Battle of Beneventum

Overview

The Battle of Beneventum was the last battle of the Pyrrhic War. It was fought near Beneventum, in southern Italy, between the forces of Pyrrhus, king of Epirus in Greece, and the Romans, led by consul Manius Curius Dentatus. The result was a strategic Roman victory and Pyrrhus was forced to return to Tarentum, and later to Epirus.

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

Significance

The Battle of Beneventum was the concluding engagement of the Pyrrhic War, fought near Beneventum in southern Italy between the Roman forces under consul Manius Curius Dentatus and the army of Pyrrhus, king of Epirus. Although the result is not recorded in terms of battlefield losses, the battle produced a strategic Roman victory: Pyrrhus was compelled to withdraw first to Tarentum and ultimately back to Epirus, effectively ending his Italian campaign. The outcome confirmed Roman dominance in southern Italy and closed the period of direct Epirote military intervention on the peninsula, leaving Rome's position among the powers of the western Mediterranean substantially stronger than it had been at the war's outset in 279 BCE.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (2)