Roman forces under Lucullus defeated Tigranes the Great and captured his capital Tigranocerta, shifting the balance of the Third Mithridatic War.
Key Facts
- Date
- 6 October 69 BC
- Roman commander
- Consul Lucius Licinius Lucullus
- Armenian commander
- King Tigranes the Great
- Outcome
- Roman victory; Tigranocerta captured
- Context
- Part of the Third Mithridatic War
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The battle arose from the Third Mithridatic War between Rome and Mithridates VI of Pontus. When Mithridates fled to Armenia seeking refuge with his son-in-law Tigranes the Great, whose daughter Cleopatra he had married, Rome invaded the Kingdom of Armenia and laid siege to Tigranocerta, provoking a confrontation.
As the large Armenian army approached the besieged city, Lucullus feigned retreat across a nearby river, then crossed at a ford and struck the Armenian right flank. After routing the Armenian cataphracts, the bulk of Tigranes' army—consisting largely of raw levies and peasant troops—panicked and fled, leaving the Romans in control of the battlefield.
The Roman victory resulted in the capture of Tigranocerta, Tigranes' capital city, dealing a severe blow to Armenian power and undermining the alliance between Tigranes and Mithridates. The outcome significantly advanced Roman strategic objectives in the eastern campaigns of the Third Mithridatic War.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Lucius Licinius Lucullus.
Side B
1 belligerent
Tigranes the Great.