Atlas of Battles

battle, major, ancient

Battle of Adys

Battle of Adys was a battle fought in 255 BC at Uthina, in what is now Tunisia. It was part of First Punic War, which ran from 264 BC to 241 BC. The recorded result: Roman victory. Recorded strength: 15,000 infantry; 500 cavalry against 12,000 infantry; 4,000 cavalry; 100 war elephants.

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Battle of Adis (Histoire de Polybe, Volume 1)
Battle of Adis (Histoire de Polybe, Volume 1). Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought255 BC
WhereUthina, Tunisia36.608N, 10.172E
OutcomeRoman victory
BelligerentsRomeagainstCarthage
Part ofFirst Punic War264 BC to 241 BC

Where it sits in First Punic War

Battle of Messana, 264 BCBattle of Agrigentum, 261 BCSiege of Mytistraton, 261 BCBattle of Mylae, 260 BCBattle of the Lipari Islands, 260 BCBattle of Sulci, 258 BCBattle of Tyndaris, 257 BCBattle of Cape Ecnomus, 256 BCBattle of Bagradas, 255 BCBattle of Adys, 255 BCSiege of Aspis, 255 BCBattle of Panormus, 251 BCSiege of Lilybaeum, 250 BCBattle of Drepana, 249 BCSiege of Drepana, 249 BCBattle of Mount Erice, 249 BCThe Fighting at Mount Eryx, 244 BCSecond Battle of Drepana, 243 BCBattle of the Aegates Islands, 241 BC264 BC241 BCBattle of Adys, 255 BC
19 placed engagements of First Punic War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date255 BC (year precision)
PlaceUthina, Tunisia
36.608N, 10.172E
KindBattle, ancient
Strength15,000 infantry; 500 cavalry12,000 infantry; 4,000 cavalry; 100 war elephants
Casualties and lossesFew
Commanders
  • Marcus Atilius Regulus (consul 267 BC)
  • Hamilcar (fortifier of Drepanum)
  • Hasdrubal, son of Hanno
Battle of AdysBattle of AdysBattle of Ad DecimumSecond Battle of NepherisFirst Battle of NepherisSiege of TunisBattle of BagradasBattle of Ad DecimumSiege of TunisSousseQairouanBizerteNabeulEl KefJendoubaMahdiaSiliana100 km36.608N, 10.172E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Adys
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 25 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Adys today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-08-25. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 105 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 20 to 311 m, 290 m of relief, hilly country and today it is 42% cropland, 40% grassland, 14% tree cover.

cropland: 42%grassland: 40%tree cover: 14%built-up: 2%cropland 42%grassland 40%tree cover 14%built-up 2%
west to east, 10.0 km53 to 150 mnorth to south, 10.0 km30 to 208 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 255 BC

Battle of Adys is one of 193 engagements of the 3rd century BC in the atlas and one of 133 in present-day Tunisia.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q963839, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Adys, revision 1383103345, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.