When he was driving around North Africa with Bradley, he claims to be able to smell a battlefield and happens upon some ancient ruins, then describes a battle between the Carthaginians and three Roman legions. Anyone know what specific battle he was talking about or did they just make this part up?
sharehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_zama at the end of the second punic war.
or
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Destruction_of_Carthage at the end of the third punic war.
As I recall, both battles took place in roughly the same area, just many years apart. I would lean towards the reference relating to the destruction of carthage, because the character Patton mentions the Carthaginians 'defending the city'. Zama was an open field battle as I recall. At the end of the Third Punic War the Romans destroyed the city completely, and whomever they didn't kill, they made slaves. Such was the legacy of all the trouble Hannibal had caused them during his invasion of Italy.
The thing is, the location where they filmed, was filmed in the ancient roman city Volubilis in Morocco:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volubilis
Carthage-Zama. The last and decisive campaign in the Punic Wars. After its victory at Zama, Rome laid siege to Carthage and according to Livy, the Roman victor, Scipio Africanus literally tore the city apart, pulling down the walls and structures, and sowing the fields with salt. 146 BC. Then Rome methodically took over all of Carthage's colonies.
Historically, Carthage -- which had once been the greatest seapower in the Mediterranean -- was no more. Rome's ultimate goal.