The Battle of the Rhyndacus occurred in 73 BC between a
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic ( la, Res publica Romana ) was a form of government of Rome and the era of the classical Roman civilization when it was run through public representation of the Roman people. Beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Kin ...
an force under the command of the proconsul Lucius Licinius Lucullus and a division of the army of
Mithridates VI of Pontus
Mithridates or Mithradates VI Eupator ( grc-gre, Μιθραδάτης; 135–63 BC) was ruler of the Kingdom of Pontus in northern Anatolia from 120 to 63 BC, and one of the Roman Republic's most formidable and determined opponents. He was an e ...
as part of the
Third Mithridatic War
The Third Mithridatic War (73–63 BC), the last and longest of the three Mithridatic Wars, was fought between Mithridates VI of Pontus and the Roman Republic. Both sides were joined by a great number of allies dragging the entire east of the ...
. The Romans were victorious.
Lucullus, based in
Cilicia
Cilicia (); el, Κιλικία, ''Kilikía''; Middle Persian: ''klkyʾy'' (''Klikiyā''); Parthian: ''kylkyʾ'' (''Kilikiyā''); tr, Kilikya). is a geographical region in southern Anatolia in Turkey, extending inland from the northeastern coa ...
, had foregone his planned invasion of Pontus from the south to come north and rescue his colleague, proconsul
Marcus Aurelius Cotta
Marcus Aurelius Cotta was a Roman politician and general who was consul in 74 BC. He was posted to Bithynia with a Roman fleet as part of the Third Mithridatic War. He was defeated by King Mithridates VI of Pontus. Rescued by his fellow consul he ...
, whom Mithridates had
besieged at Cyzicus on the
Sea of Marmara
The Sea of Marmara,; grc, Προποντίς, Προποντίδα, Propontís, Propontída also known as the Marmara Sea, is an inland sea located entirely within the borders of Turkey. It connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea via the ...
. Lucullus's army caught the Pontic army off guard and lay an effective counter-siege, trapping the Mithridatic army on the Cyzicus peninsula.
With the onset of winter and running low on supplies, Mithridates decided to send his sick, his wounded, and his cavalry east into
Bithynia
Bithynia (; Koine Greek: , ''Bithynía'') was an ancient region, kingdom and Roman province in the northwest of Asia Minor (present-day Turkey), adjoining the Sea of Marmara, the Bosporus, and the Black Sea. It bordered Mysia to the southwest, Pa ...
. The Pontic column was commanded by
Neoptolemus
In Greek mythology, Neoptolemus (; ), also called Pyrrhus (; ), was the son of the warrior Achilles and the princess Deidamia, and the brother of Oneiros. He became the mythical progenitor of the ruling dynasty of the Molossians of ancient Epi ...
, who was the brother of
Archelaus. In the middle of a snowstorm, Lucullus met these forces with ten cohorts along the banks of the
Rhyndacus. The Romans had a small advance guard of auxiliaries and cavalry on the opposite bank of the river. The combined Roman forces attacked. The Pontic forces turned to defend themselves. The battle was hard, and the Pontic forces fought bravely, but were unable to withstand the pressure of the Roman attack.
Plutarch
Plutarch (; grc-gre, Πλούταρχος, ''Ploútarchos''; ; – after AD 119) was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi. He is known primarily for his ''P ...
and
Appian
Appian of Alexandria (; grc-gre, Ἀππιανὸς Ἀλεξανδρεύς ''Appianòs Alexandreús''; la, Appianus Alexandrinus; ) was a Greek historian with Roman citizenship who flourished during the reigns of Emperors of Rome Trajan, Hadr ...
record 15,000 men and 6,000 horses as being captured during the battle.
[Lee Fratantuono, ''Lucullus, the life and campaigns of a Roman conqueror'', p.60; Philip Matyszak, ''Mithridates the Great, Rome's indomitable enemy'', p.112.]
The disaster at the Rhyndacus combined with the famine and plague which had struck his main army forced Mithridates to completely abandon his position, sailing north while his army marched overland. Lucullus once again routed them at the confluence of the
Aesepus
In Greek mythology, Aesepus (Ancient Greek: Αἴσηπος) may refer to:
*Aesepus, one of the Potamoi, river-god sons of the Titans Oceanus and his sister-wife Tethys. He was the divine personification of the river and nearby town of Aesepus ( ...
and
Granicus River Granicus may refer to:
* Granicus River, also called Biga River (Turkish: Biga Çayı)
* Battle of the Granicus
The Battle of the Granicus in May 334 BC was the first of three major battles fought between Alexander the Great of Macedon and the P ...
s, slaughtering many.
References
* Rickard, J.
Battle of the Rhyndacis, 73 B.C. Accessed 3 Sept 2011.
* Plutarch.
Accessed 19 Sept 2018.
the Rhyndacus (72 BC)
Rhyndacus (72 BC), Battle of the
Rhyndacus (72 BC), Battle of the
the Rhyndacus (72 BC)
History of Bursa Province
{{AncientRome-battle-stub