 Battle of Thurii

The naval Battle of Thurii was fought between Ancient Rome and the Greek colony of Tarentum

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