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Battle of Tyndaris
Part of the First Punic War
Lagoon and coast of Tindari.
Date 257 BC Location Tindaris (modern Tindari), Sicily38°8′44″N 15°2′23″E / 38.14556°N 15.03972°E / 38.14556; 15.03972 Result Roman victory
Belligerents
Rome	Carthage
Commanders and leaders
Gaius Atilius Regulus	Hamilcar
Strength
Unknown	Unknown
Casualties and losses
9 ships sunk	18 ships 8 ships sunk 10 ships captured

The Battle of Tyndaris was a naval battle of the First Punic War that took place off Tyndaris (modern Tindari) in 257 BC. Tyndaris was a Sicilian town founded as a Greek colony in 396 BC located on the high ground overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea in the Gulf of Patti. Hiero II, the tyrant of Syracuse, allowed Tyndaris to become a base for the Carthaginians. The battle took place in the waters between Tyndaris and the Aeolian Islands, with Gaius Atilius Regulus in command of the Roman fleet. Subsequently, the town fell to Rome.

Battle

Gaius Atilius Regulus' fleet was anchored off Tyndaris when he observed the Carthaginian fleet sailing past, but not in a tactical formation. He gave orders for the main body of his ships to follow the leading ships. He then took an advance guard of ten ships and sailed towards the Carthaginians. The Carthaginians noticed that the advance guard had outdistanced the main body of the Roman fleet and that other Romans were still boarding their ships. Taking the initiative, the Carthaginians turned and engaged the Roman squadron and sank nine of the ships. Meanwhile, the rest of the Roman fleet arrived and formed a line. The Romans then engaged the Carthaginians, sinking eight and capturing ten of their ships. The remainder of the Carthaginian ships retreated to the Aeolian Islands.

This naval engagement was followed by the Battle of Cape Ecnomus.

References

1. Polybius, 1:25.1
2. Polybius, 1:25.3
3. Polybius, 1:25.4

v t e Battles of the Punic Wars
First Punic War	Treaties Messana Agrigentum Lipari Islands Mylae Thermae Sulci Tyndaris Cape Ecnomus Aspis Adys Bagradas (Tunis) Cape Hermaeum Panormus Drepana Lilybaeum Drepana (siege) Mount Ercte 1st Mt. Eryx 2nd Mt. Eryx Aegates Treaty of Lutatius
Mercenary War	Utica Bagradas Hamilcar's victory with Naravas Carthage The Saw Tunis Leptis Parva
Second Punic War (Battles)	Saguntum Lilybaeum Malta Rhone Crossing of the Alps Cissa Ticinus Trebia Ebro River Lake Trasimene Ager Falernus Geronium Cannae Silva Litana 1st Nola Ibera 2nd Nola Decimomannu 3rd Nola 1st Beneventum Syracuse Heat ray and Claw of Archimedes Sambuca 1st Tarentum 2nd Beneventum 1st Capua Silarus 1st Herdonia Upper Baetis 2nd Capua 2nd Herdonia Numistro Canusium 2nd Tarentum New Carthage Baecula Petelia Grumentum Metaurus Ilipa Sucro Carteia (land) Carteia (naval) Crotona 1st Utica 2nd Utica Great Plains (Bagradas) Cirta Insubria Zama
Third Punic War	Lake Tunis 1st Nepheris Port of Carthage 2nd Nepheris Carthage
Category Military history

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