List of battles of the Second Punic War
Encyclopedia
This is an incomplete list of battles of the Second Punic War
, showing the battles on the Italian peninsula and some in Africa, in Sicily
and Hispania
.
Second Punic War
The Second Punic War, also referred to as The Hannibalic War and The War Against Hannibal, lasted from 218 to 201 BC and involved combatants in the western and eastern Mediterranean. This was the second major war between Carthage and the Roman Republic, with the participation of the Berbers on...
, showing the battles on the Italian peninsula and some in Africa, in Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
and Hispania
Hispania
Another theory holds that the name derives from Ezpanna, the Basque word for "border" or "edge", thus meaning the farthest area or place. Isidore of Sevilla considered Hispania derived from Hispalis....
.
- 218 BC218 BCYear 218 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Scipio and Longus...
- Battle of LilybaeumBattle of LilybaeumThe Battle of Lilybaeum was the first naval clash between the navies of Carthage and Rome during the Second Punic War. The Carthaginians had sent 35 quinqueremes to raid Sicily, starting with Lilybaeum...
- A Roman fleet of 20 quinqueremeQuinqueremeFrom the 4th century BC on, new types of oared warships appeared in the Mediterranean Sea, superseding the trireme and transforming naval warfare. Ships became increasingly bigger and heavier, including some of the largest wooden ships ever constructed...
s defeated a Carthaginian fleet of 35 galleys. - August - Hannibal conquered Catalonia.
- September- Hannibal defeated the Gaul Volcae tribe in the Battle of Rhone CrossingBattle of Rhone CrossingThe Battle of Rhone Crossing took place during the Second Punic War. The Carthaginian army under Hannibal Barca, while marching to Italy in the autumn of 218 BC, fought an army of the Gaulish tribe of Volcae on the east bank of the Rhone River possibly near Aurasio...
. - October: Hannibal's army defeated Gauls in two battles while crossing the Alps.
- November: Battle of the Ticinus - Hannibal defeated the Romans under Publius Cornelius ScipioPublius Cornelius ScipioPublius Cornelius Scipio was a general and statesman of the Roman Republic.A member of the Corneliagens, Scipio served as consul in 218 BC, the first year of the Second Punic War, and sailed with an army from Pisa to Massilia , with the intention of arresting Hannibal's advance on Italy...
the Elder in a small cavalry skirmish. - December: Battle of the TrebiaBattle of the TrebiaThe Battle of the Trebia was the first major battle of the Second Punic War, fought between the Carthaginian forces of Hannibal and the Roman Republic in December of 218 BC, on or around the winter solstice...
- Hannibal defeated the Romans under Tiberius Sempronius Longus, who had foolishly attacked. - Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio CalvusGnaeus Cornelius Scipio CalvusGnaeus Cornelius Scipio Calvus was a Roman general and statesman.His father was Lucius Cornelius Scipio, son of the patrician censor of 280, Lucius Cornelius Scipio Barbatus. His younger brother was Publius Cornelius Scipio, father of the most famous Scipio – Scipio Africanus...
defeated Hanno in the Battle of CissaBattle of CissaThe Battle of Cissa was part of the Second Punic War. It was fought in the fall of 218 BC south of the Greek town of Tarraco in north-eastern Iberia...
. Iberia north of the EbroEbroThe Ebro or Ebre is one of the most important rivers in the Iberian Peninsula. It is the biggest river by discharge volume in Spain.The Ebro flows through the following cities:*Reinosa in Cantabria.*Miranda de Ebro in Castile and León....
River came under Roman control.
- Battle of Lilybaeum
- 217 BC217 BCYear 217 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Geminus and Flaminius/Regulus...
- Battle of Lake TrasimeneBattle of Lake TrasimeneThe Battle of Lake Trasimene was a Roman defeat in the Second Punic War between the Carthaginians under Hannibal and the Romans under the consul Gaius Flaminius...
- In an ambush, Hannibal destroyed the Roman army of Gaius Flaminius Nepos, who was killed. - A Roman fleet, aided by ships from MassiliaMarseilleMarseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
, surprised and defeated the Iberian contingent of the Carthaginian fleet in the naval Battle of Ebro RiverBattle of Ebro RiverBattle of Ebro River was a naval battle fought between a Carthaginian fleet of approximately 40 quinqueremes under the command of Himilco and a Roman fleet of 55 ships under Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Calvus near the mouth of Ebro River in the spring of 217 BC...
