Most historians, including Polybius, agree that the Roman and Punic forces had only a partial engagement at the Ticino, calling it more of a cavalry skirmish than a full battle.1 Nevertheless, it was the first time Hannibal actually engaged an organized Roman force.
While it wasn’t a decisive victory for either side, the Romans were demoralized and were likely the losers in many ways. First, the Romans had expected victory, and instead saw the end of the battle swing far more to the enemy’s side. Second, Hannibal’s cavalry proved more than a match for the Roman horsemen and legions, especially his mobile Numidian light cavalry, routing the Roman javeliners and attacking from the rear. Third, it was the Romans who retreated from the battlefield in disarray to escape back east across the Ticino Bridge. Fourth, Hannibal captured at least six hundred Romans, while no substantive Punic captives are mentioned in any battle texts. Fifth, and perhaps most important for what followed soon, Publius Scipio was severely wounded and could not fight again for some time. Last but not least, the fact that the Romans proved so vulnerable even under experienced leadership spoke volumes to the Padana Celts. Hannibal gained the alliance of the Celts at least for the duration of his sojourn in northern Italy.