Po Valley Raid
Po Valley Raid was a battle fought in 203 BC at Insubria, in what is now Italy. It was part of Second Punic War, which ran from 218 BC to 201 BC. The recorded result: Roman victory. Recorded strength: 21,000 troops,; 7 elephants,; 25 warships against Four legions plus allies (approximately 35,000).
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Map showing Rome and Carthage at the start of the Second Punic War and the theatre of the Punic Wars.. William Robert Shepherd, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons .
Fought 203 BC
Where Insubria, Italy 45.467N, 9.167E
Outcome Roman victory
Belligerents Carthage against Roman Republic
Where it sits in Second Punic War Battle of Cissa, 218 BC Battle of Lilybaeum, 218 BC Siege of Mutina, 218 BC Battle of Rhone Crossing, 218 BC Battle of Ticinus, 218 BC Battle of the Trebia, 218 BC Battle of Ebro River, 217 BC Battle of Geronium, 217 BC Battle of Ager Falernus, 217 BC Battle of Plaisance, 217 BC Battle of Lake Trasimene, 217 BC Battle of Nola, 216 BC Battle of Silva Litana, 216 BC Siege of Petelia, 216 BC Siege of Acerra, 216 BC Battle of Cannae, 216 BC Battle of Dertosa, 215 BC Battle of Cornus, 215 BC Battle of Cumae, 215 BC Battle of Nola, 215 BC Siege of Syracuse, 214 BC Battle of Nola, 214 BC Battle of Beneventum, 214 BC Battle of Munda, 214 BC Siege of Arpi, 213 BC Battle of the Silarus, 212 BC Battle of Herdonia, 212 BC Battle of Capua, 212 BC Battle of Beneventum, 212 BC First Battle of Tarentum, 212 BC Second Battle of Beneventum, 212 BC Siege of Capua, 212 BC Battle of Tarentum, 212 BC Battle of the Upper Baetis, 211 BC Battle of Capua, 211 BC Battle of Herdonia, 210 BC Battle of Numistro, 210 BC Battle of Sapriportis, 210 BC Battle of Castulo, 210 BC Battle of New Carthage, 209 BC Battle of Canusium, 209 BC Battle of Tarentum, 209 BC Second Battle of Tarentum, 209 BC Siege of Baria, 209 BC Battle of Baecula, 208 BC Battle of Petelia, 208 BC Battle of the Metaurus, 207 BC Battle of Grumentum, 207 BC Battle of Carmona, 207 BC Battle of Ilipa, 206 BC Battle of Carteia, 206 BC Battle of Carteia, 206 BC Battle of Cartagena, 206 BC Battle of Iliturgi, 206 BC Battle of Crotona, 204 BC Siege of Utica, 204 BC Battle of the Great Plains, 203 BC Battle of Utica, 203 BC Po Valley Raid, 203 BC Battle of Cirta, 203 BC Battle of Zama, 202 BC 218 BC 202 BC Po Valley Raid, 203 BC 62 placed engagements of Second Punic War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.
Record
Date 203 BC (year precision) Place Insubria, Italy45.467N, 9.167E Kind Battle, ancient Strength 21,000 troops,; 7 elephants,; 25 warships Four legions plus allies (approximately 35,000) Casualties and losses 5,000 killed; Mago severely wounded; 22 ensigns captured; [Livy XXX/XVIII] 2,300+ killed; 3 tribunes killed; [Livy XXX/XVIII] Commanders Marcus Cornelius Cethegus
Po Valley Raid Po Valley Raid Battle of Mediolanum Siege of Milan Siege of Mediolanum Siege of Milan Siege of Milan Siege of Mediolanum Turin Genoa Bologna Verona Bergamo Parma Trento Lugano 100 km 45.467N, 9.167E The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.
Nearest engagements
Contested ground: this site was fought over 10 times between 222 BC and 1522.
Po Valley Raid 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 Q2979703 , released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Insubria , revision 1370266064, 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.
