Battle of Saticula 342 BC
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Year | 342 BC | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
|---|---|---|
| Era | Ancient (before 500) | derived from year |
| Location | Italy | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Europe | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Battles of the first Samnite War, First War of the Samnites | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | Ancient Rome | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 41.0833, 14.5000 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Saticula, 343 BC, was the second of three battles described by the Roman historian Livy (59 BC – AD 17), in Book Seven of his history of Rome, Ab Urbe Condita, as taking place in the first year of the First Samnite War. According to Livy's extensive description, the Roman commander, the consul Aulus Cornelius Cossus was marching from Saticula (in southern Italy) when he was almost trapped by a Samnite army in a mountain pass. His army was only saved because one of his military tribunes, Publius Decius Mus, led a small group of men to seize a hilltop, distracting the Samnites and allowing the consul to escape. During the night Decius and his men were themselves able to escape. The next day the reunited Romans attacked the Samnites and completely routed them. Several other ancient authors also mention Decius' heroic acts. Modern historians are however sceptical of the historical accuracy of Livy's account, and have in particular noted the similarities with how a military tribune is said to have saved Roman army in 258 BC during the First Punic War.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Saticula (revision 1378105564), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Battle of the Caudine Forks 321 BC · 8 km
- Battle of Ager Falernus 217 BC · 12 km
- Battle of Suessula 343 BC · 14 km
- Battle of Nola (215 BC) 215 BC · 18 km
- Battle of Nola (214 BC) 214 BC · 18 km
- Battle of Nola (216 BC) 216 BC · 18 km
Other battles of the First War of the Samnites
- Battle of Suessula 343 BC
- Battle of Mount Gaurus 342 BC
All 3 battles of the First War of the Samnites →
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