ORDER OF BATTLE // -255 BCE
Battle of Cape Ecnomus
Estimated force strength by side, with confidence labels per surviving record.
Forces engaged
2 sides catalogued · combined 285,600–290,000 estimated
Roman Republic
138,600–140,000
Medium-confidence figure
Carthage
147,000–150,000
Medium-confidence figure
Battle context
The Battle of Cape Ecnomus, fought off southern Sicily, was a major naval engagement of the First Punic War between Rome and Carthage. The Roman fleet, jointly commanded by consuls Marcus Atilius Regulus and Lucius Manlius Vulso Longus, defeated a Carthaginian fleet under Hanno and Hamilcar. With force sizes on both sides exceeding 138,000 men, the engagement was among the largest naval contests of the ancient world by the numbers recorded. Roman casualties stood at roughly 10,000 against Carthaginian losses estimated between 30,000 and 40,000, indicating a decisive outcome in Rome's favor. The victory cleared the way for a Roman military presence in North Africa, as control of the sea-lanes off Sicily was a prerequisite for any offensive crossing toward Carthaginian territory. Within the wider arc of the First Punic War, Ecnomus demonstrated Rome's capacity to contest Carthaginian naval dominance on a massive scale and shifted the strategic initiative toward Rome.
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