Battle of Chaeronea ( 86 BC ) " For the earlier battle , see Battle of Chaeronea ( 338 BC ) " The Battle of Chaeronea was the victory of the Roman forces of Lucius Cornelius Sulla over King Mithridates VI of Pontus near Chaeronea , in Boeotia , in 86 BC during the First Mithridatic War . This battle is described in three ancient texts , although the accounts differ slightly . The description of the battle is found in Appian ' s Mithridatic Wars , Sections 42 - 43 , Frontinus ' " Stratagems " , as well as Plutarch ' s Life of Sulla , chapters 17 - 19 . Forces . Appian tells us the Pontic commander Archelaus had Thracian , Pontic , Scythian , Cappadocian , Bithynian , Galatian , and Phrygian troops , numbering near 120 , 000 . Each nationality was commanded by their own general , all of whom answered to Archelaus as commander - in - chief . Sulla ' s forces consisted of several legions of Roman troops , as well as Greeks who had defected to the Roman side . They numbered about 40 , 000 . Geography . The terrain of the plain of Chaeronea was integral to the beginning and end of the battle . Sulla consistently refused to offer Archelaus battle until he found his enemy encamped in terrain favourable to his Roman force . Archelaus ' camp was in a rocky region near a broad plain at the bottom of a slope . Sulla took advantage of the favourable ground and arrayed his forces before the plain on the hill , with a tactically advantageous view into the camp . Plutarch states that in this way Archelaus had no choice but to array his army on the plain , or risk being stoned to death by the Romans from above . There was no other way out of the battle since the camp was surrounded by rocks ; Archelaus had to array his army before the Romans on the plain below the hill . Moving his army out of the camp onto the rocks would have disordered their formations , and prevented their horses and chariots from being effective . The Engagement . As the Mithridatic forces formed up , Sulla hastily advanced upon them , closing the gap between the armies , thereby rendering the deadly scythed - chariots useless . Regarding this instance , Plutarch says : [ Sulla ] robbed the scythe - bearing chariots of their efficiency . For these are of most avail after a long course , which gives them velocity and impetus for breaking through an opposing line but short starts are ineffectual and feeble , as in the case of missile which do not get full propulsion . And this proved to be true now in the case of Barbarians . The first of their chariots were driven along feebly and engaged sluggishly , so that the Romans , after repulsing them , clapped their hands and laughed and called for more , as they are wont to do at the races in the circus . Appian and Frontinus add that the chariots were in fact destroyed by the light armed infantry , who assailed the Mithridatic unit with missiles . The infantry then engaged each other in the center . Archelaus sought to use his superior numbers to his advantage as quickly as possible and extended his right wing ( the Roman left ) to envelop the Romans . Seeing this , the legatus ( Roman lieutenant ) Hortensius led his forces to counter this move , and were slowly separated from the rest of the Roman force as they spread to meet the enemy . Archelaus charged this Roman detachment and surrounded them . At this time , Sulla was stationed on his right wing which had not yet been engaged by the Mithridatic forces . Learning of Hortensius ' dire situation , he made for his left wing to help out . Archelaus noticed the dust cloud and the standards of the Roman commander approaching and abandoned his position in order to attack the now commander - less Roman right wing . Thus , the threat was lifted from Hortensius ' forces , but the other Roman legate , Murena , simultaneously found himself in trouble , being attacked by the elite bronze - shields unit of the enemy . Sulla heard the pleas for assistance echoing on the hills and decided to send Hortensius ' force to Murena , and lead his own unit and the fifth cohort back to his post on the right wing . Sulla found his right wing standing firm against Archelaus ' personal onslaught , and with his arrival routed the Mithridatic forces from his right wing . At about the same time , the Roman forces in the center led by Murena , who was actively encouraging his men in battle , also managed to rout the Mithridatic force . Victory was Sulla ' s . Aftermath . As the Mithridatic forces fled back towards their camp , they were easily slain , having been completely disordered by the uneven terrain of their path of retreat . Appian claims that Archelaus blocked his soldiers ' entry into the camp and forced them to turn and face the Romans . They did so , but could not withstand the Roman impetus . Appian and Plutarch claim that only 10 , 000 of the enemy forces survived and escaped to the nearby town . They add that 14 Romans were not accounted for at the end of the battle , two of which returned at nightfall , making the Roman casualty count an unbelievable 12 soldiers . While these figures are obviously inaccurate , as the close range nature of fighting between the infantry forces must have caused heavier Roman losses , nevertheless , the Pontic forces undoubtedly suffered disproportionately heavier casualties . The battle would be followed by the Battle of Orchomenus after Archelaus was reinforced by eighty thousand fresh troops under Dorylaeus .