| Military History Encyclopedia on the Web |
| Military History Timeline |
| Home | Book Shop | ||||
| Wars | Battles | Biographies | Timeline | Weapons | Blog |
| Full Index | Subjects | Concepts | Country | Documents | Forum |
| 4000 BC | 1000 BC | 1 | 1000 | 1500 | 1700 | 1800 | 1850 | 1900 | 1925 | 1950 |
Death of Alexander the Great begins the Wars of the Diadachi.
Settlement at Babylon, the first attempt to divide up power within Alexander's empire
Start of the Lamian or Hellenic War, an attempt by an alliance of Greek cities led by Athens to escape Macedonian control
Siege of Lamia sees alliance led by Athens trap Antipater in the town of Lamia. Death of Athenian general Leosthenes
Spring 322: Battle of Abydos - First of two naval defeats for Athens
July 322: Battle of Amorgos - Major naval defeat that ends Athenian naval power
August 322: Battle of Crannon - Macedonian victory in Thessaly that effectively ends the Lamian War
Athens knocked out of the Lamian War
Outbreak of the First Diadoch War, (to 320 BC) between the successors of Alexander the Great
Truce between Antipater and the Aetolians ends the Lamian War.
Death of Craterus in a battle against Eumenes of Cardia
Perdiccas murdered by his officers in Egypt
End of the First Diadoch War, (from 322 BC).
Settlement at Triparadisus second attempt to divide power in Alexander's empire
Outbreak of the Second Diadoch War (to 316 BC)
Battle of Gabiene, marks the end of the Second Diadoch War in Asia (from 319 BC)
Outbreak of Third Diadoch War (to 311 BC)
End of Third Diadoch War (from 315 BC), ends with all of the main contestants back where they started.
Outbreak of Fourth Diadoch War (to 301 BC)
Fourth Diadoch War ends (from 307 BC) with defeat and death of Antigonus at the battle of Ipsus
Death of Ptolemy I of natural causes
First Syrian War ends in victory for Ptolemaic Egypt
Outbreak of First Punic War (to 241 BC) between Rome and Carthage. Joint Punic and Syracusan siege of Messana begins the fighting.
Alliance between Syracuse and Rome allows the Romans to concentrate on beating Carthage on Sicily.
Eumenes’ War, brief war that sees Pergamum become independent of Seleucid Empire.
Fall of Athens marks end of Chremonidean War (from 266), (Greece)
First Punic War: Siege and battle of Agrigentum sees Rome capture Carthaginian ally on Sicily
Death of Antiochus I, Seleucid Emperor. End of Eumenes' War
Battle of Cape Ecnomus, Roman Naval victory that allowed them to invade Carthage's African homeland
Siege of Aspis. A first Roman victory in Punic North Africa.
Siege of Adys.
Siege that delays the Roman army in North Africa, allowing the Carthaginians to arrive with an army.
Battle of Adys. Roman victory over a Punic army sent to relief the siege of Adys.
Battle of Tunis, Carthaginian victory that ended the Roman invasion of Africa
Battle of Cape Hermaeum, Roman naval victory that allowed the rescue of the survivors of the Battle of Tunis
Sack of Agrigentum, Carthaginian forces recapture and sack the city of Agrigentum, lost in 262 B.C.
Siege of Panormus, Roman forces capture the main Carthaginian base in northern Sicily.
Battle of Panormus, Roman victory over a Carthaginian force sent to recapture Panormus (Sicily)
Start of siege of Lilybaeum (to 241 B.C.), Roman attempt to capture main Carthaginian base on Sicily.
The Battle of Drepanum was the only serious Roman naval defeat of the First Punic War.
Probable date for the Battle of Andros, Macedonian naval victory over an Egyptian fleet in the Aegean.
Outbreak of the Third Syrian War or Laodicean War (to 241 BC) between Egypt and the Seleucid Empire
Siege of Drepanum (to 242-241 B.C.). Roman fleet arrives by surprise off Sicily. Troops land at Drepanum and begin a siege.
