ORDER OF BATTLE // -71 BCE
Battle of Cabira
Estimated force strength by side, with confidence labels per surviving record.
Forces engaged
2 sides catalogued · combined 60,000 estimated
Roman Republic
20,000
Medium-confidence figure
Kingdom of Pontus
40,000
Medium-confidence figure
Battle context
The Battle of Cabira, fought between the Roman Republic forces under proconsul Lucius Licinius Lucullus and the Kingdom of Pontus under Mithridates VI, resulted in a decisive Roman victory. Roman forces numbered approximately 20,000 against a Pontic army of around 40,000, with recorded Pontic casualties of 3,000. The engagement occurred within the Third Mithridatic War, the final and conclusive phase of Rome's prolonged conflict with Mithridates VI, who had twice previously survived Roman campaigns against him. A decisive Roman victory at Cabira against a numerically superior Pontic force would have substantially undermined Mithridates VI's military position in Pontus and advanced Lucullus's broader campaign to bring the war to a conclusion.
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