Gaius Laelius

Roman commander, lifelong friend and lieutenant of Scipio Africanus. Served with Scipio throughout the Iberian campaign (210–206 BCE) and in the African expedition that ended the Second Punic War. At Zama, Laelius commanded the Roman cavalry on the left wing while Masinissa commanded the Numidian horse on the right; their joint pursuit and return-charge into Hannibal's third line was the battle's decisive maneuver. Reached the consulship in 190 BCE. Polybius, who interviewed Laelius for his account of the war, treats him as a principal source for Scipio's African campaign, making Laelius's testimony one of the few cases where a participant's voice reaches us through a reliable intermediary.