List of battles before 301 explained

Before 500 BC

YearBattleDescription
2600 BC Siege of UrukUruk led by their King Gilgamesh and their General Enkidu, repel a siege by Aga of Kish and his allies from Isin and Nippur, capturing the Kings of Isin and Nippur.[1]
c. 2500 BC The Yellow Emperor defeats the Flame Emperor at Banquan, forming the Huaxia Tribe.
The Yellow Emperor defeats Chi You at Zhuolu.
c. 2450 BC Lagash decisively defeats Umma and makes it a tributary state.[2] [3]
c. 2334 BC Sargon of Akkad defeats the Sumerian force led by Lugal-Zage-Si at Uruk.[4]
c. 2300 BC The Kingdom of Ebla allied with the Kingdom of Nagar, Kingdom of Kish, and the Ib'al end the Third Mari-Ebla War by decisively defeating the Kingdom of Mari in Northeast Syria.[5]
c. 2004 BC Elam sacks Ur and thus ends the Third dynasty of Ur.
c. 1764 BC King Hammurabi of Babylonia allied with Mari defeats Elamite invasion.
c. 1763 BC Hammurabi defeats his former ally Rim-Sin I and conquers the city-state of Larsa for Babylonia.
c. 1600 BC Tang of Shang defeats Jie of Xia, marking the beginning of the Shang dynasty.
c. 1595 BC Hittites sack Babylon and end the First Babylonian dynasty, leaving the area to be occupied by their Kassite allies for centuries.
c. 1550 BC Egyptians under Ahmose I expel the Hyksos from Egypt after taking their capital of Avaris.
c. 1530 BC Egyptians under Ahmose I siege and raze town of Sharuhen in southern Canaan, the last stronghold the Hyksos fled to after he expelled them from Egypt.
c. 1504 BC Egyptians under Thutmose I conquer Kerma culture in Nubia.
c. 1457 BC Egyptian forces, led by Thutmose III, rout the Canaanite forces under the King of Kadesh.[6]
c. 14th century BC Indo-Aryan tribal king Sudas defeats the invading Ten Kings in the Punjab region of the Indian Subcontinent.
c. 1319 BC Hittite forces, led by Mursili II, destroy the Arzawa army under Piyama-Kurunta, son of their king Uhha-Ziti. Mursili destroys Milawanda and besieges Apasa as a result, forcing the king to retreat to Ahhiyawa along with his sons.
c. 1312 BCBattle of GanuvaraHittites defeat the Hayasa-Azzi confederation.[7] [8]
c. 1300 BC Biblical battle between the Israelite Tribe of Benjamin and the other tribes of Israel, regarding the death of a concubine.
c. 1280 BC Assyrians defeat Babylonians.
c. 1278 BCRamesses II's Battle against Sherden piratesEgyptians under Ramesses II defeat Sherden pirates.[9]
c. 1275 BC - c. 1205 BC Hittite navy and army defeat the navy and army of the Kingdom of Alashiya in modern-day Cyprus. One of the first naval battles ever recorded.[10] [11]
c. 1274 BC King Muwatalli II of the Hittites surprises Ramesses II; the battle ends in a draw.[12] [13]
c. 1269 BC Egyptian forces, led by Ramesses II, conquer Dapur.
c. 1250 BC Battle of the TollenseThe largest excavated battle site of this age anywhere in the world, fought between unknown polities.[14] [15]
c. 1237 BC Tukulti-Ninurta I of Assyria defeats Tudḫaliya IV of the Hittites.
c. 1208 BCBattle of PerireEgypt defeats Libyan and Sea People coalition.[16]
c. 1184 BC Greeks led by Mycenae sack Troy in Northwestern Anatolia, ending 10 year Trojan War.[17]
c. 1178 BC Major land battle where Pharaoh Ramesses III defeats the Sea Peoples who were attempting to invade and conquer Egypt.[18]
c. 1175 BC Egypt under Ramesses III repels a major naval invasion by the Sea Peoples.[19]
c. 1150 BC Israelites led by Barak and Deborah defeat Caananites led by the King of Hazor.[20]
c. 1046 BC Decisive victory of the Zhou dynasty against the Shang dynasty.[21] [22]
c. 1025 BC Israelites defeat Philistines.
c. 1010 BC The Israelites fight against the Philistines; King Saul and his son Jonathan die.
King David of Israel takes the city of Jebus, later known as Jerusalem, from the Jebusites. It becomes the Israelite capital city.
c. 993 BC King David takes the capital of the Ammonites, subjugating them to Israel.
925 BC Shoshenq I of Egypt defeats a Bedouin incursion after surprising the enemy at the shores of the Bitter Lakes.
The Egyptians capture and plunder the Israeli capital of Jerusalem.
913 BC Judah under King Abijah defeats Israel under King Jeroboam I; 500,000 Israelites fall in a single battle.
878 BC Assyrian king Ashurnasirpal II takes the fortress of Suru from the Babylonians.
853 BC Assyrian Shalmaneser III faces a military alliance of the king of Damascus and 11 other rulers including Israel.
814 BC Assyrian king Shamshi-Adad IV razes the Babylonian city, then defeats the army of their king Marduk-balassu-iqbi.
771 BCBattle of Mount LiQuanrong barbarians decisively defeat the Zhou, severely weakening the dynasty
c. 750 BC The newly formed Roman Kingdom under King Romulus defeats the Sabines.
743-740 BC Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser III takes and razes the Syrian city of Arpad after besieging it for three years.
733 BC The Assyrian king, Tiglath-Pileser III takes Gazru (Gezer) from the Kingdom of Israel.
724-720 BC Assyrians under Shalmaneser V and later Sargon II lay siege to the Phoenecian city of Tyre for 4 years but can't take the city.
722 BC Assyrian king Sargon II begins his reign by concluding a siege started by his predecessor Tiglath-Pileser III, bringing a final destructive conquest to the northern Kingdom of Israel after taking their capital.
c. 715 BC Nubians led by King Piye annex Hermopolis from Egyptians of Nimlot of Hermopolis.
714 BC King Sargon II of Assyria decisively defeats King Rusa I of Urartu at Lake Urmia, Urartu soon becomes an Assyrian client state.
707 BC Zhou dynasty is defeated by State of Zheng in the first open defiance of imperial authority that would start the Spring and Autumn period.
701 BC Assyrian king Sennacherib takes the city of Azekah from the Kingdom of Judah.
Assyrian king Sennacherib takes the city of Lachish from the Kingdom of Judah.
Sennacherib besieges the capital of the Kingdom of Judah under Hezekiah. Both sides claim victory.
Sennacherib unsuccessfully besieges Phoenician city-state of Tyre.
693 BC King Sennacherib of Assyria defeats the Elamites of Southern Iran, led by Mushezib-Marduk, at Diyala River.
691 BC King Sennacherib of Assyria fights a rebel force, composed of Babylonians, Chaldeans, Aramaeans, Elamites, and the tribes of the Zagros; the battle ended in a draw, although the greatest losses were suffered by the Assyrians.
689 BC Sennacherib sacks Babylon and puts down the Babylonians' rebellion.
685 BC Aristomenes of Messenia fights Sparta, with an unknown and disputed end.
684 BC Part of Spring and Autumn period. Lu defeats Qi.
682 BC Aristomenes, Androcles, Fidas, and Aristocrates II of the alliance between Messenia and Arcadia are decisively defeated by the Spartans.
680 BC - 677 BC Assyrians under Esarhaddon capture, raze and rebuild the Phoenecian city of Sidon and execute their king, Abdi-Milkutti.
671 BC Assyrians under Esarhaddon unsuccessfully besiege Tyre.
669 BC The Argives defeat the Lacedaemonians.
663 BC Assyrians under Ashurbanipal unsuccessfully besiege Tyre.
663 BC King Asshurbanipal of Assyria, aided by the future indigenous Egyptian Pharaoh of the 26th Dynasty of Egypt Psamtik I, sacks the city and ends the Kushite 25th Dynasty of Egypt. Thebes is permanently weakened as a city.
654 BC Cimmerians sack the Lydian capital of Sardis and kill King Gyges of Lydia.
653 BC Romans led by their king Tullus Hostilius decisively defeat the Sabines.
Assyrians defeat an Elamite army at the Ulai River, clearing the way to Elam. Elamite king Teumman and his son killed in the battle.
647 BC King Assurbanipal of Assyria takes Susa from Elam, this meaning the end of the Elamites few years after.
645 BCChu (state) defeats Xu in the Spring and Autumn period
642 BC Duke Xiao of Qi, allied with Song (state) defeats his brothers to become ruler of Qi.
635 BC Psamtik I of Egypt takes Ashdod from the Neo-Assyrian Empire, after a 29-year siege.
632 BC Duke Wen of Jin defeats the Chu commander Ziyu in the biggest battle of the Spring and Autumn period.
627 BC Part of the Spring and Autumn period. Jin defeats Qin
626 BC Nabopolassar successfully takes Babylon from Assyria and forms the Neo-Babylonian Empire.
616 BC Babylonians led by king Nabopolassar defeat the Assyrians and Mannaeans.
Babylonians led by king Nabopolassar lose to the Assyrians.
615 BC The Medes led by Cyaxares take the city of Tarbisu from Assyria, pushing into their heartland.
614 BC Nabopolassar of Babylonia and Cyaxares of the Medes take and destroy Assur, capital of Sin- Shar-Ishkun's Assyria.
612 BC The Medes and Scythians join the Babylonians to sack Nineveh, the capital of Assyria.
609 BC Necho II of Egypt defeats and kills King Josiah of Judah.
Nabopolassar of Babylonia takes the Assyrian city of Harran, ruled by Ashur-uballit II, ending the Assyrian Empire.
Siege of HarranEgyptian assault of Harran fails.
605 BC Nebuchadrezzar II of Babylon begins reign by defeating Necho II of Egypt. - Nebuchadrezzar II of Babylon defeats Necho II of Egypt in Hamath. According to Daniel 1:1 Nebuchadrezzar II takes and despoils Jerusalem, under the rule of Jehoiakim of Judea, but Daniel was written in 167 BC and the siege was 599 BC.
597 BC Babylonia takes and despoils Jerusalem.
595 BC Part of the Spring and Autumn period. Chu defeats Jin.
590 BC Egyptians under Psamtik II sack and raze Napata, the capital of the Kingdom of Kush.
588 BC Part of the Spring and Autumn period. Jin defeats Qi.
587 BC Babylonia takes and destroys Jerusalem..
586 BC - 573 BC Nebuchadnezzar II sieges Tyre for 13 years until the city agrees to pay tribute.
585 BC Last battle of the war between Lydians and Medes. A solar eclipse is perceived as an ill omen and the fighting stops.
Amphictyonic League led by Cleisthenes of Sicyon destroys the city of Kirrha after poisoning its water supply during the siege. Last battle of the First Sacred War.
575 BC Part of the Spring and Autumn period. Jin defeats Chu.
552 BCBattle of HyrbaCyrus the Great of Persia defeats Harpagus of Media, starting the Persian rebel alliance.
551 BCBattle of the Median BorderCambyses I of Persia battles the Medians.
550 BC Battle between Sparta and Arcadia. - Cyrus the Great of Persia defeats Astyages of Media, annexing Media to Persias growing empire.
547 BC Croesus and Cyrus the Great fight to a draw.
Croesus of Lydia is defeated by Cyrus the Great of Persia.
Lydia annexed by Cyrus the Great.
546 BC Peisistratos defeats Athenian army in surprise attack and takes rulership of Athens.
545 BC The Spartans defeat the Argives in a battle of 300 chosen champions. Only 3 survive.
540 BC Carthaginian and Etruscan fleets defeat Phocaeans.
540 BC Persians under their general Harpagus take Lycia in Asia Minor after defeating the men in their capital Xanthos, who fight to their last man and burn their own acropolis.
539 BC - 538 BC Cyrus the Great defeats Nabonidus (or Belshazzar), leading to the conquest of the Neo-Babylonian Empire.
525 BC Decisive victory of Cambyses II against Egyptians under Psamtik III – Egypt is annexed by the Achaemenid Empire.
509 BC Roman Republic defeats Etruscan forces from Tarquinii and Veii led by deposed Roman king Lucius Tarquinius Superbus.
508 BC Etruscan forces besiege Rome, ending in a peace treaty; monarchy stays abolished in Rome.
506 BC Forces of Wu under Sun Tzu, defeat the forces of Chu.
502 BC Roman forces defeat rebellion by Latin towns