. - Hannibal was trapped by Quintus Fabius in Ager Falernus, but he managed to escape in the Battle of Ager FalernusBattle of Ager FalernusThe Battle of Ager Falernus was a skirmish during the Second Punic War between the armies of Rome and Carthage. After winning the Battle of Lake Trasimene in Italy in 217 BC, the army commanded by Hannibal Barca marched south and reached Campania...
. - Hannibal trapped and inflicted severe losses on a Roman army under Minucius, at the Battle of GeroniumBattle of GeroniumThe Battle of Geronium or Gerunium is part of the Second Punic War, where a large skirmish and an ambush took place in the summer and autumn of 217 BC respectively. After winning the Battle of Ager Falernus, the army of Hannibal, marched north then east towards Molise through Samnium...
. The timely intervention of the Dictator Quintus Fabius MaximusQuintus Fabius MaximusQuintus Fabius Maximus most commonly refers to;*Quintus Fabius Maximus*A number of ancient Romans from the gens Fabia.The ancient Romans that share the name Quintus Fabius Maximus include:* Quintus Fabius Maximus, augur 203–196 BC....
saved the Romans from another disaster.
- Battle of Lake Trasimene
- 216 BC216 BCYear 216 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Varro and Paullus...
- August: Battle of CannaeBattle of CannaeThe Battle of Cannae was a major battle of the Second Punic War, which took place on August 2, 216 BC near the town of Cannae in Apulia in southeast Italy. The army of Carthage under Hannibal decisively defeated a numerically superior army of the Roman Republic under command of the consuls Lucius...
- Hannibal destroyed the Roman army led by Lucius Aemilius PaullusLucius Aemilius PaullusLucius Aemilius Paullus was the name of several ancient Romans of the patrician gens Aemilia.Notable men with this name include:* Lucius Aemilius Paullus * Lucius Aemilius Paulus Macedonicus, his son...
and Gaius Terentius VarroGaius Terentius VarroGaius Terentius Varro was a Roman consul and commander. Along with his colleague, Lucius Aemilius Paullus, he commanded at the Battle of Cannae during the Second Punic War, in 216 BC, against the Carthaginian general Hannibal. The battle resulted in a decisive Roman defeat.Varro had been a praetor...
in what is considered one of the great masterpieces of the tactical art. - First Battle of NolaBattle of Nola (216 BC)The First Battle of Nola was fought in 216 BC between the forces of Hannibal and a Roman force led by Marcus Claudius Marcellus. Hannibal was attempting to seize the town of Nola: He failed, and would make two more unsuccessful attempts on the city in the next two years....
- Roman general Marcus Claudius MarcellusMarcus Claudius MarcellusMarcus Claudius Marcellus , five times elected as consul of the Roman Republic, was an important Roman military leader during the Gallic War of 225 BC and the Second Punic War...
held off an attack by Hannibal.
- August: Battle of Cannae
- 215 BC215 BCYear 215 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Albinus/Marcellus/Verrucosus and Gracchus...
- Second Battle of NolaBattle of Nola (215 BC)The Second Battle of Nola was fought in 215 BC between Hannibal's army and a Roman Army under Marcus Claudius Marcellus. It was Hannibal's second attempt to seize Nola after a failure the year before. He was again repelled, and made one more, also unsuccessful attempt the next year....
- Marcellus again repulsed an attack by Hannibal. - A Roman fleet under Titus Otacilius Crassus defeated a Carthaginian fleet near SardiniaSardiniaSardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
. - Hasdrubal BarcaHasdrubal BarcaHasdrubal was Hamilcar Barca's second son and a Carthaginian general in the Second Punic War. He was a younger brother of the much more famous Hannibal.-Youth and Iberian leadership:...
is defeated by the Scipio brothers in Battle of DertosaBattle of DertosaThe Battle of Dertosa, also known as the Battle of Ibera, was fought in the spring of 215 BC on the south bank of the Ebro River across from the town of Dertosa. A Roman army, under the command of Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Calvus and Publius Cornelius Scipio defeated a similarly sized Carthaginian...
