At one particular point, it seemed that Hannibal was on the verge of victory, but Scipio was equipped to rally his men, and his cavalry, obtaining routed the Carthaginian cavalry, attacked Hannibal's rear. As a final result of this victory, quite a few elements of Italy joined Hannibal's cause. But with the decline of Tarentum in 209 BC and the gradual reconquest by the Romans of Samnium and Lucania, his keep on south Italy was just about shed.