In 86 BCE, the Battle of Chaeronea was fought in Greece between Pontus under Archelaus and the Romans under Sulla during the First Mithridatic War.
Why did it happen?
The Kingdom of Pontus was established in 281 BCE by Hellenized Persians after the end of the Wars of the Diadochi. In 120 BCE, Mithridates VI became the eighth king of Pontus and continued his kingdom’s policy of military expansion. In 89 BCE, Mithridates came into conflict with the Roman Republic which controlled most of the Mediterranean Sea, and under his general Archelaus, conquered southern Greece. On 1 March 86 BCE, the Romans under Lucius Cornelius Sulla retook the city of Athens while Archelaus fled north to join with a second Pontic army making its way south through Greece. After running short of supplies in Athens, Sulla marched his army north to combine with forces under Hortensius and confronted the Pontic army at Chaeronea, where the Macedonians under Philip II had defeated the Greeks in 338 BCE.
Who was involved?
The Pontic army at Chaeronea numbered 63,000 infantry, 2,000 cavalry and 90 scythed chariots. In the centre, the Pontic phalanx, 15,000 strong, was positioned along with 90 scythed chariots in front of it. On the Pontic right-wing were positioned 5,000 Brazen Shields and 2,000 cavalry while positioned on the extreme left and right wings were the remaining Pontic light infantry. The Pontic strategy at Chaeronea was to disrupt the Roman formation with their scythed chariots before pinning them in place with the phalanx while the cavalry outflanked and attacked them in the rear. The Roman army at Chaeronea numbered 21,000 infantry and 1,500 cavalry. The Roman left and right wings were under the command of Murena and Sulla respectively and consisted of 750 cavalry each. In the centre were positioned 15,000 Roman legionaries in the front line with 6,000 legionaries in reserve under Hortensius.
What happened?
With the help of Chaeronea’s civilians, the Roman infantry began the battle by attacking and routing the Pontic light infantry stationed on Mount Thurium, who sustained 3,000 casualties. Seeing this turn of events, Archelaus launched his scythed chariots against the Roman centre, but the Romans countered this by opening their ranks to let the chariots pass harmlessly through and be taken out by javelins. After this, the Roman legionaries advanced against the Pontic centre before discharging their javelins, supported by artillery, into the Pontic phalanx and engaging it. At that point, the Pontic cavalry charged the Roman left-wing but was intercepted by 2,000 infantry under Hortensius, who were themselves pushed back to the slopes of Mount Thurium by the Pontic cavalry and the Brazen Shields under Taxiles. In response, Sulla moved his right-wing over to help his beleaguered left-wing. Upon seeing this, Archelaus ordered his cavalry to manoeuvre around the Pontic phalanx and attack the exposed Roman right flank. Sulla saw this move and led 1,250 infantry and cavalry back towards the Roman right flank where he forced the Pontic left wing to retreat towards its camp. At the same time, Murena and Hortensius routed the Brazen Shields and attacked the Pontic phalanx in the flank with the surviving phalangists retreating towards their camp. After heavy fighting, the Pontic army was crushed with only 10,000 men surviving the battle. In contrast, Sulla claimed that he lost only 12 men.
What changed as a result?
The Battle of Chaeronea was a Roman victory. In the aftermath of the battle, Archelaus escaped with what remained of his army and sailed to Chalcis where he was reinforced by 80,000 Pontic troops. After returning to mainland Greece, Archelaus was defeated by the Romans at the Battle of Orchomenus, which formally ended the First Mithridatic War in Greece. However, Mithridates VI remained a major power in Asia Minor, and two further wars were fought against him: The Second Mithridatic War (83-81 BCE), which ended inconclusively, and the Third Mithridatic War (73-63 BCE), which ended in a decisive Roman victory, the annexation of Pontus and the suicide of Mithridates VI.
Bibliography
Matyszak, Philip. Mithridates the Great: Rome’s Indomitable Enemy. Barnsley, Pen & Sword Military, 2015.
Plutarch. Life of Sulla. Translated by Bernadotte Perrin. London, Loeb Classical Library, 1916.
Rickard, John. “Battle of Chaeronea, 86 B.C.” History of War. Last revised December 11, 2008. www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_chaeronea_86_bc.html