Battle of Panormus
| date | 251 BC Chr. |
|---|---|
| place | Panormus, today's Palermo |
| output | Victory of the Romans |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
|
Lucius Caecilius Metellus |
|
Agrigento - Mylae - Aeolian Islands - Sulci - Tyndaris - Cape Ecnomus - Aspis - Adys - Tunes - Cape Bon - Panormus - Drepana I - Drepana II - Aegatic Islands
The battle of Panormus , today's Palermo, took place in the summer of 251 BC. Chr. During the First Punic War between the Carthaginians and the Romans instead. The Romans won the battle.
prehistory
After the Romans fell in 254 BC Chr. Were put in possession of the important port of Panormos, the Carthaginian general chose Hasdrubal , the town by a foray from his base Drepanum on Sicily's western tip of recapture.
The battle
He mainly relied on the war elephants , which had proven so successful in the fighting in Africa. The Romans were commanded by their consul, Lucius Caecilius Metellus . This mainly took advantage of the fact that there were numerous trenches in the run-up to the city of Panormus; Numerous elephants fell into this during the battle. The Romans were able to capture a total of 120 of these animals, and the Carthaginian troops were overwhelmed.
consequences
Hasdrubal fled with the surviving Carthaginians to the waiting ships, on which he withdrew. In Carthage it was the custom to execute a defeated general, so Hasdrubal had to leave his hometown Carthage forever. Panormus remained on the Roman side, and Hasdrubal's successor did not succeed in recapturing this city.
literature
- Nigel Bagnall: Rome and Carthage - The battle for the Mediterranean. Siedler, Berlin 1995. ISBN 3-88680-489-5