5th century BC

YearBattleDescription
align=top499 BC Battle between the Persians under Megabates and the Greek inhabitants of Naxos.
498 BC An alliance of Greeks from Athens, Ionia, and Eretria torch Sardis, the capital of the Persian satrapy, before the Persian army forces them to retreat.
Persian victory during the Ionian Revolt.
Rebelling Greek Cypriots under Onesilus unsuccessfully siege pro-Persian Phoenician city of Amathus.
valign=top496 BC Romans defeat either the Etruscans or the Latins.
494 BC Persians defeat participants of the Ionian Revolt.
Spartan forces of Cleomenes I defeat the Argives, fully establishing Spartan dominance in the Peloponnese.
valign=top493 BC Romans take town from the Volsci.
490 BC The Persians destroy Naxos.
The Persians under Datis and Artaphernes defeat the Eretrians.
Athens under Miltiades defeats the Persian expedition of Darius I of Persia and Artaphernes.
480 BC Persians under Xerxes defeat a coalition of Greek forces led by the Spartans commanded by King Leonidas. - Persian fleet fights an inconclusive battle with the Greek allied fleet. - Greek ships under Themistocles and Eurybiades of Sparta defeat Persian fleet in the Bay of Eleusis. - The Greeks of Sicily, led by Gelo of Syracuse, defeat the Carthaginians under Hamilcar I of Carthage, who dies in the battle.
479 BC Ends the Persian invasion of Greece; Pausanias, the Spartan commander of the Greek army, routs the armies of Mardonius. - Greeks under Leotychidas sail to Asia Minor, attack the Persian fleet, and defeat the 60,000 Persian troops.
Athens take Sestos from Persians, capture and crucify their governor Artayctes the Persian general.
478 BC Byzantium lost by Persians.
Yue defeats Wu, gaining much territory, during the Warring States period of Chinese history.
valign=top477 BC The Etruscan city of Veii defeats the Roman Republic at Cremera.
valign=top475 BC The Delian League takes Eion from the Persians.
valign=top474 BC The Syracusans under Hiero I defeat the Etruscans and end Etruscan expansion in southern Italy.
valign=top473 BC Iapygians defeat the Greek colonies of Taras and Rhegion in Magna Graecia with heavy losses on both sides. According to Herodotus this was the greatest death count among Greeks in a singular battle to his memory.
valign=top466 BC Athenians under Cimon defeat the Persians in a great naval battle.
458 BC Romans under Cincinnatus defeat the Aequi.
Battle of AeginaAthens defeats Aegina
valign=top460 BC Taras defeats Messapians and Peucetians.
valign=top459 BC Athenians and Egyptian rebels defeat Persians.
457 BC The Spartans defeat the Athenians near Thebes, Greece.
The Athenians defeat the Thebans and take control of Boeotia.
454 BC Persia re-establishes control over Egypt.
Fifty Athenian triremes try to relieve Prosoptis unaware it succumbed, most triremes sunk by Persians.
valign=top453 BC Decisive battle leading to the partition of the state of Jin into three smaller states of Zhao, Han, and Wei, which became three of the seven warring states in China.
450 BC Persia maintains control over Cyprus. - Athenians under Cimon defeat the Persian fleet at Cyprus.
Battle of Nomae
valign=top447 BC The Athenians are driven from Boeotia.
valign=top446 BC Roman General Titus gains a victory over the Aequi tribes.
valign=top446 BC Syracuse defeats Akragas
435 BC Romans defeat the Veii.
Corcyra defeats Corinth.
Corcyra takes their former colony of Epidamnus.
valign=top433 BC Athenians and Corcyreans fight the Corinthians.
valign=top432 BC Athens defeats Sparta, leading to the Peloponnesian War.
429 BC Chalcidians and their allies defeat Athens. - Naval defeat of the Peloponnesians by Athens. - Phormio defeats the Peloponnesian fleet.
427 BC Athens ends Mytilenian revolt. - Sparta besieges and destroys Plataea.
426 BC Athenians under Nicias defeat Tanagra and Thebes. - Athenians under Demosthenes defeat the Spartans in Aetolia.
Demosthenes of Athens defeats Ambracia.
425 BC Athenians under Demosthenes again defeat the Spartans, this time capturing a Spartan fleet and leaving a Spartan contingent isolated on the island of Sphacteria. - Demosthenes and Cleon capture the Spartans on Sphacteria.
424 BC Athens encounters defeat at Megara. - Another Athenian invasion of Boeotia is unsuccessful.
valign=top423 BC Illyrians and Lyncestians fight the Spartans and Macedonians during the Peloponnessian War.
valign=top422 BC The Spartans under Brasidas defeat the Athenians under Cleon; both generals die.
valign=top418 BC The Spartans under King Agis II defeat the Argives, Mantineans, and Athenians.
417 BC Spartans march against Argos with their allies, yet fail to take the city itself, instead capturing Hysiae
Argives and Athenians defeat Spartan garrison
415 BC Athens invades Melos.
The Athenian expedition in Sicily, under Nicias and Demosthenes, is annihilated.
411 BC Spartans defeat the Athenian fleet. - Spartans defeat Athenian fleet; Persia is drawn into the Peloponnesian War. - The Athenians under Alcibiades defeat the Spartan fleet.
410 BCBattle of AbydosAthenian navy defeats Spartan fleet.
Battle of CyzicusThe Athenian fleet, under the leadership of Alcibiades, destroys the Spartan fleet.
409 BC Dorian Greek city Selinus destroyed by Carthage. - Ionian Greek city Himera destroyed by Carthage.
406 BC The Spartans under Lysander defeat a segment of the Athenian fleet under Antiochus. - Sparta defeats Athens. - The final Athenian victory of the Peloponnesian War. - Dorian Greek city Akragas sacked by Carthage.
405 BC Dorian Greek city Gela sacked by Carthage. - The final battle of the Peloponnesian War; Lysander destroys the navy of Athens led by Conon. - Carthaginians sack Sicilian Greek city of Camarina.
404 or 403 BC The Athenian exiles, seeking to restore democracy in Athens, defeat the Spartans. - The Athenian exiles, in their search for democracy in Athens, defeat the oligarchic government of Athens.
valign=top 403 BC The Athenian exiles, led by Thrasybulus, are finally defeated by the Spartans of Pausanias, both sides suffering tremendous casualties. However, Piraeus and Athens are reunited and the democratic government of Athens is reestablished.
valign=top 401 BC Artaxerxes II of Persia defeats the forces of Cyrus the Younger.

