Battle of Lilybaeum

  • The Battle of Lilybaeum in 218 BCE was the first Naval Battle fought between Rome and Carthage during the Second Punic War (218-202 BCE).
  • The Carthaginians attempted to establish a base in Roman Sicily, but the result was a defeat for the Carthaginian Navy and they then lost Malta shortly afterwards.

Date and Location

  • Summer 218 BCE near Lilybaeum, modern Marsala, on the western tip of Sicily.

The Reason for the Battle

  • Between 237-218 BCE, Carthage, under Hannibal Hasdrubal and Hamilcar, had conquered Iberia as far as the River Ebro, a limit set by the Romans.
  • But when Hannibal attacked the city of Saguntum, a Roman ally, the Roman Senate declared War on Carthage.

The Adversaries

  • The Roman Republican Navy.
  • The Carthaginian Navy.

The Winner

  • Winner: Roman Republic.
  • Loser: Carthage.

The Commanders

  • Roman Praetor of Lilybaeum: Marcus Aemilius Lepidus acting for Consul Tiberius Sempronius Longus.
  • Carthage: Hannibal directed a portion of his Fleet in Spain, the Commander is not known.

The Strength of Forces under the Roman Republic

  • Warships: 20 ships each carrying a force of Legionaries.
  • Losses: Unknown.

The Strength of Forces under Hannibal

  • Warships: 35 Quinqueremes with at least 1,000 soldiers.
  • Casualties and Losses: 7 Quinqueremes and 1,700 men taken prisoner.

Why the Battle was Significant

How the Navies were Deployed

  • The Roman Navy:
    • 220 Quinqueremes in Italy held in readiness from the Illyrian Wars.
    • Hiero II of Syracuse in Sicily had a Fleet based at Messina.
    • Lilybaeum had 20 ships.
  • The Carthaginian Navy:
    • 55 Quinqueremes remained in Carthage and 50 Quinqueremes and 5 Triremes were posted off the Iberian Coast.

The Battle

  • The Carthaginian Navy
    • Twenty vessels conducted a surprise attack on the Lipari Islands (218 BCE) and another eight vessels attacked nearby Vulcan Island. When a storm blew some of these vessels towards the Strait of Messina, three were captured by the Syracusan Navy based in Messina.
    • They prisoners warned of a forthcoming attack on Lilybaeum, so Hiero sent a warning message to Lepidus.
  • The Roman Navy
    • Lepidus immediately prepared his 20 ships for a prolonged period at sea, posted Legionaries on each vessel and advised his coast watchers to warn of a surprise attack. When the Carthaginian ships were seen approaching Lilybaeum, the Roman Fleet sailed out to meet them and both sides moved into the open sea.
    • The Carthaginian Fleet outnumbered the Roman Fleet and their Tactic was to attack by Ramming.
    • The Roman tactic was to grapple the enemy ship and use Boarding by their superior Legionaries.
    • The Romans boarded and captured seven Carthaginian vessels, taking 1,700 prisoners. The Roman Losses were not recorded.

The Outcome

  • The Carthaginian Fleet was forced to withdraw, having failed to capture Lilybaeum.
  • The Consul Tiberius Sempronius Longus then arrived in Sicily with a Fleet and Army and proceeded to invade and capture Malta.
  • He then left 50 vessels and part of the army in Sicily and having secured Italy’s southern Flank moved up to Northern Italy to help Scipio against Hannibal.

Sources

 

Lilybaeum (Marsala), Sicily

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