Battle of Telamon 225 BCE

Tired of Roman incursions into their territories, many Gallic tribes formed an alliance and marched on Rome. They created a combined army of 50,000 infantry and 20,000 cavalry. After successfully reaching central Italy, they learned that three Roman armies were in the region. These armies, with a combined total of 85,000 soldiers and 5,000 cavalry, split into two and were led by Generals Lucius Aemilius Papus and Marcus Atilius Regulus. The Gauls, dangerously outnumbered, turned around and began travelling north along the Mediterranean coastline. When the Gauls were in the proximity of Telamon, in modern Tuscany, Atilius occupied a hill to the north, blocking the Gallic army’s advance. They were unable to retreat because Papus’ army blocked them in the south. The Gauls were a formidable enemy who stood their ground and were cut down where they stood. Nevertheless, they were eventually crushed by the Romans; about 20,000 Gauls managed to escape, the rest were killed or captured.