<Dl> <Dt> Naval battles </Dt> </Dl> <Ul> <Li> Lilybaeum </Li> <Li> Ebro River </Li> <Li> Carteia </Li> </Ul> <P> The Battle of Cannae (/ ˈkæniˌ - neɪˌ - naɪ /) was a major battle of the Second Punic War that took place on 2 August 216 BC in Apulia, in southeast Italy . The army of Carthage, under Hannibal, surrounded and decisively defeated a larger army of the Roman Republic under the consuls Lucius Aemilius Paullus and Gaius Terentius Varro . It is regarded both as one of the greatest tactical feats in military history and as one of the worst defeats in Roman history . </P> <P> Having recovered from their losses at Trebia (218 BC) and Lake Trasimene (217 BC), the Romans decided to engage Hannibal at Cannae, with roughly 86,000 Roman and allied troops . They massed their heavy infantry in a deeper formation than usual, while Hannibal used the double - envelopment tactic . This was so successful that the Roman army was effectively destroyed as a fighting force . Following the defeat, Capua and several other Italian city - states defected from the Roman Republic to Carthage . </P>

Where did the battle of cannae take place