Siege of Syracuse
Siege of Syracuse was a siege conducted in 214 BC at Syracuse, in what is now Italy; it lasted about 2 years. It was part of Second Punic War, which ran from 218 BC to 201 BC. The recorded result: Roman victory Syracuse, Sicily. Recorded strength: 16,000–18,000 against 21,000–25,000.
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Archimedes directing the defenses of Syracuse. Thomas Ralph Spence, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons .
Fought 214 BC lasted about 2 years
Where Syracuse, Italy 37.083N, 15.283E
Outcome Roman victory Syracuse, Sicily
Belligerents Roman Republic against Syracuse; Carthage
Casualties and losses Heavy and 5,000+ (plus "large" amount of civilians)
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 Siege of Syracuse, 214 BC 62 placed engagements of Second Punic War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.
Record
Date 214 BC (year precision) to 212 BC Place Syracuse, Italy37.083N, 15.283E Kind Siege, ancient Strength 16,000–18,000 21,000–25,000 Casualties and losses Heavy 5,000+ (plus "large" amount of civilians) Commanders
Siege of Syracuse Siege of Syracuse Siege of Syracuse Siege of Syracuse Siege of Syracuse Siege of Syracuse Siege of Syracuse Siege of Syracuse Palermo Valletta Catania Messina 100 km 37.083N, 15.283E 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 13 times between 415 BC and 1710.
Siege of Syracuse 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 Q533090 , released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Siege of Syracuse (213–212 BC) , revision 1383594485, 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.