4th century BC

YearBattleDescription
valign=top398 BCSiege of MotyaPhoenician city Motya sacked by Sicilian Greeks.
397 BCBattle of MesseneIonian Greek city Messene sacked by Carthage.
Battle of Catana (397 BC)Greek fleet defeated by Carthage.
Siege of Syracuse (397 BC)Battle between Syracuse and Carthage. Part of the Sicilian Wars. Greek victory.
396 BCBattle of VeiiRomans complete conquest of Etruscans.
395 BCBattle of HaliartusThe Spartan general Lysander is killed in a Spartan defeat by the Thebans.
394 BCBattle of NemeaSpartans defeat the Thebans, Athenians, Argives, and Corinthians.
Battle of CnidusThe Spartan fleet under Peisander is utterly destroyed by the Persian-Athenian fleet of Conon.
Battle of CoroneaKing Agesilaus II of Sparta defeats the Thebans.
Siege of Tauromenium (394 BC)Syracuse besieges the Sicels
393 BCBattle of AbacaenumSmall Carthaginian army defeated by Dionysius I of Syracuse
valign=top392 BCBattle of ChrysasInconclusive last battle of the Third Sicilian War
valign=top391 BCBattle of LechaeumIphicrates of Athens defeats Sparta during the Corinthian War.
valign=top390 BCThe Gauls defeat the Romans, leading to the Gallic sack of Rome.
389 BCBattle of the ElleporusDionysius I of Syracuse defeats the Italiote League, securing his domination of Greek Southern Italy.
Siege of Theodosia (389 BC)Bosporan Kingdom tries to take Theodosia but fails
386 BCSiege of RhegiumDionysius I of Syracuse conquers the city and sells the inhabitants into slavery.
385 BCSiege of MantineaSparta destroys Mantinea
384 BCBattle of PharosLiburnians defeat Greek colony of Pharos and Syracuse.
380 BCBattle of LabrytaiBosporan Kingdom conquers the Sindlike Kingdom
377 BC Battle of CabalaSyracuse defeats Carthage
376 BCBattle of CroniumCarthage defeats Syracuse, ending the Fourth Sicilian War
Battle of NaxosThe Athenians under Chabrias defeat the Spartans at sea.
375 BCBattle of TegyraPelopidas of Thebes defeats Sparta.
374 BCBattle of AlyziaAthenian navy defeats Spartan navy.
371 BCBattle of LeuctraSpartans under king Cleombrotus lose to the Thebans under Epaminondas – Cleombrotus is killed. This ends the period of Spartan domination of Greece
365 BCSiege of Theodosia (c. 365 BC)Bosporan Kingdom again tries to take Theodosia and again fails
364 BCBattle of CynoscephalaeThe Thebans under Pelopidas fight a drawn battle with Alexander of Pherae in Thessaly. Pelopidas is killed.
362 BCBattle of MantineaThe Thebans and their allies, under Epaminondas, defeat the Spartans and Athenians, but Epaminondas himself is killed, ending the brief period of Theban domination.
361 BCBattle of the Anio RiverRomans defeat a Gallic army
360 BCSiege of Theodosia (c. 360 BC)Bosporan Kingdom besieges Theodosia for the third time, this time taking the city
359 BCBattle of MethonePhilip II of Macedon defeats 3,000 Athenian mercenaries on the Macedonian coast.
358 BCBattle of Erigon ValleyPhilip II of Macedon defeats the Kingdom of Dardania, expanding Macedonia to their northwestern frontier.
356 BCBattle of EmbataAthenians under Chares, Iphicrates, and Timotheos are defeated by the Chians at Chios, Greece.
353 BCBattle of Crocus FieldPhilip II of Macedon defeats the Phocians in the Third Sacred War.
Battle of GuilingTian Ji and Sun Bin of Qi defeat Pang Juan of Wei at Handan during the Warring States period of China.
343 BCBattle of Mount GaurusRoman general Marcus Valerius Corvus defeats the Samnites.
Battle of SuessulaThe Roman Republic beats the Samnites, but is forced to withdraw due to the revolt of several of its Latin allies.
342 BCBattle of MalingTian Ji and Sun Bin of Qi again defeat Pang Juan of Wei, this time at Dazhangija Town, Shen County, in Henan Province.
340 BC Battle of the CrimissusTimoleon defeats the Carthaginian invaders of Sicily.
Siege of ByzantiumA siege by Philip II of Macedonia.
339 BC Romans under P. Decius Mus and T. Manlius Imperiosus defeat the rebellious Latins.
Syracue under Timoleon defeats Carthage.
338 BCBattle of Chaeronea2 August - Philip of Macedon crushes Athens and Thebes in their struggle to maintain their independence.
Roman general T. Manlius Imperiosus decisively defeats the Latins.
Sparta and its colony Taras both defeated by the Brutian League in front of the walls of Manduria. Spartan king Archidamus III killed.
335 BCSiege of PeliumMacedon under Alexander the Great defeats the Illyrians
Macedon under Alexander the Great defeats Thebes and razes the city.
334 BC Alexander the Great defeats the Persian army in Western Asia Minor.
Siege of MiletusMacedon takes Miletus from Persia
Siege of HalicarnassusAlexander the Great takes Halicarnassus
333 BC Alexander the Great defeats the main Persian army under King Darius III in northern Syria.
Parmenion, in the absence of Alexander, captures the city of Gordium from the Persian Achaemenid Empire, annexing all Anatolia to Macedon.
332 BC Alexander the Great besieges the city.
Alexander the Great, commander of the Macedonian forces and their Greek allies, takes Gaza from the Persian Batis, gaining Egypt.
331 BC Alexander of Epirus, the uncle of Alexander the Great, is defeated and killed in Italy by the Samnites.
Antipater, Alexander's regent in Macedon and Greece, defeats the Spartans under King Agis III.
1 October - Alexander the Great defeats Darius III in Mesopotamia and conquers Persia.
December - Alexander the Great defeats the Uxii tribes of the Zagros Mountains.
330 BC Battle of the Persian GatePersians fail to prevent Alexander the Great from taking Persepolis.
329 BC Alexander the Great and Craterus take Cyropolis from the Sogdians
Alexander the Great defeats the nomadic Saka tribes of Central Asia.
327 BC The Samnites take the city of Neapolis from Rome.
Alexander the Great of the now Macedonian Empire takes the fortress of the Sogdian Rock or Rock of Ariamazes from the Sogdians, gaining all Sogdiana.
Alexander the Great takes the fortress of Aornos in the gorges of the Upper Indus.
326 BC Alexander defeats the Indian King Porus.
325 BC Romans under Quintus Fabius Maximus Rullianus defeat the Samnites.
323 BCBattle of PlataeaAthenians decisively defeat Boeotian forces, who are allied with Macedon in the Lamian War
Battle of Thermopylae (323 BC)Athenians and Aetolians defeat Antipater
322 BCSiege of LamiaAthenians besiege Antipater in Lamia
Battle of AmorgosCleitus the White defeats the Athenian fleet
Battle of EchinadesCleitus the White again defeats the Athenian fleet, Macedon becomes dominant in the ocean
Antipater and Craterus defeat the Athenians and Aetolians, ending the Lamian War
321 BC The Romans under Spurius Postumius and T. Verturius Calvinus are defeated by the Samnites under Gaius Pontius.
Eumenes defeats and kills Craterus and Neoptolemus
319 BC
Antigonus Monophthalmus defeats the remnant Perdiccan faction.
Chandragupta Maurya attacks capital of the Nanda Empire
317 BC Alexander's regent Polyperchon fails to siege city supporting Cassander
Indecisive battle between Antigonus Monophthalmus vs. Eumenes
315 BC Battle of LautulaeThe Romans are defeated by the Samnites.
Battle of GabieneForces of Antigonus Monophthalmus defeat and kill Eumenes
314 BC Antigonus Monophthalmus secures Tyre from Ptolemy I of Egypt.
312 BC Battle of GazaPtolemy I of Egypt defeats Demetrius I Poliorcetes
311 BC Battle of HimeraThe Carthaginian general Hamilcar defeats the tyrant Agathocles of Syracuse, who is then besieged in Syracuse.
Seleucid dynasty decisively defeats Antigonid dynasty and establishes control over Babylon.
Seleucid dynasty defeats the Antigonid dynasty and kills Nicanor and Eaugoras.
310 BC Battle of Lake VadimoThe Romans defeat the Etruscans.
Seleucid dynasty defeats Antigonid dynasty
Battle of the River ThatisSatyros II of the Bosporan Kingdom allied with the Scythians defeats his brother Eumelos and his Sarmatian army in the opening battle of the Bosporan Civil War.
Battle of White TunisAgathocles of Syracuse defeats Carthage in Africa
Siege of SyracuseSyracuse repels a Carthaginian siege of the city
309 BC Seleucus keeps citadel, Antigonus captures part of the city.
Seleucus decisively defeats Antigonus, is recognized as ruler of Babylon, Elam and Media
Siege of SiracenaSatyros II is killed while besieging Eumelos
Battle of Lake MaeotisEumelos defeats his brother Prytanis and takes the throne of the Bosporan Kingdom, ending the civil war
306 BC Battle of Salamis in Cyprus (306 BC)Demetrius I Poliorcetes defeats the fleet of Menelaeus, brother of Ptolemy I and captures Cyprus.
305 BC The Roman consuls M. Fulvius and L. Postumius decisively defeat the Samnites to end the Second Samnite War.
305-304 BC Rhodian commander Ares, alongside his Seleucid and Ptolemaic allies, repels a siege by the Antigonids, led by Demetrius Poliorcetes.
301 BC Antigonus Monophthalmus is defeated and killed by Seleucus and Lysimachus.

