Battle of Heraclea

E52800

The Battle of Heraclea was a major 280 BC clash in southern Italy where King Pyrrhus of Epirus defeated the Romans in one of the earliest and most famous engagements of the Pyrrhic War.

All labels observed (3)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf ancient battle ⓘ
battle ⓘ
approximateEpiroteCasualties around 4,000 killed ⓘ
approximateEpiroteStrength about 25,000–30,000 men ⓘ
approximateRomanCasualties around 7,000 killed ⓘ
approximateRomanStrength about 35,000–40,000 men ⓘ
associatedWithPhrase Pyrrhic victory ⓘ
belligerent Epirus ⓘ
Roman Republic ⓘ
chronologicalOrder first major battle of the Pyrrhic War ⓘ
combatant Epirus ⓘ
Roman Republic ⓘ
commander Publius Valerius Laevinus ⓘ
Pyrrhus of Epirus ⓘ
commandingSide Publius Valerius Laevinus on the Roman side ⓘ
Pyrrhus of Epirus on the Epirote side ⓘ
conflictIn Pyrrhic War ⓘ
date 280 BC ⓘ
era Hellenistic period ⓘ
followedBy Battle of Asculum ⓘ
geopoliticalContext Greek intervention in Italy ⓘ
hasCasualties heavy Roman casualties ⓘ
significant Epirote casualties ⓘ
hasPrimarySource Appian’s Roman History ⓘ
Dionysius of Halicarnassus ⓘ
Plutarch’s Parallel Lives ⓘ
surface form: Plutarch’s Life of Pyrrhus
historicalRegion Magna Graecia ⓘ
involvedPolities Epirus ⓘ
Magna Graecia ⓘ
surface form: Greek cities of Magna Graecia

Roman Republic ⓘ
locatedNear river Siris ⓘ
location Heraclea ⓘ
surface form: Heraclea in Lucania

Southern Italy ⓘ
surface form: southern Italy
namedAfter city of Heraclea ⓘ
notableFor early use of war elephants against Roman legions ⓘ
first major clash between Pyrrhus and Rome ⓘ
one of the earliest engagements of the Pyrrhic War ⓘ
opponentOf Pyrrhus of Epirus ⓘ
Roman Republic ⓘ
outcome Pyrrhic victory for Pyrrhus of Epirus ⓘ
partOf Pyrrhic War ⓘ
precededBy Pyrrhus’s landing in Italy ⓘ
result Epirote victory ⓘ
tacticalFeature clash between phalanx and Roman manipular legion ⓘ
crossing of the river Siris ⓘ
usedUnitType Macedonian phalanx ⓘ
war elephants ⓘ
year 280 BC ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (9)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Magna Graecia → significantEvent → Battle of Heraclea ⓘ
Magna Graecia → significantEvent → Battle of Heraclea ⓘ
this entity surface form: Battle of Asculum
Pyrrhic War → hasBattle → Battle of Heraclea ⓘ
Pyrrhic War → hasBattle → Battle of Heraclea ⓘ
this entity surface form: Battle of Heraclea (280 BCE)
Battle of Beneventum → previousEvent → Battle of Heraclea ⓘ
Heraclea → siteOf → Battle of Heraclea ⓘ
Pyrrhus of Epirus → battle → Battle of Heraclea ⓘ
Battle of Asculum → follows → Battle of Heraclea ⓘ
Publius Valerius Laevinus → military conflict → Battle of Heraclea ⓘ