. The Romans raided Carthaginian territory south of the Ebro river. - A Carthaginian expedition under Hasdrubal the Bald is defeated near CaralisCagliariCagliari is the capital of the island of Sardinia, a region of Italy. Cagliari's Sardinian name Casteddu literally means castle. It has about 156,000 inhabitants, or about 480,000 including the outlying townships : Elmas, Assemini, Capoterra, Selargius, Sestu, Monserrato, Quartucciu, Quartu...
in Sardinia in Battle of CornusBattle of CornusThe Battle of Cornus, or Caralis took place when a Carthaginian army sailed to Sardinia in support of a Sardinian revolt against Roman rule. The army, led by Hasdrubal the Bald, fought a similar size Roman army under Praetor Titus Manlius Torquatus in the Fall of 215 BC somewhere between Cornus and...
.
- Second Battle of Nola
- 214 BC214 BCYear 214 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Verrucosus and Marcellus...
- Third Battle of NolaBattle of Nola (214 BC)The Third Battle of Nola was fought in 214 BC between Hannibal and a Roman army led by Marcus Claudius Marcellus. It was Hannibal's third attempt to take the town of Nola. Once again, Marcellus successfully prevented the town's capture....
- Marcellus fought an inconclusive battle with Hannibal.- Battle of BeneventumBattle of Beneventum (214 BC)The Battle of Beneventum was fought in 214 BC near modern Benevento during the Second Punic War. Roman legions under Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus defeated Hanno's Carthaginian forces, denying Hannibal reinforcements...
- Tiberius GracchusTiberius GracchusTiberius Sempronius Gracchus was a Roman Populares politician of the 2nd century BC and brother of Gaius Gracchus. As a plebeian tribune, his reforms of agrarian legislation caused political turmoil in the Republic. These reforms threatened the holdings of rich landowners in Italy...
' slave legions defeat HannoHannoHanno may refer to:* Hanno, Saitama, Honshū, Japan* Hanno , a lunar crater* Hanno , the pet white elephant of Pope Leo XPeople named Hanno:*Several ancient Carthaginians, including:...
(son of Bomlicar) and, therefore, deny Hannibal his reinforcements. - The Siege of SyracuseSiege of Syracuse (212 BC)The Siege of Syracuse by the Roman Republic took place in 214-212 BC, at the end of which the Magna Graecia Hellenistic city of Syracuse, located on the east coast of Sicily, fell. The Romans stormed the city after a protracted siege giving them control of the entire island of Sicily. During the...
begins.
- Battle of Beneventum
- 212 BC212 BCYear 212 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Flaccus and Pulcher...
- Hannibal, after careful planning and collaboration from the Greek populance, takes the city of Tarentum in a daring Night Raid on TarentumBattle of Tarentum (212 BC)The Battle of Tarentum of 212 BC was a battle in the Second Punic War.-Prelude:The Romans had been waiting for a chance to strike at Capua, the capital of Campania in Southern Italy, after it revolted against them following their defeat by the Carthaginian Hannibal at Cannae in 216 BC. Hannibal had...
. The Romans managed to hold the Citadel at the mouth of the port. - First Battle of CapuaBattle of Capua (212 BC)The First Battle of Capua was fought in 212 BC between Hannibal and two Roman consular armies. The Roman force was led by two consuls, Quintus Fulvius Flaccus and Appius Claudius Pulcher. The Roman force was defeated, but managed to escape. Hannibal temporarily managed to raise the siege of Capua...
- Hannibal defeated the consuls Q. Fulvius Flaccus and Appius ClaudiusAppius ClaudiusThere were a number of Romans named Appius Claudius:* Appius Claudius Sabinus Inregillensis, consul in 495 BC* Appius Claudius Crassus, a decemvir in 451 BC* Appius Claudius Caecus , censor in 312 BC...
, but the Roman army escaped. Siege of Capua temporarily lifted. - Battle of the SilarusBattle of the SilarusThe Battle of the Silarus was fought in 212 BC between Hannibal's army and a Roman force led by praetor Marcus Centenius Penula. The Carthaginians were victorious, destroying the entire Roman army...
- Hannibal destroyed the army of the Roman praetor M. Centenius Penula in Campania. - First Battle of HerdoniaBattle of Herdonia (212 BC)The first Battle of Herdonia was fought in 212 BC during the Second Punic War between Hannibal's Carthaginian army and Roman forces led by Preator Gnaeus Fulvius Flaccus, brother of the consul...