3rd century BC

YearBattleDescription
valign=top298 BC The Samnites allied with the Gauls defeat the Romans under Lucius Cornelius Scipio in the first battle of the Third Samnite War.
valign=top297 BC Battle of TifernumRoman forces defeat the Samnites in Umbria.
valign=top295 BC Battle of SentinumThe Romans under Fabius Rullianus and Publius Decimus Mus defeat the Samnites and their Etruscan and Gallic allies, forcing the Etruscans, Gauls, and Umbrians to make peace.
293 BC Battle of AquiloniaThe Romans decisively defeat the Samnites.
Battle of YiqueQin forces defeat the allied states of Wei and Han, leading to Qin's further superiority in China.
291 BCSiege of ThebesDemetrius I Poliorcetes defeats a Boeotian rebellion
287 BCSiege of Athens (287 BC)Demetrius besieges Athens but doesn't take the city
valign=top284 BC A Roman army under Lucius Caecilius is destroyed by the Gauls.
valign=top283 BC Battle of Lake VadimoA Roman army under P. Cornelius Dolabello defeats the Etruscans and Gauls.
valign=top282 BC Etruscan resistance to Roman domination of Italy is finally crushed.
valign=top281 BC Last battle in the wars of the Diadochi. Seleucus defeats and kills Lysimachus.
valign=top280 BC First engagement of Roman and Greek armies, the latter led by Pyrrhus of Epirus, who is victorious.
279 BC Pyrrhus again defeats the Romans, at a great cost.
Invading Gaulic forces under Brennus defeat a Greek alliance and advance on the Balkans.
Gauls decisively defeated by Greek alliance while trying to sack Delphi. Brennus commits suicide during the retreat.
278 BCSiege of Syracuse (278 BC)Pyrrhus of Epirus ends a Carthaginian siege of the city
Siege of LilybaeumPyrrhus fails to expel Carthage from Sicily
277 BC Macedonian Antigonid forces versus Gallic tribes that had settled in the Thracian Chersonese.
Samnites defeat the Romans.
valign=top275 BC Pyrrhus fights Rome one last time in this inconclusive draw, but elects to leave Italy afterwards.
valign=top274 BC Pyrrhus defeats Antigonus Gonatas of Macedon.
272 BCSiege of SpartaPyrrhus tries to take Sparta but is repelled
Battle of ArgosPyrrhus is defeated by Macedon and its allies and dies soon after, ending Epirot intervention in the Peloponnese
Romans take city as punishment for helping Pyrrhus.
264 BCBattle of MessanaRome defeats Carthage in the first battle of the First Punic War
valign=top262 BC Carthaginian forces under Hannibal Gisco and Hanno are defeated by the Romans, giving them control of most of Sicily.
261 BC Naval victory of Antigonus II Gonatas over Ptolemy II.
Ashoka the Great conquers Kalinga for the Maurya Empire.
260 BC Battle of ChangpingArmy of Qin under Bai Qi routed army of Zhao and massacred 500,000 prisoners of war. Military superiority of Qin over all other states of China. Unification became a matter of time.
A Roman naval force is defeated by the Carthaginians.
A Roman naval force under C. Duillius defeats the Carthaginian fleet, giving Rome control of the western Mediterranean.
259 BC Battle of ThermaeCarthaginian defeat Romans in Sicily
258 BC Rhodians under Agathostratus defeat a Ptolemaic fleet under Chremonides.
Battle of SulciMinor Roman naval victory during First Punic War.
257 BC Sicilian town captured by Rome.
States of Zhao, Chu, and Wei defeat Qin.
valign=top256 BC A Carthaginian fleet under Hamilcar and Hanno is defeated in an attempt to stop a Roman invasion of Africa by Marcus Atilius Regulus.
255 BCSiege of AspisRome takes the city of Aspis in Africa
The Romans under Regulus defeat the Carthaginians in North Africa.
The Carthaginians under Xanthippus, a Greek mercenary, defeat the Romans under Regulus, who is captured.
Romans defeat Carthaginian fleet and successfully evacuate their army from Africa
valign=top251 BC Carthaginian forces under Hasdrubal are defeated by the Romans under L. Caecilius Metellus.
250 BCSiege of Lilybaeum (250–241 BC)Rome takes Lilybaeum after a long siege
249 BC Carthaginians under Adherbal defeat the fleet of Roman admiral Claudius Pulcher.
Battle of PhintiasCarthage destroys a large Roman navy
248

