Atlas of Battles

battle, notable, ancient

Battle of the Bagradas River

Battle of the Bagradas River was a battle fought in 240 BC at Medjerda River, in what is now Tunisia. It was part of the Mercenary War, which ran from 240 BC to 238 BC. The recorded result: Carthaginian victory. Recorded strength: 8,000 infantry; 2,000 cavalry; 70 elephants against 20,000−25,000 men.

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Drainage basin of Medjerda
Drainage basin of Medjerda. Bourrichon - fr:Discussion Utilisateur:Bourrichon, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought240 BC
WhereMedjerda River, Tunisia37.110N, 10.130E
OutcomeCarthaginian victory
BelligerentsCarthageagainstRebels
Casualties and lossesUnknownand6,000 killed; 2,000 captured
Part ofMercenary War240 BC to 238 BC

Where it sits in the Mercenary War

Battle of the Bagradas River, 240 BCBattle of Utica, 240 BCHamilcar's victory with Naravas, 240 BCSiege of Carthage, 239 BCBattle of the Saw, 238 BCBattle of Leptis Parva, 238 BCSiege of Tunis, 238 BC240 BC238 BCBattle of the Bagradas River, 240 BC
7 placed engagements of the Mercenary War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date240 BC (year precision)
PlaceMedjerda River, Tunisia
37.110N, 10.130E
KindBattle, ancient
Strength8,000 infantry; 2,000 cavalry; 70 elephants20,000−25,000 men
Casualties and lossesUnknown6,000 killed; 2,000 captured
Commanders
  • Spendius
Battle of the Bagradas RiverBattle of the Bagradas RiverBattle of UticaBattle of the Great PlainsBattle of UticaSiege of UticaSiege of UticaBattle of UticaBizerteNabeulBéjaEl KefJendoubaSilianaZaghouan100 km37.110N, 10.130E
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

Battle of the Bagradas River 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 Q2888088, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of the Bagradas River (240 BC), revision 1372008200, 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.