The Battle of Tigranokerta, Lucullus, and Cataphracts

Abstract

Rome’s campaign in Armenia in 69-67 BC is an exceptionally important chapter in military history, one which provides insights into the political arrangements, alliances, and strategies from both sides of the conflict. This article focuses on the culmination of this war, i.e. the battle of Tigranokerta, the comparison of armies, and the role of cavalry, in particular the cataphracts. In scholarly studies, the accounts of Sallust, Plutarch and some other sources on the encounter at Tigranokerta have become the starting point for numerous conclusions, often misleading, regarding the then military operation and the part played by the units of cataphracts. The evaluation of the source data leads to a re-assessment of the picture of the war in Armenia. Rome’s campaign in Armenia in 69-67 BC is an exceptionally important chapter in military history, one which provides insights into the political arrangements, alliances, and strategies from both sides of the conflict. This article focuses on the culmination of this war, i.e. the battle of Tigranokerta, the comparison of armies, and the role of cavalry, in particular the cataphracts. In scholarly studies, the accounts of Sallust, Plutarch and some other sources on the encounter at Tigranokerta have become the starting point for numerous conclusions, often misleading, regarding the then military operation and the part played by the units of cataphracts. The evaluation of the source data leads to a re-assessment of the picture of the war in Armenia.