Battle of Ticinus
The
Battle of Ticinus was a battle of the
Second Punic War fought between the
Carthaginian forces of
Hannibal and the
Romans under
Publius Cornelius Scipio in November
218 BC. It was the first battle to take place on Italian soil.
After Hannibal left Spain an army under Scipio was sent to
Massilia (today Marseille) in order to halt his advance. The two forces crossed paths near the
Rhône, but as they were several days apart there was no contact. Scipio left the army to continue on to Spain and face the remaining Carthaginian forces there, while he returned for Italy to face Hannibal in
Cisalpine Gaul. Having recently entered Italy, Hannibal was busily trying to recruit among the local Gaulish tribes when he heard of Scipio's return. He decided to face him as a show of force, hoping to improve his standing among the local tribes, and immediately set out for the
Po river. Scipio was just as eager for a fight, and was then marching northward up the Po to meet him. The two scouting forces met near the
Ticinus river, and both armies made camp.
The next day both forces set out scouting parties. Hannibal probably took the majority of his 6,000 cavalry that remained after crossing the Alps, while Scipio took all of his cavalry and a small number of
velites (
light infantry armed with
javelins). The two forces both met, with the heavy cavalry in both forces soon mixing into a huge melee in the center. Hannibal had kept his lighter
Numidian cavalry on the flanks however, and soon ordered them to attack the flanks of the velite skirmish line. The line collapsed and the Romans disengaged and fled for their camp.
The immediate outcome of the battle itself was trivial, with both forces suffering only minor setbacks and the main force of each army intact and combat-effective. Nevertheless, as a result of the Rome's defeat at Ticinus, the
Gauls were encouraged to join the Carthaginian cause. Soon the entirety of northern Italy was unofficially allied, both Gallic and
Ligurian troops soon bolstering his army back to 40,000 men. Hannibal's army, significantly supplemented, now stood poised to invade Italy. Scipio, injured in the battle, retreated across the
Trebia River with his army still intact, and encamped at the town of
Placentia to await reinforcements from the other consul,
Tiberius Sempronius Longus. The result would be the
Battle of the Trebia.
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Battle of Ticinus
