Art and Culture/Wars and Battles - BC
From Quiz Revision Notes
War | Date Started | Date Ended | Protaganists | Major Battles/Sieges | Treaty/Armistice | Comments | |||||||||
Year or Date Started | Year or Date Ended | Location/Name | Commanders | Victor | Date(s) | Location/Name | |||||||||
Ancient Egypt | Egypt | Megiddo | 1469 | Megiddo | Tuthmoses III | Egypt | King of Megiddo | Megiddo | Egypt | First recorded battle in history | |||||
Hittites | 1294 | Kadesh | Rameses II | Egypt | Muwatalis | Hittite | Inconclusive | Egyptian army survived ambush but was unable to capture Kadesh | |||||||
Persian Wars | 500 | 448 | Greek Cities | Persia | 490 | Marathon | Miltiades and Callimachus | Athens | Datis and Artaphernes | Persia | Athens | 450 | Peace of Callias | Callimachus killed. Phaedipides runs from Marathon to Athens to announce victory | |
480 | Thermopylae | Leonidas | Sparta | Xerxes | Persia | Persia | Leonidas and 200 Spartans defend pass against huge Persian army. Path to outflank Spartans betrayed to Persians by Ephialtes - all Spartans killed | ||||||||
480 | Salamis | Themistocles | Athens | Xerxes | Persia | Athens | Naval battle. Smaller Athenian lead navy (actual commander a Spartan - Eurybiadas) defeats large Persian force. | ||||||||
479 | Plataea | Pausanias | Sparta | Mardonius | Persia | Sparta | Persians attack withdrawing Greeks. Mardonius killed. Persians leave Greece | ||||||||
479 | Mycale | Leotychidas | Sparta | ? | Persia | Sparta | Brought Persian Wars to an end | ||||||||
466 | Eurymedon | Cimon | Athens (Delian League) | ? | Persia | Athens (Delian League) | Combined naval and land battle. Returned independence to Greek Cities in Asia Minor and loot financed work on the Acropolis | ||||||||
Sicilian Wars | 500 | 340 | Greek Cities in Sicily | Carthage | 480 | Himera | Theron, Gelon | Syracuse | Hamilcar | Carthage | Syracuse | Purportedly fought in same day as Marathon | |||
Greek Cities in Sicily | Etruscans | 474 | Cumae | ? | Syracuse | ? | Etruscans | Syracuse | Naval battle which saw the end of Etruscan influence in Italy | ||||||
Greek Cities in Sicily | Carthage | 340 | Crimesus | Timoleon | Syracuse | ? | Carthage | Syracuse | |||||||
Peloponnesian War | 431 | 404 | Athens | Sparta | 425 | Pylos | Demosthenes, Cleon | Athens | Epitadas | Sparta | Athens | Athenians trapped Spartans on island of Sphakteria | |||
424 | Delium | Hippocrates | Athens | Pagondas | Boeotia | Boeotia | One of the bloodiest battles of the war. Massive 25-deep Theban phalanx first deployed. Hippocrates killed | ||||||||
422 | Amphipolis | Cleon | Athens | Brasidas | Sparta | Sparta | 421 | Peace of Nicias | In 424 Sparta captured Amphipolis (partly due to poor generalship of Thucydides who was exiled). Following armistice 423 - 422 Athens attempted recapture. Both Cleon and Brasidas killed in ensuing battle. Led to Peace of Nicias. | ||||||
418 | Mantinea | ? | Athens | Agis II | Sparta | Sparta | Spartan invasion of Argos | ||||||||
415 | 413 | Syracuse | Nicias, Lamachus, Alcibiades | Athens | Hermocrates, Gyllippus the Spartan | Syracuse | Syracuse | Athenians besieged Syracuse on Sicily. Alcibiades recalled on charges of sacrilege. Lamachus killed.Reinforced despite obvious unlikelihood of success eventually whole force destroyed including Nicias | |||||||
410 | Cyzicus | Alcibiades, Theramenes, Thrasybulus | Athens | Mindarus | Sparta | Athens | Mindarus killed | ||||||||
405 | Aegospotami | Conon | Athens | Lysander | Sparta | Sparta | Naval battle. Spartans ticked Athenians into beaching their ships without a guard. Spartans burnt 161 out of 170 ships and deprived Athens of its fleet, thus precipitating end of the war. | ||||||||
