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In the mid-2nd-century BC, Rome was the dominant power in the Mediterranean region,[22] while Carthage was a large city-state in the north east of what is now Tunisia.[23][24] The Carthaginians were referred to by the Romans by the Latin word Punicus (or Poenicus) and is a reference to Carthage's Phoenician origin. "Punic" derives from this usage.[1] Carthage and Rome had fought the 23-year-long First Punic War from 264 to 241 BC and the 17-year-long Second Punic War between 218 and 201 BC. Both wars ended with Roman victories; the Second when the Roman general Scipio Africanus defeated Hannibal, the premier Carthaginian general of the war, at the Battle of Zama, 160 kilometres (100 mi) south west of Carthage.[25] Africanus imposed a peace treaty on the Carthaginians which stripped them of their overseas territories, and some of their African ones. An indemnity of 10,000 silver talents[note 2] was to be paid over 50 years.[26] Hostages were taken, and Carthage was prohibited from waging war outside Africa and in Africa only with Rome's express permission. Many senior Carthaginians wanted to reject it, but Hannibal spoke strongly in its favour, and it was accepted in spring 201 BC.[28][29] Henceforth, it was clear that Carthage was politically subordinate to Rome.[30] a map of the western Mediterranean with the territories of Numidia, Carthage and Rome shown Map of approximate extent of Numidian, Carthaginian and Roman territory in 150 BC At the end of the war, Masinissa, an ally of Rome, emerged as by far the most powerful ruler among the Numidians, the indigenous population which controlled much of what is now Algeria and Tunisia.[31] Over the following 50 years, he repeatedly took advantage of Carthage's inability to protect its possessions. Whenever Carthage petitioned Rome for redress or permission to take military action, Rome backed Masinissa and refused.[32] Masinissa's seizures of and raids into Carthaginian territory became increasingly flagrant. In 151 BC Carthage raised a large army commanded by the previously unrecorded[33] Carthaginian general Hasdrubal and, the treaty notwithstanding, counter-attacked the Numidians. The campaign ended in disaster at the Battle of Oroscopa, and the army surrendered;[34][35] many Carthaginians were subsequently massacred by the Numidians.[33] Hasdrubal escaped to Carthage, where, in an attempt to placate Rome, he was