BATTLE // -216 BCE
Battle of Lake Trasimene
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Overview
The Battle of Lake Trasimene was fought when a Carthaginian force under Hannibal ambushed a Roman army commanded by Gaius Flaminius on 21 June 217 BC, during the Second Punic War. The battle took place on the north shore of Lake Trasimene, to the south of Cortona, and resulted in a heavy defeat for the Romans.
Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Significance
The Battle of Lake Trasimene delivered a heavy defeat to a Roman army on the north shore of Lake Trasimene, south of Cortona, during the Second Punic War. With Roman casualties reaching 15,000 against Carthaginian losses of only 1,500, the engagement represented a severe asymmetric blow to Rome's military capacity at this stage of the war. The loss of the consul Gaius Flaminius and his army to Hannibal's force of 50,000 removed one of Rome's principal field commanders and demonstrated that Hannibal could strike deep into the Italian peninsula and destroy consular armies in detail.
Tactics
Hannibal employed an ambush against the Roman column commanded by Gaius Flaminius on the north shore of Lake Trasimene. The overview confirms this was an ambush and identifies the terrain — the lakeshore south of Cortona — but does not describe the specific dispositions, maneuver sequences, or unit arrangements used. Accordingly, further tactical detail cannot be provided from the supplied source.
Forces & casualties
Troop strength
- Carthage50,000medium
- Rome25,000medium
Carthage fielded a 2.0 : 1 numerical advantage
Casualties
- Carthage1,500medium3% loss rate
- Rome15,000medium60% loss rate
Commanders (2)
Carthage
Rome
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