First Punic War (from 264 B.C.) ends in Roman victory
Third Syrian War or Laodicean War, (from 246 B.C.) ends with a minor Egyptian victory
Outbreak of the War of the Brothers, c.241-236 BC , civil war that saw the Seleucid Empire temporarily split in two.
Battle of Ancyra, (or 239 B.C.), decisive battle of the War of the Brothers and victory for the rebels under Antiochus Hierax.
Although it was a short, limited conflict, the First Illyrian War (230-228 BC) is noteworthy as the first time the Roman Republic sent its armies to the eastern shores of the Adriatic.
Outbreak of the inconclusive Fourth Syrian War (to 217 BC)
Battle near Apollonia sees Antiochus III defeat a rebellion under the satrap Molon
The Second Illyrian War (219 BC) was a short campaign in which the Romans restored the balance of power they had created at the end of the First Illyrian War, ten years earlier.
Battle of the Plane Tree Pass, Seleucid victory during the Fourth Syrian War
Battle of Raphia, 22 June, was the decisive battle of the Fourth Syrian War, and an Egyptian victory over Antiochus III
End of the Fourth Syrian War (from 221 BC)
The First Macedonian War was caused by the decision of Philip V of Macedonia to form an alliance with Hannibal in the aftermath of his series of great victories against Rome in Italy.
Battle of Metaurus, defeat of second Punic invasion of Italy led by Hannibal's brother Hasdrubal
The battle of Mantinea was the most significant battle of the First Macedonian War, although it involved none of the main participants in that war.
The peace of Phoenice of 205 ended the fighting in the First Macedonian War (215-205 BC).
The battle of Chios was the first of two naval battles fought by Philip V of Macedonia off the coast of Asia Minor during 201.
The battle of Lade was the second of two naval battles fought by Philip V of Macedonia during 201 BC.
The siege of Abydos was one of the final of a series of conquests made by Philip V of Macedonia around the Aegean that helped trigger the Second Macedonian War (against Rome).
The Second Macedonian War was the first war in which the Roman Republic made a major military effort in Greece, and it marked an end to the power of Macedonia.
The battle of the Aous was the first significant Roman victory during the Second Macedonian War.
The battle of Cynoscephalea of 197 B.C. was the decisive battle of the First Macedonian War, and was the first of a series of victories won by Roman legions over the Greek phalanx that ended three centuries of Greek dominance on the battlefield.
The war between Rome and Antiochus III was the second of two wars that saw the Roman Republic, in a period of less than a decade, defeat the two most powerful of the successor states to the empire of Alexander the Great – Macedonia and the Seleucid Empire.
The battle of Thermopylae ended the Greek phase of the war between Rome and the Seleucid emperor Antiochus III, and saw Antiochus expelled from Greece
The battle of Corycus was the first naval battle of the war between Rome and Antiochus III, and saw the Romans and their allies begin to win control of the Aegean Sea.
The battle of Eurymedon (or Side) was one of two naval battles that marked a turning point in that years fighting in the war between Rome and Antiochus III.
The battle of Myonnesus was the decisive naval battle of the War between Rome and Antiochus III, and saw a combined Roman and Rhodian fleet defeat Antiochus’ main surviving fleet.
The battle of Magnesia, in the winter of 190 B.C., saw a badly outnumbered Roman army defeat the army of the Seleucid Emperor Antiochus III (the Great), forever altering the balance of power in the eastern Mediterranean.
The peace of Apamea of 188 B.C. ended the war between Rome and Antiochus III, and also ended any chance that the Seleucid Empire might ever reclaim its lands in Asia Minor.
Battle of Pydna, Roman victory over Macedonia
The First Mithridatic War (89-85 B.C.) was the first of three clashes between the Roman Republic and Mithridates VI of Pontus which would last for nearly thirty years, and end with the destruction of the Pontic kingdom.
