A near-total Roman defeat in Cisalpine Gaul that forced Rome to defer military operations against the Gallic tribes until the end of the Second Punic War.
Key Facts
- Date
- 216 BC
- Roman force size
- 25,000 soldiers
- Roman survivors
- 13 soldiers
- Distance from Ariminum
- 75 miles northwest
- Roman commander
- Consul-elect Lucius Postumius Albinus
- Relative peace in Cisalpine Gaul until
- 207 BC
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
During the Second Punic War, a Roman army under consul-elect Lucius Postumius Albinus was marching through a forested region northwest of Ariminum in Cisalpine Gaul. The Gallic Boii, hostile to Roman expansion, prepared an ambush in the dense woodland to strike a decisive blow against the Roman force.
In 216 BC, the Boii ambushed and annihilated the Roman army in the Silva Litana forest. Of approximately 25,000 Roman soldiers, only 13 survived, with a small number taken prisoner. Postumius himself was killed; his body was decapitated and his skull fashioned into a gilded ceremonial cup by the Boii.
News of the disaster, arriving near the same time as the defeat at Cannae, intensified panic in Rome. The Romans were forced to postpone campaigns against the Gauls, deploying only two legions as a defensive measure. Neither the Boii nor the Insubres exploited the victory, and the region remained largely quiet until Hasdrubal Barca arrived in 207 BC.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent
Lucius Postumius Albinus.