Atlas of Battles

battle, major, ancient

Battle of Messana

Battle of Messana was a battle fought in 264 BC at Messina, in what is now Italy. It was part of First Punic War, which ran from 264 BC to 241 BC. The recorded result: Roman victory. Recorded strength: 9,000 soldiers against 12,000 Syracusan and Carthaginian cavalry, hoplites and mercenaries.

See it on the globe Read the article

Route taken by the Punic army before the battle of Messana.
Route taken by the Punic army before the battle of Messana.. User:Derfel73, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought264 BC
WhereMessina, Italy38.180N, 15.561E
OutcomeRoman victory
BelligerentsRoman RepublicagainstCarthage; Syracuse
Casualties and losses1,340 casualtiesand6,000 casualties
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 Messana, 264 BC
19 placed engagements of First Punic War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date264 BC (year precision)
PlaceMessina, Italy
38.180N, 15.561E
KindBattle, ancient
Strength9,000 soldiers12,000 Syracusan and Carthaginian cavalry, hoplites and mercenaries
Casualties and losses1,340 casualties6,000 casualties
Commanders
  • Appius Claudius Caudex
  • Manius Valerius Maximus Messalla
  • Manius Otacilius Crassus
  • Hiero II of Syracuse
Battle of MessanaBattle of MessanaSiege of MessinaBattle of MesseneSiege of MessinaSiege of MessinaSiege of MessinaCataniaSiracusaCatanzaroCrotoneVibo Valentia100 km38.180N, 15.561E
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 Messana
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 Messana today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2023-07-13. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2023.

The recorded site stands at about 0 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from -4 to 556 m, 559 m of relief, steep country and today it is 57% water, 27% built-up, 10% tree cover.

water: 57%built-up: 27%tree cover: 10%grassland: 3%water 57%built-up 27%tree cover 10%grassland 3%
west to east, 10.0 km0 to 324 mnorth to south, 10.0 km0 to 122 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 8 times between 397 BC and 1847.

In the same war

Battle of Messana 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 Q2478491, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Messana, revision 1370449654, 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.