Battle of Telamon

Part of Roman-Celtic Wars

View of Talamone

Date	225 BC
Location	Campo Regio, near Telamon (modern Talamone in Tuscany)
Result	Decisive Roman victory

Belligerents

Roman Republic

Celts

Commanders and leaders

G. Atilius Regulus †,
L. Aemilius Papus

Concolitanus,
Aneroëstes †

Strength

70,000 infantry,
5,400 cavalry

50,000 infantry,
20,000 cavalry

Casualties and losses

10,000 killed

40,000 killed,
10,000 captured

The Battle of Telamon was fought between the Roman Republic and an alliance of Celtic tribes in 225 BC. The Romans, led by the consuls Gaius Atilius Regulus and Lucius Aemilius Papus, defeated the Celts, thus extending their influence over northern Italy.

Rome had been at peace with the tribes of Cisalpine Gaul (the Po valley in northern Italy) for many years. Indeed, when a force of transalpine Celts had crossed the Alps into Italy in 230 BC, it had been the Boii of Cisalpine Gaul who had repelled them. The Romans had sent an army but found it was not needed. However, when the Romans partitioned the formerly Celtic territory of Picenum in 234 BC, this created resentment among its neighbours, the Boii and Insubres.

In 225 BC, the Boii and Insubres paid large sums of money to the Gaesatae, mercenaries from transalpine Celtic territories led by Aneroëstes and Concolitanus, to fight with them against Rome. The Romans, alarmed by this Celtic mobilisation, made a treaty giving the Carthaginian general Hasdrubal the Fair unimpeded control of Hispania so they could concentrate on the threat closer to home.

The Romans called upon their allies in Italy to supply troops. The consul Lucius Aemilius Papus had four legions of Roman citizens, 22,000 men in total, plus 32,000 allied troops, which he stationed the majority of his forces at Ariminum. He placed 54,000 Sabines and Etruscans on the Etruscan border under the command of a praetor, and sent 40,000 Umbrians, Sarsinates, Veneti and Cenomani to attack the home territory of the Boii to distract them from the battle. The other consul, Gaius Atilius Regulus, had an army the same size as that of Papus, but was stationed in Sardinia at the time, and there was a reserve of 21,500 citizens and 32,000 allies in Rome itself, and two reserve legions in Sicily and Tarentum.

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