Tyndaris was a Sicilian town founded as a Greek colony in 396 BC located on the high ground overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea in the Gulf of Patti.

Hiero II, the tyrant of Syracuse, allowed Tyndaris to become a base for the Carthaginians.

The battle took place in the waters between Tyndaris and the Aeolian Islands, with Gaius Atilius Regulus in command of the Roman fleet.

Taking the initiative, the Carthaginians turned and engaged the Roman squadron and sank nine of the ships.

The Romans then engaged the Carthaginians, sinking eight and capturing ten of their ships.