Atlas of Battles

battle, ancient

Battle of Adasa

Battle of Adasa was a battle fought in March 161 BC at Adasa, in what is now Israel. It was part of the Maccabean Revolt, which ran from 167 BC to 160 BC. The recorded result: Jewish victory. Recorded strength: Unknown (See #Analysis) against Around 9,000 soldiers?.

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Woodcut of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans from the Nuremberg Chronicle
Woodcut of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans from the Nuremberg Chronicle. Michel Wolgemut, Wilhelm Pleydenwurff (Text: Hartmann Schedel), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
FoughtMarch 161 BC
WhereAdasa, Israel31.833N, 35.233E
OutcomeJewish victory
BelligerentsJewish rebelsagainstSeleucid Empire
Casualties and lossesUnknownandHeavy
Part ofMaccabean Revolt167 BC to 160 BC

Where it sits in the Maccabean Revolt

Battle of the Ascent of Lebonah, 167 BCBattle of Beth Horon, 166 BCBattle of Emmaus, 165 BCBattle of Beth Zur, 164 BCMaccabee campaigns of 163 BCE, 163 BCBattle of Beth Zechariah, 162 BCBattle of Adasa, 161 BCBattle of Elasa, 160 BC167 BC160 BCBattle of Adasa, 161 BC
8 placed engagements of the Maccabean Revolt in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

DateMarch 161 BC (month precision)
PlaceAdasa, Israel
31.833N, 35.233E
KindBattle, ancient
StrengthUnknown (See #Analysis)Around 9,000 soldiers?
Casualties and lossesUnknownHeavy
Commanders
  • Nicanor (Seleucid general)
Battle of AdasaBattle of AdasaAtarot convoyBattle of Ammunition HillBattle of Mandelbaum GateBattle of ElasaSiege of JerusalemAtarot convoyBattle of ElasaAmmanGaza CityHaifaNablusEl ArishNazarethAl KarakAs Suwayda100 km31.833N, 35.233E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 24 times between 1010 BC and 1967.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 161 BC

Battle of Adasa is one of 94 engagements of the 2nd century BC in the atlas and one of 179 in present-day Israel.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q1268331, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Adasa, revision 1377857959, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.