BC

Siege of DrepanaRome besieges Drepana
valign=top246 BC Ptolemy III loses the Cyclades to Antigonus II of Macedonia.
valign=top241 BC Roman sea victory over the Carthaginians, ending the First Punic War
valign=top241 BC Attalus I defeats the Galatians
240 BC Battle of UticaRebellious Carthaginian mercenaries defeats the Carthaginian army of Hanno II the Great
Battle of the Bagradas RiverHamilcar defeats mercenary troops, making it the first Punic victory in the Mercenary Wars.
Hamilcar again defeats the mercenary forces, this time with the help of the Numidian defector Naravas
239 BCBattle of AncyraAntiochus Hierax defeats Seleucus II Callinicus
238 BCBattle of "The Saw"Hamilcar defeats a great mercenary army at Tunis.
Battle of Aphrodisium
Battle of Leptis ParvaFinal battle of the Mercenary War
233 BCZhou defeat the Qin
231 BCSiege of MedionIllyrians under Agron defeat the Aetolian League
230 BCBattle of PhoeniceIllyrians defeat the Epirotes
229 BCBattle of PaxosIllyrians defeat the Aetolian League and Achaean League
Battle of the HarpasusAttalus again defeats Antiochus Hierax and takes over much of Anatolia
Battle of EpidamnusGreeks of Epirus beat back Illyrians.
Siege of IssaRomans lift Illyrian siege of Greek city of Issa.
227 BCBattle of Mount LycaeumCleomenes III of Sparta defeats the Achaean League
r=top226 BC Battle of DymeSparta again defeats the Achaean League decisively, resulting in a peace treaty.
225 BC The Romans are defeated by the Gauls of Northern Italy.
The Romans under Aemilius Papus and Caius Atilius Regulus defeat the Gauls.
222 BC The Romans under Marcus Claudius Marcellus defeat the Gauls.
Defeat of Cleomenes III of Sparta by Antigonus Doson of Macedon and the Achaean League.
Qin under Qin Shihuang defeat the army of and eliminate the Zhou dynasty in their unification of China.
219 BCRomans take city from Illyrians and defeat forces of Demetrius of Pharos.
Hannibal of Carthage lays siege to the city of Saguntum in Spain, marking the start of the Second Punic War.
218 BCRoman naval forces under Amellius defeat the Carthaginians, ending their attempts to colonize Sicily.
Capture of MaltaRoman forces capture Malta
Hannibal defeats the Volcae Gauls, staying undefeated in his march for Italy.
November - Hannibal defeats the Romans under Publius Cornelius Scipio the elder in a small cavalry fight.
Hannibal defeats the Romans under Tiberius Sempronius Longus, who had foolishly attacked.
Battle of CissaRoman forces defeat a Catharginian army under Hanno, controlling the territory north of Ebro river.
217 BC 22 June - Antiochus III the Great is defeated by Ptolemy IV.
24 June - In an ambush, Hannibal destroys the Roman army of Gaius Flaminius, who is killed.
Roman naval forces destroy a Carthaginian fleet under Himilco, weakening Carthage's influence in Iberia.
Hannibal defeats Roman forces under Quintus Fabius Maximus.
Hannibal fights Roman forces in Apulia, resulting in a strategic draw.
216 BC 2 August - Hannibal destroys the Roman army of Lucius Aemilius Paulus and Publius Terentius Varro in what is considered one of the great masterpieces of the tactical art.
Gallic Boii tribe ambush and destroy a Roman army
The Roman general Marcus Claudius Marcellus holds off an attack by Hannibal.
215 BC Battle of IberaA Roman army under Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Calvus and Publius Cornelius Scipio destroys Carthaginian forces under Hasdrubal.
Marcellus again repulses an attack by Hannibal.
Battle of DecimomannuRoman forces under Torquatus defeat a Carthaginian army under Hasdrubal the Bald in Sardinia.
214 BC Marcellus fights an inconclusive battle with Hannibal.
Tiberius Gracchus' slave legions defeat Hanno, son of Bomilcar and, therefore, deny Hannibal his reinforcements.
The Roman general Marcellus' forces being kept at bay by the inventions of Archimedes.
212 BC Hannibal defeats a Roman army in southern Italy, strengthening his situation in Italy.
Hannibal defeats the Consuls Q. Fulvius Flaccus and Appius Claudius, but the Roman army escapes.
Quintus Fulvius Flaccus defeats Hanno (son of Bomilcar) in Southern Italy.
Hannibal destroys the army of the Roman praetor M. Centenius Penula.
Hannibal destroys the Roman army of the praetor Gnaeus Fulvius.
211 BC Publius and Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio are killed in battle with the Carthaginians under Hannibal's brother Hasdrubal Barca.
Second Battle of CapuaHannibal is unable to break the Roman siege of the city.
Siege of Sardis (211 BC)Seleucid Empire defeats and executes the usurper Achaeus.
210 BC Hannibal destroys the Roman army of Fulvius Centumalus, who is killed.
Hannibal defeats Marcellus once more.
209 BC Philip V of Macedon defeats an Aetolian force under Phyrrhias.
Philip V of Macedon again defeats Phyrrhias.
Hannibal once again defeats Marcellus, in an indecisive battle.
Battle of TarentumQuintus Fabius Maximus defeats Hannibal's forces.
Battle of Mount Labus
208 BC The Romans in Spain under P. Cornelius Scipio the Younger defeat Hasdrubal Barca.
The Seleucid Empire defeats the Greco-Bactrians under Euthydemus.
Antiochus III defeats the Greco-Bactrians.
207 BC The Roman general Gaius Claudius Nero fights an indecisive battle with Hannibal, then escapes north to confront Hannibal's brother Hasdrubal Barca, who has invaded Italy.
Xiang Yu destroys the main Qin army for control of China.
Hasdrubal is defeated and killed by Nero's Roman army.
Scipio Africanus Major destroys the Catharginian city of Cartagena in Iberia.
Philopoemen of the Achaean League defeats the Spartans under Machanidas, who is killed.
valign=top206 BC Scipio again decisively defeats the remaining Carthaginian forces in Spain.
205 BC Chu defeats Han under Liu Bang.
Han defeats Wei.
Han Xin, with an army of 30,000 levies, defeats a numerically larger army of the Zhao near Jingxing (Jing Gorge), killing Chen Yu and capturing Zhao Xie, the Prince of Zhao.
204 BC Hannibal fights a drawn battle against the Roman general Sempronius in Southern Italy.
Battle of UticaScipio Africanus fights the Carthaginians and Numidians, ending in a draw.
Han Xin defeats a joint Qi and Western Chu army by building a temporary dam, luring his enemies into the river, and opening the dam to drown them.
203 BC Publius Cornelius Scipio decisively defeats Carthage under Hasdrubal.
Battle of the Great PlainsThe Romans under Scipio defeat the Carthaginian army of Hasdrubal Gisco and Syphax. Hannibal is sent to return to Africa.
Battle of CirtaRoman forces sack the Numidian capital, decisively defeating Carthage's ally.
Po Valley RaidRoman forces under Varus and Cethegus defeat Mago of Carthage, ending the Second Punic War in Italy.
Battle of GaixiaThe Han forces led by Liu Bang, who was later to become Emperor of China, defeats their Chu opponents.
202 BC Scipio Africanus Major decisively defeats Hannibal in North Africa, ending the Second Punic War.
201 BC Philip V of Macedon is defeated at sea by the Rhodians and Pergamenes.
Philip V of Macedon defeats Cleonaeus of Rhodes in a naval battle.
200 BC Roman forces defeat the Gauls of Cisalpine Gaul.
Battle of BaidengThe army of Han China, attempting to conquer the Xiongnu people living to the north, is defeated and the Chinese Emperor is almost captured.
Antiochus III the Great secures the conquest of Syria and Israel from Egypt with this victory.

2nd century BC

YearBattleDescription
valign=top198 BC Roman forces under Titus Quinctius Flamininus defeat the Macedonians under Philip V.
valign=top197 BC Romans under Flamininus decisively defeat Philip in Thessaly.
195 BCWith assistance from Rome, Rhodes, and Macedon, Philopoemen of the Achaean League defeat the Spartans under Nabis.
Romans and Achaeans occupy Sparta
194 BC Battle of PlacentiaRomans defeat Gauls.
193 BCRoman victory over the Gauls, final Roman conquest of the Boii tribe.
191 BC Romans under Manius Acilius Glabrio defeat Antiochus III the Great and force him to evacuate Greece.
Battle of CorycusRomans defeat the Seleucids at sea
190 BC Roman forces under Lucius Aemilius Regillus defeat a Seleucid fleet commanded by Hannibal, fighting his last battle.
Another Seleucid fleet is defeated by the Romans.
December - Romans under Lucius Cornelius Scipio and his brother Scipio Africanus Major defeat Antiochus III the Great in the decisive victory of the war.
189 BC Battle of Mount OlympusRoman and Pergamum forces crushingly defeat the Galatians.
Rome once again defeats Galatians.
181 BC Battle of Manlian PassRomans defeat Celtiberians
Siege of AeburaRomans take city from Celtiberians during the First Celtiberian War
valign=top180 BC Indian Shunga Empire defeats Greco-Bactrians under Demetrius I near the Kali Sindh River.
valign=top171 BC Perseus of Macedon defeats a Roman army under Publius Licinius Crassus.
valign=top169 BC Stalemate between the Indo-Greek Kingdom and the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom.
168 BC 22 June - Romans under Lucius Aemilius Paullus Macedonicus defeat and capture Macedonian King Perseus, ending the Third Macedonian War and annexing Macedon for Rome.
Illyrians take the allied Roman city of Bassania.
valign=top167 BC Battle of Wadi HaramiaJewish rebels under Judas Maccabaeus deal a serious blow to the Seleucids, killing their leader Apollonius.
166 BC The Jewish rebel leader Judas Maccabaeus defeats the Seleucids.
Judas Maccabeus again defeats the Seleucids.
valign=top164 BC Another victory of Judas Maccabaeus over the Seleucids, leading to the recapture of Jerusalem by the rebels.
valign=top162 BC The Seleucid regent Lysias defeats the Jewish rebels.
valign=top162 BC Sri Lankan King Dutthagamani defeats encroaching South Indian King Ellalan.
valign=top161 BC In his last victory, Judas Maccabaeus defeats and kills the Seleucid general Nicanor.
valign=top160 BC Jewish leader Judas Maccabaeus is defeated and killed by the Seleucid army of Bacchides.
151 BC Carthaginian expedition against Numidia is defeated. Rome would later use this as an excuse to begin the Third Punic War
valign=top149 BC Carthage defeats Roman advance.
valign=top148 BC The forces of the Macedonian pretender Andriscus are defeated by the Romans under Quintus Caecilius Metellus Macedonicus in the decisive engagement of the Fourth Macedonian War.
147 BC Carthage has small victory over Roman navy, but not enough to break the Roman blockade or advancement.
Battle of NepherisRome advances further on Carthage, defeating their army.
146 BC Scipio Africanus Minor captures and destroys Carthage, ending the Third Punic War.
Battle of ScarpheiaRomans defeat the Achaean League forces of Critolaus, who is killed.
Achaean last stand against Romans under Lucius Mummius fails. Greece comes under direct Roman rule.
145 BC Battle of the OenoparusPtolemy VI Philometor defeats the Seleucid usurper Alexander Balas, but is killed in the fighting.
Shunga Empire under King Agnimitra defeat the Vidarbha Kingdom.
valign=top135 BC Shunga Empire defeats Indo-Greek Kingdom.
133 BC Siege of NumantiaRoman forces under Scipio Aemilianus defeat the Celtiberians and sack their capital city.
Battle of MayiAborted ambush mission by the Han against invading Xiongnu forces.
valign=top129 BC The Seleucid King Antiochus VII Sidetes is defeated and killed by the Parthians under Phraates II, ending any pretense of Seleucid control over Media or Mesopotamia.
121 BC Battle of Vindalium
Battle of the Isère RiverRomans defeat a large Gallic army and take over Gallia Narbonensis
valign=top119 BC Han forces decisively defeat the Xiongnu army in the Gobi desert, more than 90,000 Xiongnus killed.
113 BCSiege of CirtaJugurtha defeats Adherbal and takes over all of Numidia
valign=top112 BC Cimbrian victory against Rome during the Cimbrian War.
110 BCBattle of SuthulNumidian victory in the Jugurthine War
109

