Context: After the Battle of Zama where Scipio defeated Hannibal, Hannibal went into a self imposed exile to avoid being captured by Rome. He took refuge in the court of Antiochus III in Syria, advising him on matters of war against Rome.

Seven years later, around 193 BC, Scipio went to the court of Antiochus III as part of a Roman delegation to settle a dispute. This is when both generals met each other face to face for the first time since the Punic war, with mutual respect for each other.