthaginian weapons, confirming the location. Hasdrubal's escape allowed him to cross the Alps to reinforce Hannibal, though he was eventually defeated at the Metaurus River.
The battlefield site near Santo Tomé, Jaén has been subject to systematic archaeological excavation since the early 2000s. The nearby town of Bailén has a small archaeological museum covering the area's ancient history. The site itself is a rural landscape in the Sierra Morena foothills.
Near Alcalá del Río, Seville — Scipio completes the conquest of Iberia
At Ilipa (206 BC), Scipio executes a brilliant tactical reversal — after days of daily deployments that lull the Carthaginians into a routine, he attacks at dawn before they have eaten, placing his best Roman troops on the flanks rather than the center. The Carthaginian army under Hasdrubal Gisco is enveloped and destroyed, ending Carthaginian power in Iberia entirely and setting the stage for Scipio's bold plan to invade Africa.
The Battle of Ilipa, fought in 206 BC near the Guadalquivir River north of modern Seville, was one of Scipio's most tactically sophisticated victories. It effectively ended the Second Punic War in Spain and gave Rome control of the Iberian Peninsula. Polybius considered it Scipio's greatest battle in Spain.
The battlefield is near modern Alcalá del Río (ancient Ilipa Magna), a small town on the Guadalquivir River north of Seville. The town has some Roman-era remains, and Seville's Archaeological Museum contains artifacts from the region's ancient history.
Near modern Utique, northern Tunisia — Scipio's African beachhead
When Scipio finally persuades Rome to allow him to invade Africa — his grand strategic vision for ending the war — he lands near Utica and lays siege to it as his primary base of operations. The failed siege of Utica, the night attacks on the camps of Hasdrubal Gisco and Syphax, and the subsequent battles in North Africa all radiate from this coastal base. Utica is the bridgehead of Scipio's war-winning gamble.
Utica was one of the oldest Phoenician colonies in North Africa, traditionally founded around 1100 BC, predating even Carthage. During the Second Punic War it served as a key base for Roman operations in Africa. After the fall of Carthage in 146 BC, Utica briefly became the Roman provincial capital of Africa.
The archaeological site of ancient Utica (modern Utique) lies about 35 km north of Tunis. Excavations have revealed Punic and Roman remains including a residential quarter and necropolis. A small site museum exists though the site is not extensively developed for tourism.
Visit: Site archéologique d'Utique (historic site)
Byrsa Hill, Tunis, Tunisia — The great enemy city
Carthage looms over the entire novel as Rome's nemesis — the ancient, wealthy, powerful city-state whose war machine under the Barca family has brought Rome to the edge of destruction. Scipio's ultimate strategic goal is not just to defeat Hannibal in the field but to threaten Carthage itself so directly that the Carthaginians recall Hannibal from Italy, forcing a decisive confrontation on African soil on Scipio's terms.
Carthage was founded by Phoenician settlers from Tyre, traditionally in 814 BC. By the 3rd century BC it was one of the largest and wealthiest cities in the Mediterranean world, controlling a maritime empire spanning North Africa, Sicily, Sardinia, and Spain. It fought three Punic Wars against Rome before being utterly destroyed in 146 BC.
The ruins of ancient Carthage form a UNESCO World Heritage Site within the modern suburb of Carthage, part of greater Tunis. Visitors can explore the Tophet, the Antonine Baths, the Punic ports, and the National Museum of Carthage on Byrsa Hill. The site is one of Tunisia's premier tourist destinations.
Visit: Site archéologique de Carthage (Musée National de Carthage) (museum)
Near Siliana or Seba Biar, Tunisia — The decisive final battle
Zama (202 BC) is the climax toward which the entire novel builds. Scipio faces Hannibal himself — the greatest general of the age — in the battle that will decide the fate of the ancient world. Scipio neutralizes Hannibal's war elephants by training his troops to open lanes and let them pass, then uses his superior Numidian cavalry under Masinissa to envelop the Carthaginian infantry. Hannibal is defeated for the first and only time, and Scipio earns the cognomen 'Africanus.'
The Battle of Zama, fought in October 202 BC, ended the Second Punic War. Scipio's tactical genius — particularly his solution to the elephant charge and the decisive cavalry encirclement — gave Rome a complete victory. Hannibal advised Carthage to seek peace, and the subsequent treaty reduced Carthage to a client state. Scipio was awarded the title 'Africanus' by a grateful Rome.
The exact location of Zama remains debated by scholars, with candidates including sites near modern Siliana and Seba Biar in northwestern Tunisia. There is no established battlefield monument or visitor site, though the general region is acknowledged in Tunisian heritage.
Near Giugliano in Campania, Naples — Scipio's final exile
Scipio Africanus ends his life in voluntary exile at his villa in Liternum, having been hounded by political enemies — particularly Cato the Elder — with accusations of corruption and improper conduct. The tragic arc of a man who saved Rome only to be destroyed by Rome's own political machinery gives the novel its elegiac final notes. Scipio reputedly instructed that he be buried at Liternum, saying 'Ingrata patria, ne ossa quidem mea habes' — 'Ungrateful fatherland, you shall not even have my bones.'
Liternum was a Roman colony on the Campanian coast north of the Bay of Naples. Scipio Africanus retired there after being prosecuted by political enemies around 185 BC and died in exile, reportedly in 183 BC — the same year as his great enemy Hannibal. Ancient sources describe his villa and tomb at the site.
The site of ancient Liternum lies near the modern town of Giugliano in Campania near Lake Patria (ancient Lake Literna). Archaeological remains including a forum and theater have been excavated. Access to the archaeological area is limited and the site is not well developed for tourism.
More by Douglas Jackson: All Douglas Jackson books