Battle of Agrigentum

The Battle of Agrigentum was fought in 261 B.C. as part of the First Punic War between Rome and Carthage. In 262 B.C. the Romans laid siege to the Carthaginian stronghold in western Sicily. The defenders under Hannibal Gisco[1] put up a stout defense and the next year, a relieving army from Carthage under Hanno was defeated, but gave Hannibal Gisco the opportunity to escape with his army intact and let the Romans take the city. The Battle of Agrigentum marked the first large-scale engagement between Roman and Carthaginian forces.

## References[edit]

1. ↑ Not to be confused with Hannibal Barca, who led Carthage in the Second Punic War.

## Sources[edit]

Encyclopedia of Military History, Dupuy & Dupuy, 1979