The Battle of the Meander was a major battle of the Second Mithridatic War which was fought in southern Anatolia in 83 BC between the Roman general Secundus Ulpius Lentulus' Legio IV Equestris and the Cappadocian army of King Ariarathes IX of Cappadocia. After a showdown at the Meander River, Ariarathes withdrew his army towards Side, and Lentulus pursued him to the Marmaris Peninsula. There, Ariarathes and his army attacked the Romans in a stretch of coastal woodland, but the Romans destroyed the Cappadocian army, paving the way for their capture of Side.
Background[]
At the start of the First Mithridatic War in 89 BC, King Mithridates VI Eupator of Pontus was joined by his allies, King Tigranes the Great of Armenia and King Ariarathes IX of Cappadocia (his son). The Roman Republic invaded Anatolia in 85 BC, with Pompeius Strabo's Legio III Antiqua conquering the Anatolian coast and Lucullus' Legio II Illyrica pushing into Anatolia's interior. A third Roman legion, Legio IV Equestris, landed in southern Anatolia under the command of Secundus Ulpius Lentulus, who had raised his legion on Crete and reclaimed Rhodes from Pontus. While the Pontian general Laqip reclaimed Rhodes in his absence, Lentulus planned to advance on Side and secure southern Anatolia for Rome as Pompeius Strabo's legion enforced public order in Ionia. However, Lentulus quickly found his legion under threat from Ariarathes IX's larger Cappadocian army, which marched out of Side and up the Anatolian coast. Lentulus withdrew to the River Meander, where he joined forces with Strabo's legion. Ariarathes chose not to attack, instead withdrawing towards Side. Emboldened, Lentulus gave chase, aware that he would ultimately have to battle Ariarathes with or without Strabo's aid. His army encamped on the Marmaris Peninsula, and Ariarathes, seeking to take advantage of his superior numbers, attacked Lentulus' army in the coastal woodlands.
Battle[]
The Roman army positioned itself in a clearing, where it came under fierce Cappadocian attack as it moved its units into an order of battle. The Romans repelled fierce Cappadocian attacks on their right flank as Cappadocian units emerged from the woods on their left flank, forcing Lentulus to send several cohorts of legionaries into the woods. The battle devolved into a confused slaughter as the better-equipped and better-trained Roman soldiers massacred the Cappadocian hillmen and spearmen, none of whom wore armor. The Cappadocian peltasts inflicted considerable losses on the Roman soldiers as they milled about, awaiting orders on which Cappadocian unit to attack, and the Romans ultimately chased down and routed every Cappadocian unit on the battlefield. The Cappadocians were pursued and slaughtered, losing 1,828 dead and 413 captured; only 383 Cappadocians escaped, while the Romans also suffered heavy losses, losing a third of their number with 670 dead. However, the Romans were able to press on to Side as a result of their triumph.
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