Atlas of Battles

naval engagement, major, ancient

Battle of Drepana

Battle of Drepana was a naval engagement fought in 249 BC at Trapani, in what is now Italy. It was part of First Punic War, which ran from 264 BC to 241 BC. The recorded result: Carthaginian victory. Recorded strength: 100–130 ships against At least 123 ships.

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Positions des flottes romaine et carthaginoise avant le début de la bataille de Drépane en 249 av. J.-C.. Les effectifs sont basés sur les effectifs les plus faibles donnés par les sources antiques.
Positions des flottes romaine et carthaginoise avant le début de la bataille de Drépane en 249 av. J.-C.. Les effectifs sont basés sur les effectifs les plus faibles donnés par les sources antiques.. Augusta 89, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought249 BC
WhereTrapani, Italy38.010N, 12.505E
OutcomeCarthaginian victory
BelligerentsCarthageagainstRoman Republic
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 Drepana, 249 BC
19 placed engagements of First Punic War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date249 BC (year precision)
PlaceTrapani, Italy
38.010N, 12.505E
KindNaval engagement, ancient
Strength100–130 shipsAt least 123 ships
Casualties and lossesNone recorded93 ships captured; An unknown number of ships sunk; 20,000 men killed or captured
Commanders
  • Adherbal (admiral)
  • Publius Claudius Pulcher (consul 249 BC)
Battle of DrepanaBattle of DrepanaBattle of TrapaniSiege of EryxBattle of FalconariaSiege of MotyaSiege of LilybaeumSiege of LilybaeumPalermo100 km38.010N, 12.505E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 249 BC

Battle of Drepana 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 Q590014, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Drepana, revision 1375084419, 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.