Atlas of Battles

battle, ancient

Battle of Chalcedon

Battle of Chalcedon was a battle fought in 74 BC at Chalcedon, in what is now Turkey. It was part of Third Mithridatic War, which ran from 73 BC to 63 BC. The recorded result: Pontic victory.

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Battle of Chalcedon
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought74 BC
WhereChalcedon, Turkey40.983N, 29.033E
OutcomePontic victory
BelligerentsKingdom of PontusagainstRoman Republic
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 Chalcedon, 74 BC
17 placed engagements of Third Mithridatic War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date74 BC (year precision)
PlaceChalcedon, Turkey
40.983N, 29.033E
KindBattle, ancient
Strength136,000–162,000 men; 400 ships; ----120,000–150,000 infantry; 12,000–16,000 cavalry; 100–120 scythed chariotsUnknown men; 64 ships
Casualties and losses730 killed17,800 men; 64 ships; ----7,000–13,300 killed; 4,500 captured; 4 ships burned; 60 ships captured
Commanders
  • Marcus Aurelius Cotta (consul 74 BC)
Battle of ChalcedonBattle of ChalcedonSiege of ChalcedonBattle of ChrysopolisSiege of ByzantiumSiege of ByzantiumSiege of ByzantiumSiege of ChalcedonSiege of ByzantiumBursaEskişehirAdapazarıİzmitTekirdağLüleburgazKırklareliBilecik100 km40.983N, 29.033E
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 43 times between 510 BC and 1453.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 74 BC

Battle of Chalcedon 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 Q2331925, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Chalcedon (74 BC), revision 1370436768, 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.