Armies appeared and disappeared like sandhills on the seashore; on the spot where a hill stood yesterday, not a trace of it remains today.

In general the superiority was on the side of the Romans, partly because they at first appeared in Spain as the deliverers of the land from Phoenician despotism, partly because of the fortunate selection of their leaders and of the stronger nucleus of trustworthy troops which these brought along with them.

It is hardly possible, however, with the very imperfect and--in point of chronology especially--very confused accounts which have been handed down to us, to give a satisfactory view of a war so conducted.
Successes of the Scipios Syphax against Carthage The two lieutenant-governors of the Romans in the peninsula, Gnaeus and Publius Scipio--both of them, but especially Gnaeus, good generals and excellent administrators--accomplished their task with the most brilliant success.

Not only was the barrier of the Pyrenees steadfastly maintained, and the attempt to re-establish the interrupted communication by land between the commander-in-chief of the enemy and his head-quarters sternly repulsed; not only had a Spanish New Rome been created, after the model of the Spanish New Carthage, by means of the comprehensive fortifications and harbour works of Tarraco, but the Roman armies had already in 539 fought with success in Andalusia.( 2) Their expedition thither was repeated in the following year (540) with still greater success.

The Romans carried their arms almost to the Pillars of Hercules, extended their protectorate in South Spain, and lastly by regaining and restoring Saguntum secured for themselves an important station on the line from the Ebro to Cartagena, repaying at the same time as far as possible an old debt which the nation owed.