June 207 BC, morning
The armies deploy
Hasdrubal forms his line with its right on the river and its left on broken hills. His few cavalry stand on the right. Next to them he puts his best troops, the Iberian veterans, in a deep formation, and the Ligurians, also in deep ranks, in the centre. The Gauls hold a hill on the left behind a deep ravine. His ten elephants stand in front of the line, their drivers armed with a mallet and chisel to kill any animal that turns on its own side.
Plan of the battle of the Metaurus from a history of 1871, with Nero’s march round the rear of the Roman lineWikimedia Commons, Hugh Jass, Public domain (The Battle of the Metaurus.png)
Modern estimates put each army at about 30,000 before Nero’s arrival, which brings the Romans to about 37,000. Livius commands the Roman left, facing the Iberians, with the cavalry on his flank. Porcius commands the centre, and Nero the right, facing the Gauls across the ravine.
Sources
- Polybius, Histories, book 11, 1.
- Livy, History of Rome, book 27, 48.
- Dexter Hoyos, Mastering the West (2015).
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