Battle of Cannae
216 BCE · Italy
The Battle of Cannae was fought in 216 BCE in Italy between Carthage vs the Roman Republic; decisive Carthaginian victory; the Roman army was encircled and destroyed.
Battle of Cannae: quick facts
- Date
- 216 BCE
- Location
- Italy
- Belligerents
- Carthage vs the Roman Republic
- Commanders
- Hannibal vs Gaius Terentius Varro and Lucius Aemilius Paullus
- Result
- decisive Carthaginian victory; the Roman army was encircled and destroyed.
- Casualties
- ancient sources give 50,000 to 70,000 Roman dead; Carthaginian losses were far lighter
- Era
- 🏺 Ancient Greece & Rome
- Quiz difficulty
- hard
What happened at the Battle of Cannae?
Hannibal Barca executed a perfect double envelopment, surrounding and annihilating a Roman army nearly twice his size. An estimated 50,000-70,000 Romans were killed in a single day—one of the deadliest days in military history. The battle remains the gold standard of tactical excellence, studied in military academies worldwide to this day.
Did you know?
After Cannae, Hannibal's officers collected three bushels of gold rings from the fingers of dead Roman senators and knights, which were poured onto the floor of the Carthaginian senate as proof of victory.
Sources and further reading
- Battle of Cannae on Wikipedia for the full account, historiography and primary sources.
- How BattleGuess compiles and checks battle facts: see the About page.
Entry last reviewed 26 September 2026.