BC

Roman forces under Caecilius Metellus defeat the forces of Jugurtha of Numidia.
Siege of ZamaRome besieges Zama
108 BCBattle of LoulanHan forces defeat Loulan Kingdom.
Siege of ThalaRome besieges Thala
107 BC Battle of BurdigalaAlliance of Germanic and Celtic tribes led by Divico defeat the Romans and kill Lucius Cassius Longinus and Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus.
106 BCSecond Battle of CirtaGaius Marius defeats Numidia and Mauretania and captures Cirta
valign=top105 BC 6 October - Cimbri inflict a major defeat on the Roman army of Gnaeus Mallius Maximus.
103 BC Praetor Lucius Licinius Lucullus defeats the slave army of Salvius Tryphon in an open field.
Lucullus besieges the slave stronghold but ends the siege after finding out he had been replaced.
102 BC Rome has a tactical withdrawal from combat with the Cimbri.
Battle of Aquae SextiaeThe Romans under Gaius Marius defeat the Teutons.
valign=top101 BC The Romans under Marius defeat the Cimbri, who are entirely annihilated.

1st century BC

YearBattleDescription
99 BC Xiongnu defeat Han dynasty.
93 BC Nabataean Kingdom under Obodas I ambush and defeat Hasmonean Kingdom under Alexander Jannaeus in the Transjordan.
91 BCRomans defeated during the Social War
90 BC Battle of AeserniaRomans under Lucius Julius Caesar (consul 90 BC) defeated by Italian rebels during the Social War.
Battle of AcerraeRomans defeat Italians rebels led by Gaius Papius Mutilus during the Social War.
89 BC Roman forces under Lucius Porcius Cato are defeated by the Italian rebels in the Social War.
The Roman army of C. Pompeius Strabo decisively defeats the rebels in the Social War.
Romans defeat Samnite army
Mithridatic forces defeat Nicomedes IV of Bithynia.
Battle of ProtopachiumMithridates decisively defeats a Roman army and occupies Asia Minor
88 BCBattle of Mount ScorobasMithridatic forces under Archelaus defeat the Romans under Manius Aquilius.
87 - 86 BC Lucius Cornelius Sulla defeats the combined forces of Athens and Pontus at Athens.
86 BC Naval victory for Lucius Licinius Lucullus during the First Mithridatic War.
The Roman forces of Lucius Cornelius Sulla defeat the Pontic forces of Archelaus in the First Mithridatic War.
85 BC Sulla again defeats Archelaus in the decisive battle of the First Mithridatic War.
84 BC Nabataean Kingdom under Obodas I defeats the Seleucid Empire and kills their king Antiochus XII Dionysus.
83 BC Sulla defeats the Popular forces of Caius Norbanus in the First Roman Civil War.
82 BCSulla defeats army of Gaius Marius the Younger
November - Sulla defeats Samnites allied to the Popular party in Rome in the decisive battle of the Civil War.
80 BC Rebel forces under Quintus Sertorius defeat the legal Roman forces of Lucius Fulfidias in Spain.
76 BC Sertorius defeats the army of Pompey
75 BC Last pitched battle in the Sertorian War
74 BC Mithridates VI of Pontus defeats Romans under Marcus Aerelius Cotta.
73 BC Battle of Mount VesuviusSlave army under Spartacus defeats Romans under Gaius Claudius Glaber.
Battle of CyzicusRoman forces under Lucius Lucullus inflict a heavy defeat on the forces of Mithridates VI of Pontus.
Romans under Lucullus defeat Mithridates again.
Battle of LemnosRoman fleet defeats Pontic fleet
72 BC Lucullus again defeats Mithridates, overrunning Pontus.
72-71 BCSiege of HeracleaRomans capture Heraclea Pontica
72-69 BCSiege of KnossosRomans capture Crete
71 BC Battle of CantennaRomans under Marcus Licinius Crassus defeat slave armies, killing their leaders Gannicus and Castus.
Battle of the Silarius RiverRoman forces led by Marcus Licinius Crassus decisively defeat the slave army of Spartacus, who dies in the battle. End of the Servile Wars.
69 BC Battle of TigranocertaLucullus defeats the army of Tigranes II of Armenia, who was harboring his father-in-law Mithridates VI of Pontus.
68 BC Lucullus again defeats Tigranes.
67 BC Naval battle between pirates and Pompey's Fleet, ending in a decisive victory against piracy in the Mediterranean.
Han troops defeat the Xiongnu, seizing the city of Jiaohe.
Battle of Zela (67 BC)Mithridates VI retakes his kingdom from Rome
66 BC Pompey the Great decisively defeats Mithridates VI, effectively ending the Third Mithridatic War.
65 BCBattle of the PelorusPompey defeats the Iberians
Battle of the AbasPompey defeats the Albanians
63 BC The Gallic Sequani and Averni tribes and Germanic Suebi tribe led by Ariovistus defeat the Gallic Aedui tribe, which appeals to the Roman Senate for aid, which becomes a basis which leads to the Gallic Wars.
63 BC Romans under Pompey defeat the Hasmonean Kingdom and incorporate Judea into the Roman Republic.
62 BC January - The forces of the conspirator Catiline are defeated by the loyal Roman armies under Gaius Antonius.
61 BC Bastarnae and Scythians defeat the Roman consul Gaius Antonius Hybrida.
58 BC June - Caesar defeats the migrating Helvetii.
Battle of BibracteJuly - Caesar again defeats the Helvetii, this time decisively.
Battle of VosgesCaesar decisively defeats the forces of the Germanic chieftain Ariovistus near modern Belfort.
57 BC Battle of the AxonaCaesar defeats the forces of the Belgae under King Galba of Suessiones.
Battle of the SabisCaesar defeats the Nervii.
Siege of the AtuatuciCaesar conquers the Atuatuci in modern-day Belgium after sieging their capital. 4,000 were killed and the rest sold into slavery.
57-56 BC Rome under Servius Sulpicius Galba defeats the Seduni and Veragri tribes of Switzerland, but the ferocity of the battle led to the legion subsequently moving out of the Alps.
53 BC The Roman Triumvir Crassus is defeated and killed by the Parthians.
52 BC The gangs of Clodius and Milo clash surprisingly, leading to the death of Clodius.
Julius Caesar defeats Vercingetorix.
Caesar is defeated by the Gallic leader Vercingetorix.
Romans under Titus Labienus defeat Gauls under Camulogene
Caesar defeats Vercingetorix, completing the Roman conquest of Transalpine Gaul.
51 BCCaesar destroys the last Gallic tribes resisting Rome
49 BC Siege of CorfiniumCaesar captures town of Corfinium on way to catch Pompey in Southern Italy. First Major engagement in Caesar's Civil War
Siege of BrundisiumCaesar captures port town of Brundisium on the Adriatic Sea. He fails to catch Pompey, who escapes to Greece.
Siege of MassiliaCaesar besieges and captures Massilia, resulting in the absorption of the city into the Republic.
Battle of IlerdaCaesar defeats the Spanish army of Pompey under Lucius Afranius and Marcus Petreius.
Battle of TauroentoCaesar's fleet blockading Massilia under Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus defeat the Massilian fleet and a reinforcing pompeian one under Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus and Quintus Nasidius in a naval battle, in which the Massilian fleet is destroyed and the Pompeians retreat.
Siege of CurictaPompeians under Lucius Scribonius Libo and Marcus Octavius defeat a naval force and starve the Caesarian army under Gaius Antonius and Publius Cornelius Dolabella, both of whom are captured.
Gaius Scribonius Curio defeats the Numidians in North Africa, cutting off supplies to Attius Varus.
24 August - Caesar's general Gaius Curio is defeated in North Africa by the Pompeians under Attius Varus and King Juba I of Numidia. Curio is killed in battle.
Siege of SalonaCaesarians in Salona repel an assault by the Pompeians under Marcus Octavius.
48 BC 10 July - Caesar barely avoids a catastrophic defeat to Pompey in Macedonia.
Siege of OricumCaesar captures Oricum
Siege of GomphiCaesar captures town of Gomphi after they refuse to open their gates.
Julius Caesar decisively defeats Pompey, who flees to Egypt.
Battle of Nicopolis (48 BC)Pharnaces II of Pontus decisively defeats a Roman army under Calvinus.
47 BC Siege of Alexandria (47 BC)Ptolemy XIII lays an unsuccessful siege on Alexandria to defeat Caesar and his sister Cleopatra VII.
February - Caesar defeats the forces of the Egyptian king Ptolemy XIII.
August - Caesar defeats Pharnaces II of Pontus. This is the battle where he famously said Veni, vidi, vici. (I came, I saw, I conquered.).
Battle of TaurisPublius Vatinius defeats Pompeian fleet under Marcus Octavius raiding off the coast of Dalmatia.
46 BC 4 January - Caesar loses perhaps as much as a third of his army to Titus Labienus.
Pompey the Younger is defeated by the Mauretanians
6 February - Caesar defeats the Pompeian army of Metellus Scipio in North Africa.
Battle of Hippo RegiusPompeian fleet of Scipio destroyed by Publius Sittius
Battle of CarteiaPompeian fleet of Attius Varus destroyed
45 BC 17 March - In his last victory, Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Gnaeus Pompey the Younger in Spain. Labienus is killed in the battle
Battle of LauroPompey the Younger is captured and executed by Luciuis Caesennius Lento
Siege of Corduba
Siege of ApameaCaesars supporters fail to capture Pompeian town of Apamea in Syria.
43 BC 14 April - Antony, besieging Caesar's assassin Decimus Brutus in Mutina, defeats the forces of the consul Pansa, who is killed, but is then immediately defeated by the army of the other consul, Hirtius
21 April - Antony is again defeated in battle by Hirtius, who is killed. Although Antony fails to capture Mutina, Decimus Brutus is murdered shortly thereafter.
42 BC 3 October - The Triumvirs Mark Antony and Octavian fight an indecisive battle with Caesar's assassins Marcus Brutus and Cassius. Although Brutus defeats Octavian, Antony defeats Cassius, who commits suicide.
23 October - Brutus's army is decisively defeated by Antony and Octavian. Brutus escapes, but commits suicide soon after.
40 BC Mark Antony's brother Lucius Antonius and Mark Anthony's wife Fulvia are defeated by Octavian. Fulvia is exiled.
39 BC Battle of the Cilician GatesPublius Ventidius Bassus inflicts a decisive defeat on a joint Parthian-Pompeian invasion force, which results in their retreat, the capture and execution of the Pompeian leader Quintus Labienus and the re-absorption of his soldiers back into the Roman Army.
Bassus again decisively vanquishes the Parthians, forcing them out of the Roman East and beginning to restore Roman rule to Syria and Judaea.
38 BC Bassus completes a trilogy of victories over the Parthians by crushing and turning back a new Parthian invasion led by Pacorus, son of King Orodes, with Pacorus being killed in the battle.
37 BC With Roman assistance, Herod the Great defeats Antigonus II Mattathias and ends the Hasmonean Kingdom.
36 BC Battle of NaulochusOctavian's fleet, under the command of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa defeats the forces of Sextus Pompey.
Han forces defeat the Xiongnu and kill their chieftain Zhizhi.
31 BC 2 September - Octavian decisively defeats Antony and Cleopatra in a naval battle near Greece
30 BC 31 July - Mark Antony achieves a minor victory over Octavian's forces, but most of his army subsequently deserts, leading to his suicide.
25 BC Romans defeat the Cantabri in northern Spain.
Romans led by Emperor Augustus defeat the Cantabri.
23 BC Romans siege and raze the Kushite city of Napata in Nubia to stop attacks from Queen Amanirenas.
15 BC Small naval battle between Romans under the future emperor Tiberius and Celtic tribes on Lake Constance in the Northern Alps.
11 BC Romans under Drusus defeat the Germanic tribes.
Roman forces under Augustus's stepson Drusus win a victory in Germany.