- Hannibal destroyed the Roman army of the praetor Gnaeus Fulvius in Apulia. - The Siege of SyracuseSiege of Syracuse (212 BC)The Siege of Syracuse by the Roman Republic took place in 214-212 BC, at the end of which the Magna Graecia Hellenistic city of Syracuse, located on the east coast of Sicily, fell. The Romans stormed the city after a protracted siege giving them control of the entire island of Sicily. During the...
ends with the fall of the city. ArchimedesArchimedesArchimedes of Syracuse was a Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, inventor, and astronomer. Although few details of his life are known, he is regarded as one of the leading scientists in classical antiquity. Among his advances in physics are the foundations of hydrostatics, statics and an...
is accidentally slain.
- Hannibal, after careful planning and collaboration from the Greek populance, takes the city of Tarentum in a daring Night Raid on Tarentum
- 211 BC211 BCYear 211 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Maximus and Maximus...
- Battle of the Upper BaetisBattle of the Upper BaetisThe Battle of the Upper Baetis was fought in 211 BC between a Carthaginian force led by Hasdrubal Barca and a Roman force led by Publius Cornelius Scipio and his brother Gnaeus. The immediate result was a Carthaginian victory in which both Roman brothers were killed...
- Publius Cornelius ScipioPublius Cornelius ScipioPublius Cornelius Scipio was a general and statesman of the Roman Republic.A member of the Corneliagens, Scipio served as consul in 218 BC, the first year of the Second Punic War, and sailed with an army from Pisa to Massilia , with the intention of arresting Hannibal's advance on Italy...
and Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio CalvusGnaeus Cornelius Scipio CalvusGnaeus Cornelius Scipio Calvus was a Roman general and statesman.His father was Lucius Cornelius Scipio, son of the patrician censor of 280, Lucius Cornelius Scipio Barbatus. His younger brother was Publius Cornelius Scipio, father of the most famous Scipio – Scipio Africanus...
were killed in battle with Hasdrubal BarcaHasdrubal BarcaHasdrubal was Hamilcar Barca's second son and a Carthaginian general in the Second Punic War. He was a younger brother of the much more famous Hannibal.-Youth and Iberian leadership:...
. - Second Battle of CapuaBattle of Capua (211 BC)The Second Battle of Capua was fought in 211 BC when the Romans besieged Capua. It is described by Polybius at 9.4-7, and by Livy at 26.4-6.Hannibal tried to break the siege of Capua by marching on Rome. He had hoped that this threat would force the Romans to break off the siege and march back to...
- Hannibal was unable to break the Roman siege of the city.
- Battle of the Upper Baetis
- 210 BC
- Second Battle of HerdoniaBattle of Herdonia (210 BC)The second battle of Herdonia took place in 210 BC during the so called Second Punic War. Hannibal, leader of the Carthaginians, who had invaded Italy eight years ago, encircled and destroyed a Roman army which was operating against his allies in Apulia...
- Hannibal destroyed the Roman army of Fulvius CentumalusGnaeus Fulvius Centumalus MaximusGnaeus Fulvius Centumalus Maximus was a consul of the Roman Republic in 211 BC. As consul, Fulvius defended Rome against Hannibal with his colleague Publius Sulpicius Galba Maximus during the Second Punic War....
, who was killed. - Battle of NumistroBattle of NumistroThe Battle of Numistro was fought in 210 BC between Hannibal's army and a Roman army led by consul Marcus Claudius Marcellus. The battle was inconclusive, since the long battle ended with Hannibal retreating, and Marcellus hunting him until Asculum the following year....
- Hannibal defeated Marcellus once more. - Battle of Sapriportis - The Tarentine Greek navy defeated a Roman squadron trying to reinforce the Citadel.
- Second Battle of Herdonia
- 209 BC209 BCYear 209 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Verrucosus and Flaccus...
- Battle of Asculum - Hannibal once again confronted Marcellus in an indecisive battle. Marcellus was recalled to Rome on charges of bad leadership.
- Assault on Cartagena - P. Cornelius Scipio the Younger captured CartagenaCartagena, SpainCartagena is a Spanish city and a major naval station located in the Region of Murcia, by the Mediterranean coast, south-eastern Spain. As of January 2011, it has a population of 218,210 inhabitants being the Region’s second largest municipality and the country’s 6th non-Province capital...
, the main base of Carthage in Hispania.
- 208 BC208 BCYear 208 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Marcellus and Crispinus...
- Battle of BaeculaBattle of BaeculaThe Battle of Baecula was Scipio Africanus’s first major field battle after he had taken command of Roman interests in Iberia during the Second Punic War, in which he routed the Carthaginian army under the command of Hasdrubal Barca.-Prelude:...
