Battle of Utica 240 BC
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Year | 240 BC | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
|---|---|---|
| Era | Ancient (before 500) | derived from year |
| Location | Tunisia | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Africa | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Mercenary War | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | Ancient Carthage, mercenary | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 37.0581, 10.0629 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Utica took place early in 240 BC between a Carthaginian army commanded by Hanno and a force of rebellious mutineers possibly led by Spendius. It was the first major engagement of the Mercenary War between Carthage and the combined forces of mutinous ex-Carthaginian troops and rebellious African cities which broke out in the wake of the First Punic War. Both sides were routed during the course of the battle, which ended with the rebels occupying the field but was strategically inconclusive.
The rebel army, some 10,000 strong, was blockading the city of Utica when the Carthaginian army of 8,000–10,000 men and 100 elephants stormed their camp and routed them. Satisfied with their victory, the Carthaginians failed to pursue and dispersed to loot, forage and celebrate. The rebels regrouped, returned, attacked the Carthaginians who were occupying their old camp and routed them in turn. The Carthaginians were also not effectively pursued and regrouped to continue the campaign. The bitter war which followed ended in 238 BC with a Carthaginian victory.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Utica (revision 1370276092), 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 Utica (49 BC) 49 BC · 0 km
- Battle of the Great Plains 203 BC · 0 km
- Siege of Utica 204 BC · 0 km
- Battle of Utica (203 BC) 203 BC · 0 km
- Battle of the Bagradas River (240 BC) 240 BC · 8 km
- Raoued Operation 2014 · 16 km
Other battles of the Mercenary War
All 3 battles of the Mercenary War →
Browse more: battles in Tunisia · Africa · Ancient battles