Atlas of Battles

battle, major, ancient

Battle of Vercellae

Battle of Vercellae was a battle fought in 101 BC at Vercelli, in what is now Italy. It was part of the Cimbrian War, which ran from 113 BC to 101 BC. The recorded result: Roman victory.

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Map of Cimbrian and Teutons invasions Cimbri and Teuton defeats Cimbri and Teuton victories
Map of Cimbrian and Teutons invasions Cimbri and Teuton defeats Cimbri and Teuton victories. Pethrus, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought101 BC
WhereVercelli, Italy45.317N, 8.417E
OutcomeRoman victory
BelligerentsRoman RepublicagainstCimbri
Part ofCimbrian War113 BC to 101 BC

Where it sits in the Cimbrian War

Battle of Noreia, 112 BCBattle of Burdigala, 107 BCBattle of Arausio, 105 BCBattle of Aquae Sextiae, 102 BCBattle of Vercellae, 101 BC112 BC101 BCBattle of Vercellae, 101 BC
5 placed engagements of the Cimbrian War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date101 BC (year precision)
PlaceVercelli, Italy
45.317N, 8.417E
KindBattle, ancient
Strength52,000–54,000 soldiers (legionaries and auxiliaries)120,000–180,000 warrior including 15,000 cavalry (400,000 including civilians)
Casualties and losses1,000 killed; ----300 killed (Florus)220,000 killed and captured (Livy); ----140,000 killed (Orosius); 60,000 captured; ----120,000 killed (Plutarch); 60,000 captured; ----100,000 killed or captured (Paterculus); ----65,000 killed (Florus)
Commanders
  • Boiorix
  • Lugius
  • Claodicus
  • Caesorix
Battle of VercellaeBattle of VercellaeSiege of VercelliBattle of PalestroBattle of TurbigoSiege of Casale MontferratoSiege of CasaleSiege of Casale MontferratoSiege of CasaleGenevaMilanGenoaBergamoParmaLuganoComoAnnecy100 km45.317N, 8.417E
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 Vercellae
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 5 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Vercellae today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2023-09-26. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2023.

The recorded site stands at about 129 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 111 to 149 m, 38 m of relief, flat country and today it is 45% cropland, 31% built-up, 13% tree cover.

cropland: 45%built-up: 31%tree cover: 13%grassland: 8%cropland 45%built-up 31%tree cover 13%grassland 8%
west to east, 10.0 km114 to 135 mnorth to south, 10.0 km124 to 136 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

Battle of Vercellae is one of 94 engagements of the 2nd century BC in the atlas and one of 1,038 in present-day Italy.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q846491, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Vercellae, revision 1378115012, 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.