Atlas of Battles

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Battle of Lake Trasimene

Battle of Lake Trasimene was a battle fought on 21 June 217 BC at Lake Trasimeno, in what is now Italy. It was part of Second Punic War, which ran from 218 BC to 201 BC. The recorded result: Carthaginian victory. Recorded strength: More than 50,000 against 25,000.

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The battleground of the Battle of Lake Trasimene (217 BC), looking north, as seen from the Lake. The Roman army entered the natural amphitheatre through a defile on the far left and entered an open ar
The battleground of the Battle of Lake Trasimene (217 BC), looking north, as seen from the Lake. The Roman army entered the natural amphitheatre through a defile on the far left and entered an open ar. Tom Bennett, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought21 June 217 BC
WhereLake Trasimeno, Italy43.197N, 12.085E
OutcomeCarthaginian victory
BelligerentsCarthageagainstRome
Casualties and losses1,500 or 2,500 killed; Many woundedand15,000 killed; 6,000–10,000 captured
Part ofSecond Punic War218 BC to 201 BC

Where it sits in Second Punic War

Battle of Cissa, 218 BCBattle of Lilybaeum, 218 BCSiege of Mutina, 218 BCBattle of Rhone Crossing, 218 BCBattle of Ticinus, 218 BCBattle of the Trebia, 218 BCBattle of Ebro River, 217 BCBattle of Geronium, 217 BCBattle of Ager Falernus, 217 BCBattle of Plaisance, 217 BCBattle of Lake Trasimene, 217 BCBattle of Nola, 216 BCBattle of Silva Litana, 216 BCSiege of Petelia, 216 BCSiege of Acerra, 216 BCBattle of Cannae, 216 BCBattle of Dertosa, 215 BCBattle of Cornus, 215 BCBattle of Cumae, 215 BCBattle of Nola, 215 BCSiege of Syracuse, 214 BCBattle of Nola, 214 BCBattle of Beneventum, 214 BCBattle of Munda, 214 BCSiege of Arpi, 213 BCBattle of the Silarus, 212 BCBattle of Herdonia, 212 BCBattle of Capua, 212 BCBattle of Beneventum, 212 BCFirst Battle of Tarentum, 212 BCSecond Battle of Beneventum, 212 BCSiege of Capua, 212 BCBattle of Tarentum, 212 BCBattle of the Upper Baetis, 211 BCBattle of Capua, 211 BCBattle of Herdonia, 210 BCBattle of Numistro, 210 BCBattle of Sapriportis, 210 BCBattle of Castulo, 210 BCBattle of New Carthage, 209 BCBattle of Canusium, 209 BCBattle of Tarentum, 209 BCSecond Battle of Tarentum, 209 BCSiege of Baria, 209 BCBattle of Baecula, 208 BCBattle of Petelia, 208 BCBattle of the Metaurus, 207 BCBattle of Grumentum, 207 BCBattle of Carmona, 207 BCBattle of Ilipa, 206 BCBattle of Carteia, 206 BCBattle of Carteia, 206 BCBattle of Cartagena, 206 BCBattle of Iliturgi, 206 BCBattle of Crotona, 204 BCSiege of Utica, 204 BCBattle of the Great Plains, 203 BCBattle of Utica, 203 BCPo Valley Raid, 203 BCBattle of Cirta, 203 BCBattle of Zama, 202 BC218 BC202 BCBattle of Lake Trasimene, 217 BC
62 placed engagements of Second Punic War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date21 June 217 BC
PlaceLake Trasimeno, Italy
43.197N, 12.085E
KindBattle, ancient
StrengthMore than 50,00025,000
Casualties and losses1,500 or 2,500 killed; Many wounded15,000 killed; 6,000–10,000 captured
Commanders
  • Gaius Flaminius (consul 223 BC)
Battle of Lake TrasimeneBattle of Lake TrasimeneSecond Battle of ClusiumBattle of PerugiaBattle of TifernumBattle of Pieve al ToppoBattle of ArretiumBattle of TifernumBattle of Pieve al ToppoFlorencePescaraPisaLivornoAnconaL'AquilaCivitavecchiaSan Marino100 km43.197N, 12.085E
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 Lake Trasimene
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 25 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Lake Trasimene today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-08-09. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 260 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 254 to 813 m, 559 m of relief, steep country and today it is 36% water, 34% tree cover, 13% cropland.

water: 36%tree cover: 34%cropland: 13%grassland: 13%built-up: 4%water 36%tree cover 34%cropland 13%grassland 13%built-up 4%
west to east, 10.0 km259 to 411 mnorth to south, 10.0 km254 to 738 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

Elsewhere in 217 BC

Battle of Lake Trasimene is one of 184 engagements of the 3rd century BC in the atlas and one of 942 in present-day Italy.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q207250, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Lake Trasimene, revision 1385377251, 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.