The Punic wars are a fascinating era of history, and the article says this ram was used in the decisive battle of the first Punic war. When the first Punic war started Rome had only just expanded its territory to a portion of the Italian peninsula. By the time the second Punic war was finished, Rome controlled all of Italy, most of Iberia, Greece, Corsica and Sicily.
Carthage was much more powerful than Rome was, and Rome really had no business thinking it could have won either of those wars. Rome lost so many battles during those wars, and only survived by outright refusing to give up, and then somehow pulling it out of the bag at a key moment. This battle was one of those moments, and Zama was another in the second war (in a campaign that Scipio basically had to fund himself after failing to get the support of the senate).
There were so many moments in both of those wars where if it had gone another way, Rome could have very easily failed and become a Carthaginian vassal state. There would have been no Roman Empire, which arguably still shapes Europe to this day, and the history of Europe would have been a continent dominated by a North African empire.
Carthage was much more powerful than Rome was, and Rome really had no business thinking it could have won either of those wars. Rome lost so many battles during those wars, and only survived by outright refusing to give up, and then somehow pulling it out of the bag at a key moment. This battle was one of those moments, and Zama was another in the second war (in a campaign that Scipio basically had to fund himself after failing to get the support of the senate).
There were so many moments in both of those wars where if it had gone another way, Rome could have very easily failed and become a Carthaginian vassal state. There would have been no Roman Empire, which arguably still shapes Europe to this day, and the history of Europe would have been a continent dominated by a North African empire.