Battle of Petelia
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| Battle of Petelia | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Second Punic War | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Carthage | Rome | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Hannibal | Unknown | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
5,000 3,000 infantry 2,000 cavalry | 3,500+ | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown |
3,500 Casualties 2,000 killed 1,500 captured | ||||||
The Battle of Petelia was an ambush during the Second Punic War that took place in the summer of 208 BC near Petelia. The Carthaginian general Hannibal surprised and destroyed a large Roman detachment.
In the summer of 208 BC, the Roman consuls Marcus Claudius Marcellus and Titus Quinctius Crispinus ordered a part of the Roman garrison of Tarentum to move up and assist in an offensive against the Carthaginian-allied town of Locri.[1] Hannibal received word from the people of Thurii of the Roman move and laid an ambush along the road from Tarentum with 3,000 infantry and 2,000 cavalry.[1]
