Atlas of Battles

battle, major, ancient

Battle of Bagradas

Battle of Bagradas was a battle fought in 255 BC at Tunis, in what is now Tunisia. It was part of First Punic War, which ran from 264 BC to 241 BC. The recorded result: Carthaginian victory; Marcus Atilius Regulus captured. Recorded strength: 16,000; 12,000 infantry; 4,000 cavalry; 100 elephants against 15,500; 15,000 infantry; 500 cavalry.

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La battaglia del fiume Bagradas o di Tunis - prima guerra punica (255 a.C.)
La battaglia del fiume Bagradas o di Tunis - prima guerra punica (255 a.C.). Cristiano64 - derivative work from Eric Gaba (Sting), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought255 BC
WhereTunis, Tunisia36.797N, 10.166E
OutcomeCarthaginian victory; Marcus Atilius Regulus captured
BelligerentsCarthageagainstRome
Casualties and lossesAt least 800 killedand13,500; 13,000 killed; 500 captured
Part ofFirst Punic War264 BC to 241 BC

Where it sits in First Punic War

Battle of Messana, 264 BCBattle of Agrigentum, 261 BCSiege of Mytistraton, 261 BCBattle of Mylae, 260 BCBattle of the Lipari Islands, 260 BCBattle of Sulci, 258 BCBattle of Tyndaris, 257 BCBattle of Cape Ecnomus, 256 BCBattle of Bagradas, 255 BCBattle of Adys, 255 BCSiege of Aspis, 255 BCBattle of Panormus, 251 BCSiege of Lilybaeum, 250 BCBattle of Drepana, 249 BCSiege of Drepana, 249 BCBattle of Mount Erice, 249 BCSecond Battle of Drepana, 243 BCBattle of the Aegates Islands, 241 BC264 BC241 BCBattle of Bagradas, 255 BC
18 placed engagements of First Punic War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date255 BC (year precision)
PlaceTunis, Tunisia
36.797N, 10.166E
KindBattle, ancient
Strength16,000; 12,000 infantry; 4,000 cavalry; 100 elephants15,500; 15,000 infantry; 500 cavalry
Casualties and lossesAt least 800 killed13,500; 13,000 killed; 500 captured
Commanders
  • Xanthippus of Carthage
  • Marcus Atilius Regulus (consul 267 BC)
Battle of BagradasBattle of BagradasSiege of TunisConquest of TunisConquest of TunisSiege of TunisSiege of TunisSiege of TunisSousseQairouanBizerteNabeulBéjaEl KefJendoubaSiliana100 km36.797N, 10.166E
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 Bagradas
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 Bagradas today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-08-25. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 45 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from -6 to 148 m, 155 m of relief, hilly country and today it is 66% built-up, 14% water, 8% grassland.

built-up: 66%water: 14%grassland: 8%tree cover: 4%wetland: 4%built-up 66%water 14%grassland 8%tree cover 4%wetland 4%
west to east, 10.0 km0 to 47 mnorth to south, 10.0 km6 to 75 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 7 times between 255 BC and 1705.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 255 BC

Battle of Bagradas is one of 184 engagements of the 3rd century BC in the atlas and one of 119 in present-day Tunisia.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q6891, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of the Bagradas River (255 BC), revision 1370598050, 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.