Battle of Halys 82 BC
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Year | 82 BC | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
|---|---|---|
| Era | Ancient (before 500) | derived from year |
| Location | Turkey | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Asia | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Second Mithridatic War | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | Kingdom of Pontus, Roman Republic | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 41.7344, 35.9564 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Halys (also known as the Battle of Halys River) took place in 82 BC, during the Second Mithridatic War. Roman general Lucius Licinius Murena became very overconfident while campaigning against Pontus and ignored orders to cease operations there. He commanded two legions (the infamous Fimbrians). Murena launched two raids into Pontic territory. After receiving orders from the Senate not to continue the war, Murena launched a third raid, beginning the Second Mithridatic War. At Halys River, the Romans spared a small Pontic army under general Gordius for too long. Gordius waited until King Mithradates VI arrived himself with the main Pontic army. The Romans were very ill-prepared for the battle. The combined Pontic army attacked the Roman forces on the opposite side of the river. The Mithridatic troops eventually forced their way across, forcing the Romans to retreat. Eventually in 81 BC Lucius Cornelius Sulla restored peace between Rome and Pontus.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Halys (revision 1370442501), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
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