Battle of Cannae

Hannibal's route of invasion

Date	2 August 216 BC
Location	Cannae, Italy 41°18′23″N 16°7′57″E / 41.30639°N 16.13250°E / 41.30639; 16.13250Coordinates: 41°18′23″N 16°7′57″E / 41.30639°N 16.13250°E / 41.30639; 16.13250
Result	Carthaginian victory See the Aftermath

Belligerents

Carthage
Allied African, Spanish, and Gallic tribes

Roman Republic
Allied Italian states:
Etruscans
Samnites
Iapyges

Commanders and leaders

Hannibal
Maharbal
Mago
Gisgo
Hanno
Hasdrubal

Gaius Terentius Varro
Lucius Aemilius Paullus †

Strength

50,000:
32,000 heavy infantry,
8,000 light infantry,
10,000 cavalry

86,400:
40,000 Roman infantry,
40,000 allied infantry,
2,400 Roman cavalry,
4,000 allied cavalry

Casualties and losses

Killed:
5,700 (Polybius)
* 4,000 Gallic
* 1,500 Spanish and African
* 200 cavalry

Killed:
53,500–75,000 Romans and allied infantry
2,700 Roman and allied cavalry
Captured:
10,000

The Battle of Cannae (/ˈkæni/ or /ˈkæneɪ/) was a major battle of the Second Punic War that took place on 2 August 216 BC in Apulia, in southeast Italy. The army of Carthage, under Hannibal, surrounded and decisively defeated a larger army of the Roman Republic under the consuls Lucius Aemilius Paullus and Gaius Terentius Varro. It is regarded both as one of the greatest tactical feats in military history and as one of the worst defeats in Roman history.

Having recovered from their losses at Trebia (218 BC) and Lake Trasimene (217 BC), the Romans decided to engage Hannibal at Cannae, with roughly 86,000 Roman and allied troops. The Romans massed their heavy infantry in a deeper formation than usual, while Hannibal utilized the double-envelopment tactic. This was so successful that the Roman army was effectively destroyed as a fighting force. Following the defeat, Capua and several other Italian city-states defected from the Roman Republic to Carthage.

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