Atlas of Battles

battle, notable, ancient

Battle of the Lycus

Battle of the Lycus was a battle fought in 66 BC at Kelkit Brook, 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; End of the Mithridatic Wars. Recorded strength: 50,000 against 30,000 infantry and 2,000–3,000 cavalry.

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Fought66 BC
WhereKelkit Brook, Turkey40.305N, 37.831E
OutcomeRoman victory; End of the Mithridatic Wars
BelligerentsRoman RepublicagainstPontic Empire
Casualties and lossesUnknownandMore than 10,000 killed and many prisoners
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 the Lycus, 66 BC
17 placed engagements of Third Mithridatic War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date66 BC (year precision)
PlaceKelkit Brook, Turkey
40.305N, 37.831E
KindBattle, ancient
Strength50,00030,000 infantry and 2,000–3,000 cavalry
Casualties and lossesUnknownMore than 10,000 killed and many prisoners
Commanders
Battle of the LycusBattle of the LycusBattle of NicopolisSiege of SebinkarahisarSiege of KaracahisarSiege of MayyāfāriqīnBattle of CabiraBattle of NicopolisSiege of KaracahisarSiege of MayyāfāriqīnBattle of CabiraSamsunTrabzonOrduAmasyaTokatGiresunGümüşhaneTunceli100 km40.305N, 37.831E
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 66 BC

Battle of the Lycus 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 Q2707112, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of the Lycus, revision 1378284041, 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.