4000 B.C.

3000 B.C.

2000 B.C.

c.1275 B.C.

1000 B.C.

500 B.C.

499 or 496 B.C.

The battle of Lake Regillus (499 or 496 BC) was a narrow Roman victory over the Latin League early in the life of the Republic that helped to prevent the last of the kings of Rome from regaining his throne.

483-474 B.C.

The First Veientine War (483-474 B.C.) was the first of three clashes between Rome and her nearest Etruscan neighbour, the city of Veii.

437-434 or 428-425 B.C.

The Second Veientine War (437-434 or 428-425 B.C.) was fought for control of the crossing over the Tiber at Fidenae, five miles upstream from Rome.

437 or 428 B.C.

The battle of the Anio (437 or 428 B.C.) was a Roman victory early in the Second Veientine War that was won after Lars Tolumnius, king of Veii, was killed in single combat

435 or 426 B.C.

The battle of Nomentum (435 or 426 B.C.) was a Roman victory over a combined army from Veii and Fidenae that was followed by a successful Roman attack on Fidenae, and possibly by the end of the Second Veientine War.

435 or 426 B.C.

The siege of Fidenae (435 or 426 B.C.) saw the Romans capture the town only five miles upstream on the Tiber and eliminate the last Veientine enclave on the right bank of the Tiber.

405-396 B.C.

The Third Veientine War (405-396 B.C.) saw the Roman Republic finally capture and destroy their closest rival, the Etruscan city of Veii, after a siege that lasted for ten years

The ten year long siege of Veii (405-396 B.C.) was the main event of the Third Veientine War and saw the Romans finally conquer their nearest rival, the Etruscan city of Veii.

390 B.C.

The First Gallic Invasion of Italy of 390 B.C. was a pivotal event in the history of the Roman Republic and saw the city occupied and sacked for the last time in eight hundred years.

The battle of the Allia (18 July 390 B.C.) was one of the most embarrassing defeats in Roman history, and left the city defenceless in the face of a Gallic war band.

The sack of Rome (390 B.C.) was the worst recorded disaster in the history of the early Roman Republic, and saw a Gallic war band led by Brennus capture and sack most of the city, after winning an easy victory on the Allia

The battle of the Trausian Plain (c.390-384 B.C.) probably saw an Etruscan army from the city of Caere defeat all or part of the Gallic war band that was responsible for the sack of Rome

343 B.C.

The First Samnite War (343-341 BC) was the first of three clashes between Rome and the Samnite hill tribes, and ended in a Roman victory that saw the Republic begin to expand into Campania.

The battle and siege of Capua of 343 B.C. triggered the First Samnite War (343-341 B.C.), the first of three wars between Rome and the Samnites.

The battle of Mount Gaurus, 343 B.C., was the opening battle of the First Samnite War (343-341 B.C.), and was a hard fought Roman victory.

The battle of Saticula (343 B.C.) was a Roman victory that saw a rare example of the Roman army fighting at night in an attempt to avoid a disaster.

The battle of Suessula (343 B.C.) was the final major clash during the First Samnite War (343-341 B.C.), and was a major Roman victory

340 B.C.

The battle of Trifanum (340 BC) was a Roman victory that ended the Campanian phase of the Latin War of 340-338 BC.

339 B.C.

The battle of the Fenectane Plains (339 BC) was a Roman victory in the second year of the Latin War of 340-338 BC

338 B.C.

The battle of Pedum (338 BC) was the decisive battle of the Latin War of 340-338BC and saw the Romans defeat a Latin army sent to protect Pedum and capture the city in the same day

327-6 B.C.

The Roman siege of Neapolis (Naples) of 327-326 BC was the first fighting in what developed into the Second Samnite War (327-304 BC).

325 B.C.

323 B.C.

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

322 B.C.

Siege of Lamia sees alliance led by Athens trap Antipater in the town of Lamia. Death of Athenian general Leosthenes

Spring

July

August

Outbreak of the First Diadoch War, (to 320 BC) between the successors of Alexander the Great

321 B.C.

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

320 B.C.

End of the First Diadoch War, (from 322 BC).

