Battle of Orchomenus

Overview

The Battle of Orchomenus was fought in autumn 86 BC between Rome and the forces of Mithridates VI of Pontus. The Roman army was led by Lucius Cornelius Sulla, while Mithridates' army was led by Archelaus. The Roman force was victorious, and Archelaus later defected to Rome. The battle ended the Mithridatic invasion of Europe. Information on the battle is included in Plutarch's Life of Sulla, chapters 20–21.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battle of Orchomenus was the decisive engagement that ended the Mithridatic invasion of Europe during the First Mithridatic War. Fought in autumn 86 BCE, it saw Sulla's Roman force of roughly 30,000 defeat a Pontic army under Archelaus numbering between 75,000 and 80,000, with Pontic casualties recorded at 15,000. The scale of the defeat was severe enough that Archelaus subsequently defected to Rome. Together with its outcome, the battle effectively expelled Pontic forces from the European theater and foreclosed Mithridates VI's ambitions on that front, setting the conditions for the eventual peace that concluded the First Mithridatic War in 84 BCE.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (3)