Battle of Thurii

The naval Battle of Thurii[1] was fought between Ancient Rome and the Greek colony of Tarentum[2]

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Following the battle, Tarentum appealed to Pyrrhus, ruler of Epirus, for military aid.[1][3] Motivated by his diplomatic obligations to Tarentum, and a personal desire for military accomplishment, Pyrrhus landed a Greek army of some 25,000 men[1] and a contingent of war elephants[1] on Italian soil in 280 BC,[4] where his forces were joined by the Greeks and a portion of the Samnites who revolted against Roman control.