Persian Civil War | 401 | 400 | Cyrus the Younger (claimant) | Artaxerxes II (encumbent) | 401 | Cunaxa | Cyrus the Younger | Artaxerxes II | Artaxerxes | Greek mercenaries hired by Cyrus victorious but Cyrus killed and rest of army defeated. Greek commanders lured to death. Xenophon helps lead Greeks back to the Black Sea and safety (the "Anabasis") | |||||
Greek City-State Wars | 395 | 362 | Sparta | Thebes | 373 | Tegyra | Pelopidas | Thebes | ? | Sparta | Thebes | First victory of the Theban Sacred Band | |||
Athens | July 371 | Leuctra | Epaminondas | Thebes | Cleombrotus | Sparta | Thebes | King Cleombrotus killed. New Theban tactic - refused right | |||||||
364 | Cynoscephalae | Pelopidas | Thebes | Alexander of Pherae | Pherae | Inconclusive | Pelopidas killed | ||||||||
362 | Mantinea | Epaminondas | Thebes | ? | Sparta, Athens | Inconclusive | First use of cavalry as a strike force. Epaminondas killed. | ||||||||
Sacred War (3rd) | 356 | 346 | Phocis | Thebes | 352 | Crocus Field | Philip II | Macedon | Onomarchus | Phocis | Macedon | 346 | Peace of Philocrates | First significant victory of Macedon over Greek troops. Onomarchus killed | |
Macedonia | |||||||||||||||
Sacred War (4th) | 339 | 337 | Macedonia | Athens | 2 August 338 | Chaeronea | Philip II | Macedon | Stratocles | Athens, Thebes | Macedon | 337 | Common Peace | First major battle for Alexander the Great. Theban Sacred Band destroyed. Macedon breaks power of Greek City-States | |
Thebes | |||||||||||||||
Samnite Wars | 343 | 290 | Samnium | Rome | 321 | Caudine Forks | Gavius Pontius | Samnium | Veturius, Postumius | Rome | Samnium | 321 - 315 | Caudine Peace | Roman army trapped in a narrow valley and starved into surrender. One of only a few major defeats which impinged on the Roman psyche. | |
295 | 295 | Sentinum | Gellius Egnatius | Samnium, Gauls | Decius, Fabius | Rome | Rome | Gellius Egnatius and Decius killed but decisive victory left Rome in control of Central Italy | |||||||
Wars of Alexander the Great | 336 | 323 | Macedonia | Persia | May 334 | Granicus | Alexander the Great | Macedon | Arsites, Spithridates, Memnon | Persia | Macedon | Macedonian army attacked across river. Alexander's life saved by Cleitus the Black | |||
October 333 | Issus | Alexander the Great | Macedon | Darius III | Persia | Macedon | Narrow position prevented larger Persian army deploying fully | ||||||||
1 October 331 | Gaugamela (Arbela) | Alexander the Great | Macedon | Darius III | Persia | Macedon | Macedonian army formed in double line to prevent envelopment. Alexander defeated a massive Persia army by aiming attack in direction of Darius III | ||||||||
331 | Megalopolis | Antipater | Macedon | Agis III | Sparta | Macedon | Alexander's regent in Macedon, Antipater, defeats Spartan revolt, purportedly on the same day as Gaugamela | ||||||||
India | June 326 | Hydaspes | Alexander the Great | Macedon | Porus | India | Macedon | Alexander divided his army, pinning Porus across the river until he could get the majority of his army over. | |||||||
Lamian War | 323 | 322 | Macedonia | Greek City-States | 322 | Crannon | Antipater | Macedon | Menon | Greek City-States | Inconclusive | Greeks needed conclusive victory to take advantage of Alexander's death but had to settle for separate peace | |||
Successor Wars | 323 | 281 | Macedonia | Seleucids, Egypt | 301 | Ipsus | Antigonus Monopthalmus | Macedon | Seleucus I Nicator | Seleucids | Seleucids | Demetrius failed to return to help his father after successful cavalry charge. Antigonus killed. | |||
Pyrrhic War | 280 | 275 | Tarentum | Rome | 280 | Heraclea | Pyrrhus of Epirus | Tarentum | Laevinius | Rome | Tarentum | First "Pyrrhic victory" | |||
April 279 | Asculum | Pyrrhus of Epirus | Tarentum | Decius | Rome | Tarentum | Second "Pyrrhic victory" | ||||||||
275 | Beneventum | Pyrrhus of Epirus | Tarentum | Manius Curius | Rome | Rome | Failed night attack on the Roman camp lead to defeat for Pyrrhus. Name of place originally Malventum | ||||||||
