The Pontic commander Archelaus in 86 BCE lands in Boeotia and is met by Sulla near Chaeronea.
Appian tells us Archelaus had Thracian, Pontic, Scythian, Cappadocian, Bithynian, Galatian, and Phrygian troops, numbering near one hundred and twenty thousand.
Each nationality is commanded by their own general, all of whom answer to Archelaus as commander-in-chief.
Sulla's forces consists of several legions of Roman troops, as well as Greeks who have defected to the Roman side.
They number about forty thousand.
Archelaus is defeated by Sulla in the ensuing battle.
The Mithridatic forces fleeing back towards their cam, completely disordered by the uneven terrain of their path of retreat are easily slain.
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 ten thousand of the enemy forces survived and escaped to the nearby town.
They add that fourteen Romans were not accounted for at the end of the battle, two of which returned at nightfall, making the Roman casualty count an unbelievable twelve soldiers.
While these figures are obviously inaccurate, as the close range nature of fighting between the infantry forces must have caused heavier Roman losses, the Pontic forces undoubtedly suffered disproportionately heavier casualties.
