Atlas of Battles

battle, major, ancient

Battle of Raphia

Battle of Raphia was a battle fought on 22 June 217 BC at Rafah, in what is now Egypt. It was part of the Fourth Syrian War, which ran from 219 BC to 217 BC. The recorded result: Ptolemaic Egyptian victory. Recorded strength: 75,000: 70,000 infantry,; 5,000 cavalry,; 73 elephants against 68,000: 62,000 infantry,; 6,000 cavalry,; 102 elephants.

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Map of the battle of Raphia
Map of the battle of Raphia. Javierfv1212 (talk), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought22 June 217 BC
WhereRafah, Egypt31.289N, 34.252E
OutcomePtolemaic Egyptian victory
BelligerentsPtolemaic EgyptagainstSeleucid Empire
Part ofFourth Syrian War219 BC to 217 BC

Record

Date22 June 217 BC
PlaceRafah, Egypt
31.289N, 34.252E
KindBattle, ancient
Strength75,000: 70,000 infantry,; 5,000 cavalry,; 73 elephants68,000: 62,000 infantry,; 6,000 cavalry,; 102 elephants
Casualties and losses2,200:1,500 infantry killed; 700 cavalry killed; 16 elephants killed; Almost 26 elephants captured14,300:10,000 infantry killed; 300 cavalry killed; 5 elephants killed; 4,000 infantry captured
Commanders
  • Ptolemy IV Philopator
Battle of RaphiaBattle of RaphiaBattle of RafaBattle of RafahBattle of NirimBattle of Hill 86Battle of Yaunis KhanBattle of RafahBattle of Yaunis KhanTel AvivAmmanJerusalemNablusEl ArishAl KarakRamlaMa'an100 km31.289N, 34.252E
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 Raphia
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 10 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Raphia today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2023-07-14. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2023.

The recorded site stands at about 72 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 0 to 99 m, 100 m of relief, gently rolling country and today it is 53% built-up, 13% cropland, 11% shrubland.

built-up: 53%cropland: 13%shrubland: 11%bare ground: 9%grassland: 7%tree cover: 6%built-up 53%cropland 13%shrubland 11%bare ground 9%grassland 7%
west to east, 10.0 km27 to 81 mnorth to south, 10.0 km30 to 84 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 3 times between 217 BC and 1949.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 217 BC

Battle of Raphia is one of 193 engagements of the 3rd century BC in the atlas and one of 144 in present-day Egypt.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q630781, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Raphia, revision 1370587161, 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.