Battle of the Silarus
Hannibal annihilates a Roman army under Centenius Penula.
The Battle of the Silarus was fought in 212 BC between Hannibal's army and a Roman force led by centurion Marcus Centenius Penula. The Carthaginians, though vastly outnumbered, destroyed the entire Roman army and killed 15,000 Roman soldiers.
Quick Facts
- Part of
- the Second Punic War
- Date
- 212 BC
- Location
- near Silarus River (modern Sele River), Italy
- Result
- Carthaginian victory
Facts from the source article.
Did You Know?
- Only 1,000 of the 16,000 Romans escaped the Carthaginian cavalry blockade.
- The survivors were sent to join the disgraced legions of Cannae survivors after being rounded up.
Prelude
After mauling two Roman consular armies at the Battle of Capua, Hannibal lifted the siege of that city. The Roman consuls then split their forces, with Fulvius Flaccus heading for Cumae and Appius Claudius Pulcher marching into Lucania. Even with their recent losses, they still outnumbered Hannibal, but he chose to pursue Claudius. Claudius managed to evade him. Meanwhile, centurion Marcus Centenius Penula convinced the Senate to give him an independent command, claiming his local knowledge could beat the Carthaginians. He received 4,000 citizen soldiers and 4,000 allies, likely from Gracchus's army in Lucania, plus 8,000 volunteers from Campania, Lucania, and Samnium. When Hannibal learned of this approaching force, he stopped chasing Claudius and ordered his cavalry to block all roads, cutting off any Roman escape.
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