1st century

YearBattleDescription
9 The German leader Arminius destroys the Roman legions of Publius Quinctilius Varus.
15 Inconclusive battle between Rome and Germanic tribes.
16 Legions under Germanicus defeat German tribes of Arminius.
Legions under Germanicus again defeat German tribes under Arminius.
23 After being sieged for 2 months, 9,000 insurgents under Liu Xiu defeat 450,000 of Wang Mang's troops, ushering in the fall of Wang Mang and restoration of the Han dynasty.
28 After a stalemate battle with the Frisii, Romans withdraw from northern Holland.
43 Claudius and general Aulus Plautius defeat a confederation of British Celtic tribes. Roman invasion of Britain begins.
49 Rome-allied Aorsi defeat the Siraces, Roman–Bosporan War ends soon after.
50 The British chieftain Caractacus is defeated and captured by the Romans under Ostorius Scapula.
58 Germanic Hermunduri tribe defeat Germanic Chatti tribe over control of the Main River.
60-61 A British horde led by Boudica crushes most of the IX Legion under Quintus Petillius Cerialis.
61 The uprising of the British queen Boudica against the Romans is defeated by Suetonius Paullinus.
Parthians siege Roman city until truce agreed to, said truce was extremely brief.
62 Romans under Lucius Caesennius Paetus are defeated by a Parthian-Armenian army under King Tiridates of Parthia.
66 Jewish rebels defeat a Roman legion, bringing about one of Rome's most severe defeats against rebels in their history.
67 Siege of YodfatRoman forces under Vespasianus and Titus sack Yodfat after 47 days, killing most of its inhabitants and enslaving the rest.
Siege of GamlaCity of Gamla besieged by Rome during the First Jewish-Roman War.
68Battle of Vensontio
69 14 April - Vitellius, commander of the Rhine armies, defeats Emperor Otho and seizes the throne.
24 October - Forces under Antonius Primus, the commander of the Danube armies loyal to Vespasian, defeat the forces of Emperor Vitellius.
Armies of Emperors Otho and Vitellius clash in northern Italy, ending in victory for Otho's forces.
70 Titus lays siege to Jerusalem for 7 months, killing tens of thousands of Jews and destroying the Second Temple of Jerusalem.
71 Roman forces defeat the Brigantes.
73 Part of an expedition against the Xiongnu, ending in Han victory.
74 Final Roman defeat of Jewish Sicarii rebels.
84 The Romans under Agricola defeat the Caledonians.
87-88 Battle between the Roman emperor Domitian and the Kingdom of Dacia.
89 Battle of Ikh BayanPart of an expedition against the Xiongnu, decisive Han victory with massive numbers of prisoners taken. Collapse of Xiongnu Empire.

2nd century

YearBattleDescription
101 Trajan defeats Decebalus, ending Trajan's Dacian Wars.
102 Trajan defeats Dacians, Roxolani, & Bastarnae in modern Romania.
103 Battle of Gatae Trajan defeats Dacians.
106 Battle of SarmizegetusaTrajan victorious in the siege of the Dacian capital of Sarmizegetusa.
130 Cholas led by Karikala defeats confederacy of Pandya and Chera rulers.
140 Romans defeat Selgovae in southern Scotland.
163 Parthians take city of Edessa from Rome.
165 Romans retake city and massacre Parthian garrison.
Battle of CtesiphonRomans under Avidius Cassius defeat the Parthians, further weakening their Empire.
170 Romans under Marcus Aurelius defeated by Marcomanni under Ballomar and their allies the Quadi tribe.
190 Dong Zhuo emerges victorious against Cao Cao.
191 Yuan Shao's infantry repulses a cavalry charge by rival warlord Gongsun Zan.
Yuan Shao was beaten back by Sun Jian.
Liu Biao emerges victorious against Sun Jian
192 Forces led by Li Jue and Guo Si defeat the assassins of Dong Zhuo, Wang Yun and Lü Bu. Wang Yun captured and executed.
193 Septimius Severus, the new Emperor, defeats his eastern rival Pescennius Niger in the Year of the Five Emperors.
Severus again defeats Niger.
Cao Cao emerges victorious against Yuan Shu.
194 Severus defeats Niger for the last time.
Cao Cao and Lü Bu battle for control of the region.
197 19 February - Emperor Septimius Severus defeats and kills his rival Clodius Albinus, securing full control over the Empire.
Cao Cao flees after Zhang Xiu attacked.
198 Battle of Ctesiphon (198)Roman forces under Septimius Severus capture the Parthian capital, fatally weakening the Empire, leading to the rise of the Sassanids.
Cao Cao and Liu Bei emerges victorious against Lü Bu.
199 Yuan Shao emerges victorious against Gongsun Zan.
200 Cao Cao defeats Yuan Shao's numerically superior army and secures domination of the North China plain.

