Battle of Agrigentum

Overview

The Battle of Agrigentum was the first pitched battle of the First Punic War and the first large-scale military confrontation between Carthage and the Roman Republic. The battle was fought after a long siege which started in 262 BC and resulted both in a Roman victory and the beginning of Roman control of Sicily.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battle of Agrigentum, fought following a siege that began in 262 BCE, was the first pitched battle of the First Punic War and the first large-scale military confrontation between Carthage and the Roman Republic. The Roman victory ended the siege and initiated Roman control of Sicily, marking the opening of what would become Rome's sustained campaign for dominance over the island. As the opening major engagement of the war, the battle established that Rome could contest Carthaginian power in Sicily at the level of set-piece battle, a contest that would define the conflict for the following two decades.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (4)