Battle of Heraclea

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
Belligerents
Epirus; Lucanians	Roman Republic
Commanders and leaders
Pyrrhus of Epirus	Publius Valerius Laevinus
Strength
~35,000 men ~4,000 cavalry; ~28,500 Infantry; 2,000 Archers; 500 slingers; 20 war elephants;	at least 42,400 men at least 40,000 infantry; at least 2,400 cavalry;
Casualties and losses
Plutarch and Hieronymus: 4,000; Dionysius of Halicarnassus: 13,000	Plutarch and Hieronymus: 7,000 dead and 1800 Romans captured; Dionysius of Halicarnassus: 15,000 dead;

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.