| has gloss | eng: The Battle of Beneventum (214 BC) was fought in 214 BC near modern Benevento during the Second Punic War. Roman legions under Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus (consul 215 and 213 BC) defeated Hannos Carthaginian forces, denying Hannibal reinforcements. Livy 24.14-16 describes the battle in brief. This battle is notable for Gracchus use of slaves (as infantry) who spent much of the battle gathering enemy heads, as it had been promised them that this currency would buy their freedom that day. Following the disastrous defeat at Cannae the Romans under Fabius adopted a policy of fighting Carthage wherever Hannibal was not. Spain, Sardinia, and Italy provided them with plenty of scope for campaigning. This battle was part of the Roman campaign to subdue the southern Italian states that had revolted after Cannae. It was fought near Beneventum in Samnium between a Punic army composed mainly of Italians and a Roman army of slave volunteers. |