Settlement at Triparadisus second attempt to divide power in Alexander's empire

319 B.C.

Outbreak of the Second Diadoch War (to 316 BC)

316 B.C.

Battle of Gabiene, marks the end of the Second Diadoch War in Asia (from 319 BC)

315 B.C.

Outbreak of Third Diadoch War (to 311 BC)

The battle of Lautulae (315 BC) was the second major Samnite victory during the Second Samnite War, but one that didn't produce any long term advantage

314 B.C.

The siege of Bovianum of 314-313 BC was a short-lived  Roman attempt to take advantage of their victory at Tarracina in 314

311 B.C.

End of Third Diadoch War (from 315 BC), ends with all of the main contestants back where they started.

310 B.C.

The battle of Perusia, 310/309 BC, was a Roman victory that forced several key Etruscan cities to make peace with Rome (Etruscan War, 311/308 BC)

The battle of Lake Vadimo (310 BC) was a major Roman victory that broke the power of the Etruscan cities involved in the short Etruscan War of 311/10-308

308 B.C.

The battle of Mevania, 308 BC, was a final Roman victory in the Etruscan War, although it was fought against the Umbrians

307 B.C.

Outbreak of Fourth Diadoch War (to 301 BC)

301 B.C.

Fourth Diadoch War ends (from 307 BC) with defeat and death of Antigonus at the battle of Ipsus

283 B.C.

Death of Ptolemy I of natural causes

276 B.C.

Outbreak of the First Syrian War between the Seleucid Empire and Ptolemaic Egypt.

272 B.C.

First Syrian War ends in victory for Ptolemaic Egypt

266 B.C.

Outbreak of Chremonidean War, (to 262 B.C.), Revolt against Macedonian rule by Athens and Sparta

264 B.C.

Outbreak of First Punic War (to 241 BC) between Rome and Carthage. Joint Punic and Syracusan siege of Messana begins the fighting.

263 B.C.

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.

262 B.C.

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

261 B.C.

Death of Antiochus I, Seleucid Emperor. End of Eumenes' War

260 B.C.

256 B.C.

Battle of Cape Ecnomus, Roman Naval victory that allowed them to invade Carthage's African homeland

255 B.C.

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

254 B.C.

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.

251 B.C.

Battle of Panormus, Roman victory over a Carthaginian force sent to recapture Panormus (Sicily)

250 B.C.

Start of siege of Lilybaeum (to 241 B.C.), Roman attempt to capture main Carthaginian base on Sicily.

249 B.C.

The Battle of Drepanum was the only serious Roman naval defeat of the First Punic War.

246 B.C.

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

242 B.C.

Siege of Drepanum (to 242-241 B.C.). Roman fleet arrives by surprise off Sicily. Troops land at Drepanum and begin a siege.

241 B.C.

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.

240 B.C.

Battle of Ancyra, (or 239 B.C.), decisive battle of the War of the Brothers and victory for the rebels under Antiochus Hierax.

230-228 B.C.

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.

221 B.C.

Outbreak of the inconclusive Fourth Syrian War (to 217 BC)

220 B.C.

Battle near Apollonia sees Antiochus III defeat a rebellion under the satrap Molon

219 B.C.

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.

218 B.C.

Battle of the Plane Tree Pass, Seleucid victory during the Fourth Syrian War

217 B.C.

22 June

Battle of Raphia, 22 June, was the decisive battle of the Fourth Syrian War, and an Egyptian victory over Antiochus III

218 B.C.

November

December

215-205 B.C.

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.

207 B.C.

22 June

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.

205 B.C.

The peace of Phoenice of 205 ended the fighting in the First Macedonian War (215-205 BC).

201 B.C.

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.

200-196 B.C.

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).

198 B.C.

24 June (probable date)

The battle of the Aous was the first significant Roman victory during the Second Macedonian War.

197 B.C.

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.

192-188 B.C.

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.

191 B.C.

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.

190 B.C.

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.

188 B.C.

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. 

168 B.C.

22 June

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.

88 B.C.

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.

87 B.C.

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.

86 B.C.

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.

83 B.C.

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.

82 B.C.

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.

73 B.C.

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.

72 B.C

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).

69 B.C.

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.

58 B.C.

June

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

June/ July

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

September

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.

57 B.C.

The battle of the Aisne (57 B.C.) was Julius Caesar's first victory in his campaign against the Belgic tribes of modern Belgium.

July

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.

September

The siege of the Atuatuci (September 57 B.C.) was the final major victory during Julius Caesar's conquest of the Belgae.

Winter 57/56 B.C.

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.

56 B.C.

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.

June

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.

June

54 B.C.

October

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.

52 B.C.

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.

March

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

March-April

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.

May

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.

May

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.

July

October

51 B.C.

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 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.)