Punic War (1st) | 264 | 241 | Rome | Carthage | 260 | Mylae | Duilius | Rome | Hannibal | Carthage | Rome | 241 | Treaty of Catulus | First use by the Romans of the "corvus" | |
256 | Ecnomus | Vulso, Regulus | Rome | Hamilcar | Carthage | Rome | Largest naval battle of the war | ||||||||
249 | Drepana | Claudius Pulcher | Rome | Adherbal | Carthage | Carthage | Only Carthaginian naval victory of the war | ||||||||
241 | Aegates Islands | Catulus | Rome | Hanno | Carthage | Rome | |||||||||
Punic War (2nd) | 218 | 201 | Rome | Carthage | December 218 | Trebbia | Sempronius | Rome | Hannibal | Carthage | Carthage | 201 | Treaty of Scipio | Hannibal sets up ambush | |
21 June 217 | Trasimene | Flaminius | Rome | Hannibal | Carthage | Carthage | Hannibal traps Roman army on march along the shores of Lake Trasimene | ||||||||
2 August 216 | Cannae | Varro, Paulus | Rome | Hannibal | Carthage | Carthage | Hannibal annihilates Roman army in perfect double envelopment | ||||||||
207 | Metaurus | Livius, Claudius Nero | Rome | Hasdrubal | Carthage | Rome | Hasdrubal defeated attempting to reinforce Hannibal | ||||||||
202 | Zama | Scipio Africanus | Rome | Hannibal | Carthage | Rome | Scipio inflicts Hannibal's only defeat | ||||||||
Macedonian Wars (2nd) | 200 | 197 | Rome | Macedon | 197 | Cynoscephalae | Flaminius | Rome | Philip V | Macedon | Rome | Roman army destroyed a Macedonian phalanx | |||
Syrian War | 195 | 190 | Rome | Syria | 190 | Magnesia | Lucius Scipio | Rome | Antiochus III | Syria | Rome | Massive victory for Rome | |||
September 190 | Myonnessus | ? | Rome | ? | Syria | Rome | Naval battle. Treaty at end of war meant Rome was now involved in the East. | ||||||||
Macedonian Wars (3rd) | 172 | 167 | Rome | Macedon | 22 June 168 | Pydna | Paullus | Rome | Perseus | Macedon | Rome | King Perseus defeated and captured | |||
Mithridatic War | 89 | 84 | Rome | Pontus | 86 | Chaeronea | Sulla | Rome | Archelaus | Pontus | Rome | Sulla built fence to protect against chariots - 1st recorded use of fieldworks | |||
Parthian War | 55 | 38 | Rome | Parthia | June 53 | Carrhae | Crassus | Rome | Surenas | Parthia | Parthia | Roman army trapped in semi-desert by horse archers supplied by camel train. Roman army destroyed. Crassus killed | |||
Gallic War | 58 | 49 | Rome | Gaul | August 58 | September 58 | Mulhouse | Caesar | Rome | Ariovistus | Gaul | Rome | Caesar repelled an invasion of Gaul by Germanic tribes | ||
52 | Alesia | Caesar | Rome | Vercingetorix | Gaul | Rome | Seige of massive Gaullish citadel involved double circumvallation | ||||||||
Rome: War of the 1st Triumvirate | 49 | 45 | Caesarians | Pompeians | 10 July 48 | Dyrrachium | Caesar | Caesarians | Pompey the Great | Pompeians | Inconclusive | Caesar unsuccessfully attempted to encircle Pompey's army in Greece and withdrew towards Thessaly | |||
9 August 48 | Pharsalus | Caesar | Caesarians | Pompey the Great | Pompeians | Caesarians | Pompey defeated fled to Egypt, where murdered | ||||||||
17 March 45 | Munda | Caesar | Caesarians | Gnaius Pompey, Sextus Pompey | Pompeians | Caesarians | Sons of Pompey defeated and Gnaius executed | ||||||||
Rome: War of the 2nd Triumvirate | 44 | 31 | Caesarians | Republicans | 3 October 43 | Philippi (1st) | Octavian, Antony | Caesarians | Brutus, Cassius | Republicans | Caesarians | Cassius committed suicide | |||
23 October 43 | Philippi (2nd) | Octavian, Antony | Caesarians | Brutus | Pompeians | Caesarians | Brutus committed suicide | ||||||||
Caesarians | Antonians | 2 September 31 | Actium | Octavian | Caesarians | Antony, Cleopatra | Antonians | Caesarians | Naval battle. Caesarian fleet commanded by Agrippa. Antony and Cleopatra fled to Egypt and committed suicide |