The Battle of Zama, fought in 202 BC in what is now Tunisia, ended the Second Punic War. Scipio Africanus led a Roman army of about 40,000 against Hannibal's Carthaginian army, which numbered 40,000 or 50,000 and included 80 war elephants. Scipio's army had already beaten Carthage in Africa, and Hannibal was recalled from Italy to face him. The elephants charged first but were repulsed, and Roman cavalry drove off the Carthaginian cavalry on each wing. After prolonged infantry fighting, Roman cavalry returned and attacked the Carthaginian line from behind, destroying it. Carthage lost its army, surrendered its overseas territories and became politically subordinate to Rome, while Hannibal went into exile.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.