List of Roman Battles - 1st Century BC

1st Century BC

• 89 BC –
  • Battle of Fucine Lake – Roman forces under Lucius Porcius Cato are defeated by the Italian rebels in the Social War
  • Battle of Asculum – Roman army of C. Pompeius Strabo decisively defeats the rebels in the Social War.
• 86 BC – Battle of Chaeronea – Roman forces of Lucius Cornelius Sulla defeat the Pontic forces of Archelaus in the First Mithridatic War
• 85 BC – Battle of Orchomenus – Sulla again defeats Archelaus in the decisive battle of the First Mithridatic War.
• 83 BC – Battle of Mount Tifata – Sulla defeats the popular forces of Caius Norbanus in the First Roman Civil War.
• 82 BC –
  • Battle of the Asio River – Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius defeats a Populare army under Gaius Carrinas in the First Roman Civil War.
  • Battle of Sacriporto – Battle of the First Roman Civil War fought between the Optimates under Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix and the Populares under Gaius Marius the Younger, Optimate victory.
  • First Battle of Clusium – Battle of First Roman Civil War fought between the Optimates under Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix and the Populares under Gnaeus Papirius Carbo, Populare victory.
  • Battle of Faventia – Battle of First Roman Civil War fought between the Optimates under Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius and the Populares under Gaius Norbanus Balbus, Optimate victory.
  • Battle of Fidentia – Battle of First Roman Civil War fought between the Optimates under Marcus Terentius Varro Lucullus and the Populares under Lucius Quincius, Optimate victory.
  • Second Battle of Clusium – Pompei Magnus defeats a numerically superior Populares army under Gaius Carrinas and Gaius Marcius Censorinus.
  • Battle of Colline Gate – Sulla defeats Samnites allied to the popular party in Rome in the decisive battle of the Civil War.
• 80 BC – Battle of the Baetis River – Rebel forces under Quintus Sertorius defeat the legal Roman forces of Lucius Fulfidias in Hispania.
• 73 BC – Battle of Cyzicus – Roman forces under Lucius Lucullus defeat the forces of Mithridates VI of Pontus
• 72 BC –
  • Battle of Cabira or the Rhyndacus – Lucullus defeats the retreating forces of Mithridates, opening way to Pontus
  • Battle of Picenum – Slave Revolt led by Spartacus defeat a Roman army led by Gellius Publicola and Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus Clodianus
  • Battle of Mutina I – Slave Revolt led by Spartacus defeat another army of Romans.
• 71 BC –
  • Battle of Campania – Slave Revolt led by Spartacus defeat a Roman army.
  • Battle of Campania II – a Roman army under Marcus Crassus defeat Spartacus's army of slaves.
  • Battle of the Siler River – Marcus Crassus defeats the army of Spartacus.
• 69 BC – Battle of Tigranocerta – Lucullus defeats the army of Tigranes II of Armenia, who was harbouring his father-in-law Mithridates VI of Pontus
• 68 BC – Battle of Artaxata – Lucullus again defeats Tigranes.
• 66 BC – Battle of the Lycus – Pompey the Great decisively defeats Mithridates VI, effectively ending the Third Mithridatic War
• 62 BC, January – Battle of Pistoria – The forces of the conspirator Catiline are defeated by the loyal Roman armies under Gaius Antonius.
• 58 BC –
  • June – Battle of the Arar (Saône) – Caesar defeats the migrating Helvetii
  • July – Battle of Bibracte – Caesar again defeats the Helvetians, this time decisively.
  • September – Caesar decisively defeats the forces of the Germanic chieftain Ariovistus near modern Belfort
• 57 BC –
  • Battle of the Axona (Aisne) – Caesar defeats the forces of the Belgae under King Galba of Suessiones.
  • Battle of the Sabis (Sambre) – Caesar defeats the Nervii.
  • Battle of Octodurus (Martigny) – Servius Galba defeats the Seduni and Veragri.
• 53 BC – Battle of Carrhae – Roman triumvir Crassus is disastrously defeated and killed by the Parthians. Crassus has molten gold poured down his throat by his captors. Starts the 500 years of Roman-Persian Wars.
• 52 BC – Battle of Alesia – Caesar defeats the Gallic rebel Vercingetorix, completing the Roman conquest of Gallia Comata.
• 49 BC –
  • June – Battle of Ilerda – Caesar's army surround Pompeian forces and cause them to surrender.
  • 24 August – Battle of the Bagradas River – Caesar's general Gaius Curio is defeated in North Africa by the Pompeians under Attius Varus and King Juba I of Numidia. Curio commits suicide.
• 48 BC –
  • 10 July – Battle of Dyrrhachium – Caesar barely avoids a catastrophic defeat by Pompey in Macedonia
  • 9 August – Battle of Pharsalus – Caesar decisively defeats Pompey, who flees to Egypt
• 47 BC –
  • February – Battle of the Nile – Caesar defeats the forces of the Egyptian king Ptolemy XIII
  • May – Battle of Zela – Caesar defeats Pharnaces II of Pontus. This is the battle where he famously said Veni, vidi, vici. (I came, I saw, I conquered.)
• 46 BC –
  • 4 January – Battle of Ruspina – Caesar loses perhaps as much as a third of his army to Titus Labienus
  • 6 February – Battle of Thapsus – Caesar defeats the Pompeian army of Metellus Scipio in North Africa.
• 45 BC 17 March – Battle of Munda – In his last victory, Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Gnaeus Pompey the Younger in Hispania. Labienus is killed in the battle and the Younger Pompey captured and executed.
• 43 BC –
  • 14 April – Battle of Forum Gallorum – 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 – Battle of Mutina II – 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 – First Battle of Philippi – 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 – Second Battle of Philippi – Brutus's army is decisively defeated by Antony and Octavian. Brutus escapes, but commits suicide soon after.
• 41 BC – Battle of Perugia – Mark Antony's brother Lucius Antonius and his wife Fulvia are defeated by Octavian.
• 36 BC – Battle of Naulochus – Octavian's fleet, under the command of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa defeats the forces of the rebel Sextus Pompeius.
• 31 BC, 2 September – Battle of Actium – Octavian decisively defeats Antony and Cleopatra in a naval battle near Greece
• 16 BC – Clades Lolliana – The troops of Consul Marcus Lollius Paulinus are defeated by West Germanic warriors in Gaul.
• 11 BC – Battle of the Lupia River – Roman forces under Augustus's stepson Drusus win a victory in Germany.