Atlas of Battles

naval engagement, major, ancient

Battle of the Aegates Islands

Battle of the Aegates Islands was a naval engagement fought in 241 BC at Aegadian Islands, in what is now Italy. It was part of First Punic War, which ran from 264 BC to 241 BC. The recorded result: Roman victory; Treaty of Lutatius. Recorded strength: about 200 quinqueremes against about 250 quinqueremes.

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Battle of the Aegates Islands
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought241 BC
WhereAegadian Islands, Italy37.967N, 12.200E
OutcomeRoman victory; Treaty of Lutatius
BelligerentsRoman RepublicagainstCarthage
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 the Aegates Islands, 241 BC
18 placed engagements of First Punic War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date241 BC (year precision)
PlaceAegadian Islands, Italy
37.967N, 12.200E
KindNaval engagement, ancient
Strengthabout 200 quinqueremesabout 250 quinqueremes
Casualties and losses30 quinqueremes sunk; 50 quinqueremes damaged50 quinqueremes sunk; 70 quinqueremes captured; 10,000 men captured
Commanders
  • Gaius Lutatius Catulus (consul 242 BC)
  • Quintus Valerius Falto
  • Hanno (son of Hannibal)
Battle of the Aegates IslandsBattle of the Aegates IslandsBattle of the Cigno ConvoySiege of MotyaSiege of LilybaeumSiege of LilybaeumSiege of LilybaeumTunisPalermo100 km37.967N, 12.200E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 241 BC

Battle of the Aegates Islands 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 Q1134649, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of the Aegates, revision 1370277529, 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.