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 Greek victory[1]
Belligerents
Epirus Magna Graecia	Roman Republic
Commanders and leaders
Pyrrhus	Publius Valerius Laevinus
Strength
35,500 men 20,000 phalangites 6,000 levy hoplites 3,000 hypaspists 2,000 archers 500 slingers 4,000 cavalry 20 war elephants	45,000 men 20,000 Roman heavy infantry 16,800 Allied heavy infantry 2,400 Allied light infantry 2,400-6000 cavalry[2]
Casualties and losses
4,000–11,000 killed	7,000–15,000 killed 1,800 captured

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 and their casualties were lower than the Romans, they had lost many veteran soldiers that would be hard to replace on foreign soil.^[3]