21 June 217 BC
The Roman army destroyed
Some Romans flee and others gather in groups to fight on all sides. In the centre they hold out for three hours against the Gauls, who suffer heavy losses. Livy writes that Flaminius tries to rally his men until a Gaul named Ducarius cuts him down, while Polybius says he gives no effective leadership.
The Gaul Ducarius kills the consul Flaminius at Lake Trasimene, painting by Joseph-Noël Sylvestre, 1882Wikimedia Commons, Joseph-Noël Sylvestre, Public domain (Sylvestre Ducar decapite Flaminius (Trasimene).jpg)
Men try to swim across the lake and drown, or wade out up to their necks while Carthaginian horsemen ride into the water after them. The 6,000 at the head of the column push through the defile against little resistance. Later in the day they are surrounded and surrender to Maharbal.
Polybius gives 15,000 Romans killed and most of the rest captured, and 1,500 Carthaginians dead, most of them Gauls. Livy gives 2,500 Carthaginian dead. Hannibal frees the Italian allies among the prisoners and sells the Romans into slavery. A few days later Maharbal destroys the 4,000 cavalry that Servilius has sent ahead.
Sources
- Polybius, Histories, book 3, 84 to 86.
- Livy, History of Rome, book 22, 6 to 7.
- Adrian Goldsworthy, The Fall of Carthage (2006).
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