Atlas of Battles

battle, major, ancient

Battle of Beneventum

Battle of Beneventum was a battle fought in 275 BC at Benevento, in what is now Italy. It was part of the Pyrrhic War, which ran from 280 BC to 275 BC. The recorded result: Inconclusive, Roman strategic victory. Recorded strength: 20,000-25,000 (modern estimates) against 20,000 (Plutarch); ~40,000 (modern estimates); At least 10 elephants.

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Panic of the elephants during the battle of Beneventum
Panic of the elephants during the battle of Beneventum. Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought275 BC
WhereBenevento, Italy41.133N, 14.783E
OutcomeInconclusive, Roman strategic victory
BelligerentsRoman RepublicagainstEpirus
Casualties and lossesUnknownand2 elephants killed; 8 elephants captured; Heavy losses among troops
Part ofPyrrhic War280 BC to 275 BC

Where it sits in the Pyrrhic War

Battle of Heraclea, 280 BCBattle of Asculum, 279 BCSiege of Venusia, 279 BCSiege of Syracuse, 278 BCBattle of Rhegium, 278 BCSiege of Eryx, 277 BCBattle of the Cranita hills, 277 BCBattle of Kroton, 277 BCSiege of Lilybaeum, 276 BCBattle of the Strait of Messina, 276 BCBattle of Beneventum, 275 BC280 BC275 BCBattle of Beneventum, 275 BC
11 placed engagements of the Pyrrhic War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date275 BC (year precision)
PlaceBenevento, Italy
41.133N, 14.783E
KindBattle, ancient
Strength20,000-25,000 (modern estimates)20,000 (Plutarch); ~40,000 (modern estimates); At least 10 elephants
Casualties and lossesUnknown2 elephants killed; 8 elephants captured; Heavy losses among troops
Commanders
  • Manius Curius Dentatus
Battle of BeneventumBattle of BeneventumBattle of BeneventumBattle of BeneventumSecond Battle of BeneventumBattle of BeneventoCeltic settlement of Southeast EuropeCeltic settlement of Southeast EuropeNaplesSalernoFoggiaCasertaBarlettaPotenzaCampobasso100 km41.133N, 14.783E
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 Beneventum
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 Beneventum today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-06-07. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 133 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 91 to 400 m, 309 m of relief, hilly country and today it is 36% tree cover, 30% cropland, 27% built-up.

tree cover: 36%cropland: 30%built-up: 27%grassland: 6%tree cover 36%cropland 30%built-up 27%grassland 6%
west to east, 10.0 km100 to 241 mnorth to south, 10.0 km112 to 243 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

Contested ground: this site was fought over 5 times between 275 BC and 1266.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 275 BC

Battle of Beneventum is one of 193 engagements of the 3rd century BC in the atlas and one of 1,038 in present-day Italy.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q1160070, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Beneventum (275 BC), revision 1370107658, 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.