the last great deployments of peninsular mercenaries in the second punic war were in the territorial defense of carthage. taking command of 4000 celtiberians from the ilergete revolt previously sent by mago, hasdrubal gisco and syphax clashed with the invading romans led by scipio in the battle of the great plains. the encounter was bitter to both the celtiberians and scipio, as the former had shown mercy to them in hispania despite their allegiance to indibilis and mandonius, so the mercenaries knew the roman general would not spare them a second time. consequently, when the mercenaries found themselves being characteristically the last carthaginian force standing in the battle, most chose to fight to the end and died in their posts. there were further attempts to bring new spanish fighters to carthage, but the saguntines captured the carthaginian recruiters and sold them to rome. in 202 bc, hannibal brought the remnant of his veteran mercenaries from italy and united them to those of mago, who had died in the sea while returning to africa. they faced scipio again in the battle of zama, being ultimately defeated and witnessing the end of the war. the loss of carthage saw the end of the punic mercenary tradition, as it was specifically written among the conditions imposed by rome.