Atlas of Battles

battle, landmark, ancient

Battle of Chaeronea

Battle of Chaeronea was a battle fought in August 338 BC at Chaeronea, in what is now Greece. It was part of the Fourth Sacred War, which ran from 339 BC to 338 BC. The recorded result: Macedonian victory. Recorded strength: 30,000 infantry; 2,000 cavalry against 35,000.

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Battle of Chaeronea, 338 BC
Battle of Chaeronea, 338 BC. United States Military Academy, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
FoughtAugust 338 BC
WhereChaeronea, Greece38.495N, 22.848E
OutcomeMacedonian victory
BelligerentsMacedon; Thessaly; Argos; Arcadia; PhocisagainstAthens; Thebes; Corinth; Megara; Achaea; Chalcis; Epidaurus; Akarnania; Troezen
Casualties and lossesLowand~2,000 killed including all 300 of the elite Sacred Band of Thebes; 2,000 captured
Part ofFourth Sacred War339 BC to 338 BC

Record

DateAugust 338 BC (month precision)
PlaceChaeronea, Greece
38.495N, 22.848E
KindBattle, ancient
Territorial changeMacedon establishes hegemony over the majority of Greece (except Sparta)
Strength30,000 infantry; 2,000 cavalry35,000
Casualties and lossesLow~2,000 killed including all 300 of the elite Sacred Band of Thebes; 2,000 captured
Commanders
  • Demosthenes
  • Chares of Athens
  • Lysicles (4th century BC)
  • Theagenes of Thebes
Battle of ChaeroneaBattle of ChaeroneaBattle of ChaeroneaBattle of ChaeroneaSiege of LivadiaBattle of TegyraBattle of OrchomenusSiege of LivadiaBattle of TegyraAthensPatraLarissaAgrinioTripoliPirgosVolosLamia100 km38.495N, 22.848E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Chaeronea
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 25 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Chaeronea today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-08-30. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 134 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 106 to 513 m, 407 m of relief, steep country and today it is 38% cropland, 25% tree cover, 18% grassland.

cropland: 38%tree cover: 25%grassland: 18%shrubland: 18%cropland 38%tree cover 25%grassland 18%shrubland 18%
west to east, 10.0 km107 to 299 mnorth to south, 10.0 km113 to 386 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 3 times between 338 BC and 86 BC.

Elsewhere in 338 BC

Battle of Chaeronea is one of 143 engagements of the 4th century BC in the atlas and one of 529 in present-day Greece.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q200716, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Chaeronea (338 BC), revision 1383165436, 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.