The battle of the Amnias River (89 B.C.) was the first battle of the First Mithridatic War, and was the first of a series of victories in which the armies of Mithridates VI conquered the Roman province of Asia.
The battle of Protopachium, 89 B.C., was the second of two victories won by the armies of Mithridates VI of Pontus that at least temporarily destroyed Roman authority in their province of Asia at the start of the First Mithridatic War.
The siege of Rhodes of 88 B.C. was one of the first defeats suffered by Mithridates VI of Pontus in the early period of the First Mithridatic War against Rome.
The siege of Athens of 87-86 B.C. was one of the first major Roman successes during the First Mithridatic War (89-85 B.C.), and marked the point at which the initiative in the war began to move towards the Romans.
The siege of Piraeus of 87-86 B.C. was a bitterly fought clash that only ended when the defenders of the city pulled out by sea after the fall of the city of Athens.
The battle of Chaeornea (86 B.C.) was the first of two crushing defeats suffered by Pontic armies that ended Mithridates VI's invasion of Greece (First Mithridatic War).
The battle of Orchomenus of 86 B.C. was the second of two great Roman victories that ended the Pontic invasion of Greece during the First Mithridatic War.
The Second Mithridatic War, 83-82 B.C., was a short-lived conflict largely caused by the ambition of Lucius Licinius Murena, the Roman governor of Asia after the end of the First Mithridatic War.
The battle of the Halys River was the only major engagement during the short Second Mithridatic War (83-82 B.C.) and was one of the few defeats suffered by a Roman army during the three wars against Mithridates IV of Pontus.
The Third Mithridatic War of 73-63 B.C. was the last of three clashes between Mithridates VI of Pontus and the Roman Republic. A war that began in western Asia Minor ended with Roman armies campaigning in Armenia, to the east of the Black Sea and in Syria and saw Roman power extended into completely new regions
The battle of Chalcedon was a combined land and sea battle at the start of the Third Mithridatic War that ended in a crushing victory for Mithridates VI of Pontus.
The siege of Cyzicus was a Roman victory that effectively ended Mithridates VI's campaign in western Asia Minor at the start of the Third Mithridatic War.
The battle of the Rhyndacis of 73 B.C. was the first of a series of disasters that befell the army of Mithridates VI of Pontus when it attempted to retreat from the siege of Cyzicus (Third Mithridatic War).
The battle of Lemnos was a naval victory won by Lucius Licinius Lucullus early in the Third Mithridatic War over a Pontic fleet commanded by the Roman renegade Marcus Varius.
The siege of Eupatoria (c.72-71 B.C.) was one of the shorter sieges during the Roman general Lucullus's invasion of Pontus (Third Mithridatic War).
The battle of Tigranocerta, 6 or 7 October 69 B.C., was a one-sided Roman victory over a massive army led by Tigranes I of Armenia, but one that the Romans were unable to take advantage of.
The battle of the Arar (June 58 BC) was the first significant victory won by Julius Caesar, and marked the unusually late start of his military career
The battle of Bibracte (June/July 58 B.C.) was the second and decisive battle in Julius Caesar's first military campaign, and saw him force the Helvetii tribe to abandon their planned migration from Switzerland to the west coast of France
The battle of Vesontio (September 58 B.C.) was the second major victory of Julius Caesar's military career and saw him defeat a large army of Germans led by Ariovistus, a Suebian chief who had crossed the Rhine some years earlier to intervene in a war between Rome's ally's the Aedui and the Sequani.
The battle of the Aisne (57 B.C.) was Julius Caesar's first victory in his campaign against the Belgic tribes of modern Belgium.
The battle of the Sambre (July 57 B.C.) was the most important battle of Caesar's campaign against the Belgae in 57 B.C. and saw his army recover after being ambushed to inflict a crushing defeat on three Belgic tribes led by the Nervii.
The siege of the Atuatuci (September 57 B.C.) was the final major victory during Julius Caesar's conquest of the Belgae.
