Battle of Heraclea

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Battle of Heraclea
Part of the Pyrrhic War
Battle sites and places of the Pyrrhic War
Date July 280 BC Location Heraclea, Basilicata, southern Italy Result Pyrrhic Lucanian victory
Belligerents
Epirus Eastern Lucania Cities	Roman Republic
Commanders and leaders
Pyrrhus	Publius Valerius Laevinus
Strength
~23,000–35,000 men 2,000–3,000 cavalry 20,000 Infantry 2,000 Archers 500 slingers 20 war elephants	40,000–50,000 men Strong cavalry contingent
Casualties and losses
Plutarch and Hieronymus: 4,000 Dionysius of Halicarnassus: 13,000	Plutarch: 7,000 Dionysius of Halicarnassus: 15,000 dead A large number of Romans captured[1]

The Battle of Heraclea took place in 280 BC between the Romans under the command of consul Publius Valerius Laevinus, and the combined forces of Greeks from Epirus, Tarentum, Thurii, Metapontum, and Heraclea under the command of Pyrrhus, king of Epirus. Although the battle was a victory for the Greeks, they incurred severe losses.^[2]