What was the greatest battle in Roman history?

There is no single answer, but Zama in 202 BC, Alesia in 52 BC and Actium in 31 BC are among the most decisive, each a turning point in Rome's rise, while Cannae in 216 BC was its most famous defeat.

What was Rome's worst defeat?

Cannae in 216 BC, where Hannibal's double envelopment destroyed a Roman army of some 80,000 men, killing tens of thousands, is usually reckoned Rome's worst single-day defeat; the Teutoburg Forest in 9 AD, which cost three whole legions, was another catastrophe.

Which battle ended the Roman Republic?

Actium in 31 BC was the decisive battle: Octavian's victory over Antony and Cleopatra left him sole master of Rome and led to the founding of the empire a few years later.

What happened at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest?

In 9 AD the Germanic leader Arminius ambushed and destroyed three Roman legions under Varus, a disaster that effectively fixed Rome's northern frontier at the Rhine.

Why was the Milvian Bridge important?

In 312 AD Constantine defeated his rival Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge near Rome, a victory he credited to the Christian God and that set the empire on the road to Christianity.

Where can I read about the commanders?

Each battle links to its full story, and the guide to the greatest commanders of ancient Rome collects the generals and emperors, from Scipio and Caesar to Augustus and Trajan.

The Greatest Battles of Ancient Rome

For seven centuries the fate of Rome was decided on the battlefield, in crushing defeats it barely survived and victories that reshaped the ancient world. These are the battles that made and shook Rome, from the slaughter at Cannae to the vision at the Milvian Bridge, triumphs and disasters alike, each linked to its full story.

Cannae, 216 BC. Hannibal's double envelopment annihilated a huge Roman army, Rome's worst single defeat.

Battle diagram of the Roman army encircled by Carthaginian forces near the Aufidus river — Cannae, 216 BC: Hannibal's infantry and cavalry close around the Roman army (red) in a double envelopment. After a map by the US Military Academy. Public domain

The Metaurus, 207 BC. Rome destroyed Hasdrubal's relief army, turning the tide of the war with Carthage in Italy.

Zama, 202 BC. Scipio Africanus defeated Hannibal in Africa and won the Second Punic War for Rome.

Alesia, 52 BC. Caesar's double ring of siege works trapped and starved Vercingetorix, completing the conquest of Gaul.

Painting of the Gallic chief on horseback before Caesar seated among his legions — Vercingetorix throws down his weapons at the feet of Julius Caesar after Alesia, painted by Lionel Royer in 1899. The armour and costume reflect nineteenth century ideas rather than the period. Public domain

Philippi, 42 BC. Antony and Octavian defeated Caesar's assassins Brutus and Cassius, avenging the dictator.

Actium, 31 BC. Octavian's fleet under Agrippa crushed Antony and Cleopatra, clearing the path to empire.

The Teutoburg Forest, 9 AD. Arminius ambushed and destroyed three legions, fixing Rome's frontier at the Rhine.

Painting of Germanic warriors charging over fallen Roman soldiers — The Teutoburg Forest, 9 AD, as imagined by Otto Albert Koch in 1909: Germanic warriors overrun the Roman legions. Lippisches Landesmuseum, Detmold. Public domain

The Milvian Bridge, 312 AD. Constantine's victory over Maxentius that set Rome on the road to Christianity.

Triumphs and disasters that made Rome

Not every battle here was a Roman victory. Cannae was the bloodiest day in Rome's history and the Teutoburg Forest a catastrophe that stopped its expansion at the Rhine, yet both shaped Rome as surely as its triumphs. From Scipio's victory at Zama and Caesar at Alesia to Actium and the Milvian Bridge, the story of Rome was written on the battlefield.

Renaissance fresco of a crowded cavalry battle by a river — The Battle of the Milvian Bridge, AD 312, in the fresco painted by Giulio Romano and Raphael's workshop in 1520 to 1524 in the Hall of Constantine in the Vatican. Public domain

Meet the men who led them in the greatest commanders of ancient Rome, or see how their soldiers fought in how the Roman legion worked.

The Greatest Battles of Ancient Rome

Triumphs and disasters that made Rome

Frequently asked questions

Relive Rome's greatest battles