The battle of Octodurus (winter 57/56 B.C.) was a battle in the upper Rhone valley described by Julius Caesar as a Roman victory, but that effectively ended an attempt to open the Great St. Bernard Pass.
The defeat of the Sotiates (56 B.C.) was the first of two major battles in unknown locations in which Publius Crassus, the son of the Triumvir and one of Caesar's most able lieutenants, defeated the Aquitani tribes of south-west Gaul.
The battle of the Morbihan Gulf (June 56 B.C.) was the first naval battle in recorded history to definitely took place in the North Atlantic, and saw a Roman fleet raised by Julius Caesar destroy the naval power of the Veneti tribe of modern Brittany.
The defeat of the Vocates and Tarusates (June 56 B.C.) was the second of two major battles in unknown locations in which Publius Crassus, the son of the Triumvir and one of Caesar's most able lieutenants, defeated the Aquitani tribes of south-west Gaul.
The disaster at Atuatuca (October 54 B.C.) was one of the most serious setbacks suffered by Julius Caesar during his conquest of Gaul, and saw the Eburones destroy an entire Roman legion that had just entered winter quarters.
The siege of Q. Cicero's camp, early in the winter of 54-53 B.C. was the highpoint of the second Gallic revolt during Julius Caesar's conquest of Gaul, and its failure handed the initiative back to the Romans.
The siege of Gorgobina (early 52 B.C.) saw Vercingetorix make an unsuccessful attack on a town that was under the protection of Julius Caesar. The Gauls were forced to lift the siege when Caesar approached from the north with his main army and besieged Novidunum, but the attack had forced the Romans to leave their winter quarters much earlier than they would have liked.
The siege of Vellaunodunum (early 52 B.C.) was the first of three Roman attacks on Gallic towns that forced Vercingetorix to abandon his siege of Gorgobina early in the Great Gallic Revolt of 52 B.C.
The siege of Cenabum (early 52 B.C.) was the second of three Roman attacks on Gallic towns that forced Vercingetorix to abandon his siege of Gorgobina, and that saw the Romans capture the town where the great Gallic revolt had begun.
The siege of Noviodunum (probably March 52 B.C.) was the third of three Roman attacks on Gallic towns that forced Vercingetorix to abandon his siege of Gorgobina. It also saw the first direct clash between the main armies of Caesar and Vercingetorix, a minor cavalry action fought outside the town
The battle of Lutetia (May 52 B.C.) was a victory won by Labienus, Caesar's most able lieutenant during the Gallic Wars, over the Senones and Parisii on the left bank of the Seine close to the centre of modern Paris.
The siege of Avaricum (c.March-April 52 B.C.) was the first major clash between Julius Caesar and Vercingetorix during the Great Gallic Revolt, and ended with a Roman victory and the sack of the town.
The unsuccessful siege of Gergovia (May 52 B.C.) was the only major setback suffered by an army led in person by Julius Caesar during the entire Gallic Wars.
The battle of the Vingeanne (July 52 B.C.) was a cavalry battle that saw the Romans and their German auxiliaries defeat a Gallic attack on their column, a defeat that may have been the main reason that Vercingetorix chose to defend the nearby town of Alesia.
Battle of Alesia, Caesars final victory in the Gallic Wars
The siege of Limonum, early 51 B.C., was an unsuccessful attempt by the Andes, one of the last rebellious tribes in Gaul, to capture the chief town of the Pictones tribe.
The battle on the Loire of early 51 B.C. was a Roman victory that effectively ended the Great Gallic revolt on the west coast of Gaul.
The siege of Uxellodunum (spring 51 B.C.) was the last attempt by the Gauls to defend a fortified town against a Roman attack during Caesar's Gallic War.
The defeat of Comius the Atrebatian, late in 51 B.C., was a minor cavalry skirmish noteworthy only for being the last recorded battle of Caesar's Gallic War.
End of the Gallic War (from 58 B.C.)
| 4000 BC | 1000 BC | 1 | 1000 | 1500 | 1700 | 1800 | 1850 | 1900 | 1925 | 1950 |