Atlas of Battles

battle, notable, ancient

Battle of Cabira

Battle of Cabira was a battle fought in 72 BC at Cabira, in what is now Turkey. It was part of Third Mithridatic War, which ran from 73 BC to 63 BC. The recorded result: Roman victory.

See it on the globe Read the article

Stone arch bridge in Eğri Köprü,Kızılırmak, Sivas, Turkey
Stone arch bridge in Eğri Köprü,Kızılırmak, Sivas, Turkey. Avniyazici~commonswiki, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought72 BC
WhereCabira, Turkey40.583N, 36.967E
OutcomeRoman victory
BelligerentsRoman RepublicagainstKingdom of Pontus
Casualties and lossesUnknown but a lot lighter than the Pontic lossesand3,000
Part ofThird Mithridatic War73 BC to 63 BC

Where it sits in Third Mithridatic War

Battle of Chalcedon, 74 BCSiege of Cyzicus, 73 BCBattle of the Rhyndacus, 73 BCBattle of Tenedos, 73 BCBattle of Lemnos, 73 BCSiege of Amisus, 73 BCBattle of Neae, 73 BCBattle of Cabira, 72 BCSiege of Amaseia, 72 BCSiege of Sinope, 71 BCSiege of Themiscyra, 71 BCBattle of Tigranocerta, 69 BCBattle of Artaxata, 68 BCSiege of Nisibis, 68 BCBattle of Zela, 67 BCBattle of the Lycus, 66 BC74 BC66 BCBattle of Cabira, 72 BC
17 placed engagements of Third Mithridatic War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date72 BC (year precision)
PlaceCabira, Turkey
40.583N, 36.967E
KindBattle, ancient
StrengthThree legions and an unknown number of auxiliaries; 20,000 infantry; 1,600–2,500 cavalry; ----Engaged: Unknown (probably ten cohorts)44,000 men; 40,000 infantry; 4,000 cavalry; ----Engaged: 4,000 men (a mixed force of cavalry and infantry)
Casualties and lossesUnknown but a lot lighter than the Pontic losses3,000
Commanders
Battle of CabiraBattle of CabiraSiege of ThemiscyraBattle of AnzenBattle of the LycusBattle of NicopolisBattle of Bathys RyaxSiege of ThemiscyraBattle of AnzenBattle of the LycusBattle of Bathys RyaxSamsunOrduBafraAmasyaCorumGiresun100 km40.583N, 36.967E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 72 BC

Battle of Cabira is one of 166 engagements of the 1st century BC in the atlas and one of 687 in present-day Turkey.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q604993, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Cabira, revision 1384532831, 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.