ORDER OF BATTLE // -216 BCE
Battle of Geronium
Estimated force strength by side, with confidence labels per surviving record.
Forces engaged
2 sides catalogued · combined 40,000 estimated
Carthage
20,000
Medium-confidence figure
Roman Republic
20,000
Medium-confidence figure
Battle context
The Battle of Geronium was fought during the summer and autumn of 217 BC between Hannibal Barca's Carthaginian forces and the Roman Republic, during the Second Punic War. Each side fielded roughly 20,000 troops, and the engagement ended as a tactical victory for Hannibal, at a cost of approximately 5,000 Roman casualties. The outcome consolidated Carthaginian control in southern Italy and added further pressure on Roman morale at a stage in the war when Rome was already reeling from earlier defeats. The battle is notable for the involvement of both Roman commanders Marcus Minucius Rufus and Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus, whose contrasting strategic instincts — aggressive engagement versus the cautious attrition associated with Fabian strategy — shaped the wider Roman conduct of the Italian campaign in this period.
‹ Full battle dossier