3rd century

YearBattleDescription
202 Liu Bei emerges victorious against Xiahou Dun.
203 Romans led by Emperor Septimus Severus capture Garama, the capital of the Garamantes but soon abandon it.
208 Sun Quan emerges victorious against Huang Zu.
Cao Cao's cavalry catch Liu Bei's forces, disperse his army, and capture most of his baggage train.
War of Three Kingdoms, Cao Cao failed to conquer lands of Sun Quan and Liu Bei.
Sun Quan emerges victorious against Cao Cao.
209 Sun Quan & Liu Bei emerge victorious against Cao Cao.
211 Cao Cao emerges victorious against Ma Chao.
213 Ma Chao emerges victorious against Cao Cao.
Yang Fu emerges victorious against Ma Chao.
215 Cao Cao emerges victorious against Zhang Lu.
Zhang Fei emerges victorious against Zhang He.
217 Parthian troops under Artabanus IV battle the new Roman Emperor Macrinus in southern Turkey, ending in a draw.
Sun Quan emerges victorious against Cao Cao.
218 Varius Avitus defeats Emperor Macrinus to claim the throne under the name Elagabalus.
219 Liu Bei emerges victorious against Cao Cao.
Liu Bei emerges victorious against Cao Cao.
Cao Ren emerges victorious against Guan Yu.
222 Liu Bei's invasion of Wu is repulsed by Sun Quan's commander Lu Xun.
224 Battle of HormizdeganSassanid forces defeat the Parthians, killing King Artabanus IV and ending Parthian rule in the Middle East.
228 Sima Yi emerges victorious against Meng Da.
Shu emerges victorious against Wei.
Part of the First Northern Expedition.
Wu emerges victorious against Wei.
229 Wei emerges victorious against Shu.
231 Shu victory against Wei, but strategic defeat.
234 Part of the Fifth Northern Expedition, Zhuge Liang dies.
235 Sassanids capture city.
Romans under Maximinus Thrax defeat Germanic tribes.
238 Troops loyal to the Roman Emperor Maximinus Thrax defeat and kill the usurper Gordian II.
Senate has Maximinus Thrax killed and defeats his supporters.
240-241 Sassanids take city and annex the Kingdom of Hatra.
243 Roman forces under Gordian III defeat the Persians under Shapur I. Gordian is either killed in battle or murdered before he can exploit his victory.
244Battle of MisicheThe Sassanids defeat Roman forces under Gordian III, who is subsequently killed.
Shu emerges victorious against Wei.
249 The usurper Decius defeats the army of the Emperor Philip the Arab and kills him in battle.
250 King Cuiva of the Goths defeats a Roman army.
Romans under Emperor Decius defeat Goths.
Battle of BeroeGoths defeat a Roman army
251 The Goths defeat and kill the Roman Emperor Trajan Decius.
252 Siege of NisibisSassanids capture city.
253 Battle of BarbalissosSassanid forces under Shapur I defeat the Romans under Valerian, leading to their capture of Antioch.
Sassanids take city from Romans.
254 Romans defeat advancing Goths.
255 Wei emerges victorious against Shu.
256 Sassanids defeat Romans in Syria.
259 King Shapur I of Persia defeats and captures the Roman Emperor Valerian.
Battle of MediolanumEmperor Gallienus defeats the Alamanni after their invasion of northern Italy, leading to the Romans retreating behind the Rhine.
260 Siege of Caeserea CappadociaKing Shapur I of Persia takes city from Romans.
263 Battle of CtesiphonSassanids under King Shapur repel siege by Palmyra under Odaenathus.
267 Battle of Thermopylae (267)Roman forces unsuccessfully try to defend against the Heruli invasion of the Balkans.
Heruli ravage the Greek city and leave permanent damage to its monuments.
268 The Romans under Claudius II defeat the Alamanni.
269 Claudius II decisively defeats the Goths, earning the surname Gothicus.
Victorinus claims the throne and defeats the forces of Emperor Claudius Gothicus.
270 Zenobia of Palmyra takes Syria from Rome and drives out the Tanukhids.
271 The Emperor Aurelian is defeated by the Alemanni forces invading Italy.
Aurelian defeats the Alemanni, who begin to retreat from Italy.
Aurelian destroys the retreating Alemanni army.
272 Aurelian defeats the army of Zenobia of Palmyra.
Aurelian decisively defeats Zenobia.
273 Romans fight a battle against the Palmyrene Empire and the Blemmyes.
274 Aurelian defeats the Gallic usurper Tetricus, reestablishing central control of the whole empire.
285 The usurper Diocletian defeats the army of the Emperor Carinus, who is killed.
296 The Romans under the Caesar Galerius are defeated by the Persians under Narseh.
298 The Romans under the Caesar Galerius rout the Persians under Narseh.
The Caesar Constantius Chlorus defeats the Alemanni.
Constantius again defeats the Alemanni.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Sherman Storytelling: An Encyclopedia of Mythology and Folklore p.201
  2. Winter, Irene J., "After the Battle Is Over: The ‘Stele of the Vultures’ and the Beginning of Historical Narrative in the Art of the Ancient Near East", Studies in the History of Art, vol. 16, pp. 11–32, 1985
  3. Book: Grant, R.G. . Battle . Dorling Kindersley Limited . 2005 . 978-1-74033-593-5 . London.
  4. Book: Liverani . Mario . The Ancient Near East: History, Society and Economy . 2013 . Routledge . 978-1-134-75084-9 . 143 . en.
  5. Book: Liverani, Mario . The Ancient Near East: History, Society and Economy . 2013-12-04 . Routledge . 978-1-134-75084-9 . en.
  6. Book: Watkins, Jack . The Greatest Battles in History . Amber Books Ltd. . 2019 . 978-1-78274-641-6 . 2017 . London, UK . 10–11 . en.
  7. Book: Bryce, Trevor R. . The Kingdom of the Hittites . 1998 . Oxford University Press . 1998.
  8. Web site: Cartwright . Mark . 14 February 2018 . Hayasa-Azzi . 8 May 2024 . worldhistory.org.
  9. Book: Tyldesley, Joyce . Ramesses: Egypt's Greatest Pharaoh . Viking . 2000 . 9780670884872 . London, UK.
  10. Book: Connolly . Peter . The Hutchinson Dictionary of Ancient and Medieval Warfare . Gillingham . John . Lazenby . John . 2016 . Routledge . 9781135936747 . Cambridge, England . 9 . en.
  11. Book: Middleton . Guy D. . Understanding Collapse Ancient History and Modern Myths . 2017 . Cambridge University Press . 9781316584941 . Cambridge, England. . 155–181 . en . 7:The Hittites and the Eastern Mediterranean.
  12. Lorna Oakes, Pyramids, Temples & Tombs of Ancient Egypt: An Illustrated Atlas of the Land of the Pharaohs, Hermes House: 2003, p. 142.
  13. Around "Year 5 III Shemu day 9" of Ramesses II's reign (James Henry Breasted, Ancient Records of Egypt, vol. III, p. 317) or more precisely: May 12, 1274 BC based on Ramesses' commonly accepted accession date in 1279 BC.
  14. Web site: 2012-07-21 . Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Universität Greifswald - Forschungsgeschichte . 2024-05-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120721055408/http://www.phil.uni-greifswald.de/bereich2/histin/ls/ufg/projekte/tollensetal/forschungsgeschichte.html . 2012-07-21 .
  15. Web site: Bowdler . Neil . 22 May 2011 . Early Bronze Age battle site found on German river bank . 11 March 2017 . BBC News.
  16. Book: Manassa, Colleen . The Great Karnak Inscription of Merneptah: Grand Strategy in the 13th Century BC . ISD LLC . 2004 . 978-1-950343-01-0 . 103.
  17. Book: Wood, Michael . In Search of the Trojan War . BBC Books . 1985 . 0563201614 . 1985 . London, UK.
  18. Beckman . Gary . 2000 . Hittite Chronology . Akkadica . 120 . 23.
  19. Beckman . Gary . 2000 . Hittite Chronology . Akkadica . 119 . 19–32.
  20. Mayes . A.D.H. . 1969 . The Historical Context of the Battle against Sisera . Vetus Testamentum . 19 . 3 . 353–360 . 10.2307/1516506 . 1516506.
  21. Lee . Yun Kuen . 2002 . Building the Chronology of Early Chinese History . Asian Perspectives . 41 . 1 . 15-42 . JSTOR.
  22. Peiyu . Zhang . 2002 . Determining Xia-Shang-Zhou Chronology Through Astronomical Records in Historical Texts . Journal of East Asian Archeology . 4 . 1 . 347-357 . Brill.