Siege of Mytilene (81 BC) 81 BC
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
About the battle
The siege of Mytilene took place in 81 BC during the Second Mithridatic War, when the city of Mytilene on the island of Lesbos was taken by Rome. It was the first documented military action of Julius Caesar.
Mytilene, the capital city of the island of Lesbos in the Aegean Sea, revolted against Rome during the First Mithridatic War and was suspected of actively or tacitly aiding pirates in the region. The island did not surrender at the end of the war, so the reprisal operations were carried during the Second Mithridatic War. Suetonius credits Marcus Minucius Thermus, the governor of the Roman Asia province, with the victory, but the siege may have been conducted by or in coordination with Lucius Licinius Lucullus.
Julius Caesar began his military service during the siege after his pardon by Sulla during the proscriptions of 82 BC. It was during the siege that Caesar was awarded the Civic Crown, a considerable honour in the Roman military, which is a title awarded to a Roman soldier who saves the life of a fellow citizen.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Siege of Mytilene (81 BC) (revision 1370743790), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Battle of Mytilene (1690) 1690 · 2 km
- Siege of Mytilene (1464) 1464 · 3 km
- Battle of Arginusae 406 BC · 24 km
- Battle of Lesbos (1912) 1912 · 25 km
- Battle of the Oinousses Islands 1695 · 45 km
- Battle of Focchies 1649 · 52 km
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