The Battle of Leukai was a major battle of the First Mithridatic War which was fought in present-day Turkey in 84 BC between the allied armies of Artaxiad Armenia and Pontus and a Roman legion reinforced from Nicomedia (Izmit). The Roman general Lucullus stumbled across the Mithridatic armies as he marched his Legio II Illyrica south from Nicomedia to reinforce Pompeius Strabo's Legio III Antiqua on the coast, and the Armenian general Osaces and the Pontic general Monobazus decided to jointly attack the Roman legion in a bid to destroy it. However, Lucullus defeated and destroyed the larger Mithridatic armies in his first battle of the war.
Background[]
In the spring of 85 BC, Roman general Pompeius Strabo crossed the Hellespont and into Asia with his Legio III Antiqua, first capturing Nicomedia before advancing south along the Anatolian coast and taking Pergamon and Ephesus. After deeming the situation in the Balkans to be tranquil, the Roman general Lucullus led his Legio II Illyrica across the Hellespont in early 84 BC, with the objective of conquering central Anatolia and reinforcing Pompeius' army. Lucullus chose to advance into the interior of Anatolia, planning to advance into Cappadocia and eliminate a key ally of Mithridates. Along the way, however, his scouts spotted a large Armenian army commanded by Osaces and a smaller Pontic army commanded by Monobazus. These armies attacked Lucullus' resting army near present-day Golpazari, forcing Lucullus to withdraw towards Leukai (present-day Osmaneli). The Mithridatic armies unwisely pursued him, for Lucullus was then able to rely on reinforcements from the garrison of nearby Nicomedia. The combined 2,434-strong Roman force faced off against the 2,960-strong Armenian and Pontic force at a plain near Leukai.
Battle[]
Lucullus' main force deployed in typical Roman formation: skirmishing velites in the front, legionaries in the center, and legionary cavalry on the flanks. Monobazus unwisely chose to attack the Roman army rather than await reinforcements, and his soldiers were showered with pila javelins as they charged the Romans; many Pontians turned and ran after the first few hails, only to be massacred while fleeing. Monobazus' attack was easily repelled and Monobazus killed, but the Pontians managed to keep up the fight until the main body, Osaces' Armenian army, arrived. By then, the Roman reinforcements from Nicomedia joined the main body of Romans and formed an angle on the Roman left flank. The Romans charged from two sides, and, while the Armenians' Persian cavalry outflanked the Roman right, massacred several of their ballista crewmen, and repelled several cavalry and infantry cohorts sent to fight them, the Armenian army was ultimately put to flight after a fierce battle. Three quarters of the Mithridatic army was destroyed, while the Romans lost a third of their number. Lucullus followed up his victory by pursuing and massacring the 479 remaining Armenian and Pontic troops with just 120 losses of his own.
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