- Romans in Hispania under P. Cornelius Scipio the Younger defeated Hasdrubal BarcaHasdrubal BarcaHasdrubal was Hamilcar Barca's second son and a Carthaginian general in the Second Punic War. He was a younger brother of the much more famous Hannibal.-Youth and Iberian leadership:...
. Hasdrubal managed to save 2/3 of his army, treasures and elephants and retreat. - Battle of Clupea - The Carthaginian navy is defeated in a battle off the African coast.
- Battle of Baecula
- 207 BC207 BCYear 207 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Nero and Salinator...
- Battle of GrumentumBattle of GrumentumThe Battle of Grumentum was fought in 207 BC between Romans led by Gaius Claudius Nero, and Hannibal's Carthaginian army. The battle was a minor Roman victory, and Nero marched north where he defeated and killed Hannibal's brother Hasdrubal at Metaurus. The battle is described by Livy at 27.41-42....
- Roman general Gaius Claudius NeroGaius Claudius NeroGaius Claudius Nero was a Roman consul who fought in the Battle of the Metaurus . He was member of the gens Claudia. He is not to be confused with the Roman Emperor Nero.In 207 BC, the thirteenth year of the war, he was elected consul with Marcus Livius Salinator, and with his colleague he led the...
fought an indecisive battle with Hannibal, then marched north to confront Hasdrubal BarcaHasdrubal BarcaHasdrubal was Hamilcar Barca's second son and a Carthaginian general in the Second Punic War. He was a younger brother of the much more famous Hannibal.-Youth and Iberian leadership:...
, who had invaded Italy. - Battle of the MetaurusBattle of the MetaurusThe Battle of the Metaurus was a pivotal battle in the Second Punic War between Rome and Carthage, fought in 207 BC near the Metauro River in present-day Italy. The battle gets a chapter in the classic The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World by Sir Edward Shepherd Creasy...
- Hasdrubal Barca was defeated and killed by Livius and Nero's combined Roman army. Is thought by many as one of the most decisive battles in history. - Naval Battle of Utica - A Carthaginian fleet of 70 ships is defeated by a Roman fleet of 100 ships near UticaUtica, TunisiaUtica is an ancient city northwest of Carthage near the outflow of the Medjerda River into the Mediterranean Sea, traditionally considered to be the first colony founded by the Phoenicians in North Africa...
.
- Battle of Grumentum
- 206 BC206 BCYear 206 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Philo and Metellus...
- Battle of IlipaBattle of IlipaThe Battle of Ilipa in 206 BC was considered Scipio Africanus’s most brilliant victory in his military career during the Second Punic War. Though it may not seem to be as original as Hannibal’s tactic at Cannae, Scipio’s pre-battle maneuver and his Reverse Cannae formation was still a culmination...
- Scipio destroyed the remaining Carthaginian forces in Hispania. - 204 BC204 BCYear 204 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Cethegus and Tuditanus...
- Battle of CrotonaBattle of CrotonaThe battle or, more precisely, the battles of Croton in 204 and 203 BC were, as well as the raid in Cisalpine Gaul, the last larger scale engagements between the Romans and the Carthaginians in Italy during the Second Punic War...
- Hannibal fought a drawn battle against the Roman general Sempronius in Southern Italy. - 203 BC203 BCYear 203 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Caepio and Geminus...
- Battle of Bagbrades - Romans under Scipio defeated the Carthaginian army of Hasdrubal GiscoHasdrubal GiscoHasdrubal Gisco or Hasdrubal son of Gisco was a Carthaginian general who fought against Rome in Iberia and North Africa during the Second Punic War. He should not be confused with Hasdrubal Barca, the brother of Hannibal....
and SyphaxSyphaxSyphax was a king of the ancient Algerian tribe Masaesyli of western Numidia during the last quarter of the 3rd century BC. His story is told in Livy's Ab Urbe Condita .-Biography:...
. Hannibal was recalled to Africa.- Battle of Castra Cornelia - Carthaginian fleet under Hasdrubal plunders the Roman supply convoy sailing to resupply Scipio's army in Africa near Utica.
- 202 BC202 BCYear 202 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Geminus and Nero...
- Battle of ZamaBattle of ZamaThe Battle of Zama, fought around October 19, 202 BC, marked the final and decisive end of the Second Punic War. A Roman army led by Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus defeated a Carthaginian force led by the legendary commander Hannibal...
(October 19) - Scipio Africanus Major decisively defeated Hannibal in North Africa, ending the Second Punic War.