Atlas of Battles

battle, major, ancient

Battle of Tigranocerta

Battle of Tigranocerta was a battle fought on 6 October 69 BC at Tigranocerta, 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.

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Battle of Tigranakert, 69 B.C.
Battle of Tigranakert, 69 B.C.. www.armenica.org, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought6 October 69 BC
WhereTigranocerta, Turkey38.142N, 41.001E
OutcomeRoman victory
BelligerentsRoman RepublicagainstKingdom of Armenia
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 Tigranocerta, 69 BC
17 placed engagements of Third Mithridatic War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date6 October 69 BC
PlaceTigranocerta, Turkey
38.142N, 41.001E
KindBattle, ancient
Strength11,000–40,000 men; 10,000–24,000 infantry; 1,000–3,300 Roman cavalry; 10,000 Galatian, Thracian and Bithynian infantry and cavalry70,000–100,000 men; Adiabenians, Corduenians, Iberians, Medians; 20,000–25,000 Armenians
Casualties and lossesUnknown, estimated lightUnknown, estimates given from 10,000 to 100,000; ----5,000 killed; 5,000 captured
Commanders
  • Tigranes the Great
Battle of TigranocertaBattle of TigranocertaBattle of MartyropolisSiege of MartyropolisSiege of MartyropolisSiege of AmidaSiege of AmidaSiege of AmidaSiege of AmidaZakhoMuşMardinElâzığNusaybinTatvanSiirtBingöl100 km38.142N, 41.001E
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 Tigranocerta
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 50 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Tigranocerta today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2024-09-03. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2024.

The recorded site stands at about 824 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 0 to 1,301 m, 1,301 m of relief, mountainous country and today it is 45% cropland, 36% grassland, 11% built-up.

cropland: 45%grassland: 36%built-up: 11%tree cover: 6%cropland 45%grassland 36%built-up 11%tree cover 6%
west to east, 10.0 km0 to 1,192 mnorth to south, 10.0 km774 to 1,159 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 4 times between 69 BC and AD 588.

In the same war

Battle of Tigranocerta 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 Q2299845, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Tigranocerta, revision 1382635681, 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.