Battle of Ticinus

Overview

The Battle of Ticinus was fought between the Carthaginian forces of Hannibal and a Roman army under Publius Cornelius Scipio in late November 218 BC as part of the Second Punic War. It took place in the flat country on the right bank of the river Ticinus, to the west of modern Pavia in northern Italy. Hannibal led 6,000 Libyan and Iberian cavalry, while Scipio led 3,600 Roman, Italian and Gallic cavalry and a large but unknown number of light infantry javelinmen.

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

Significance

The Battle of Ticinus, fought on the right bank of the river Ticinus in the flat country west of modern Pavia, was an early engagement of the Second Punic War following Hannibal's crossing into northern Italy. It brought together Hannibal's Libyan and Iberian cavalry against a Roman force under Publius Cornelius Scipio composed of Roman, Italian, and Gallic cavalry supported by light infantry javelinmen. As one of the first direct clashes of the Italian campaign, the engagement established early contact between the two commands at a critical moment when Hannibal was consolidating his position in the Po valley.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (2)