Battle of Thermopylae (191 BC)

Battle of Thermopylae
Part of the Roman–Seleucid War
Date 191 BC Location Thermopylae Result Decisive Roman victory
Belligerents
Roman Republic	Seleucid Empire
Commanders and leaders
Manius Acilius Glabrio	Antiochus III the Great
Strength
22,000 and a few elephants	10,500 and some allies
Casualties and losses
According to traditional accounts only 200 Romans killed or wounded	10,000 killed and prisoners

The Battle of Thermopylae was fought in 191 BC between a Roman army led by consul Manius Acilius Glabrio and a Seleucid force led by King Antiochus III the Great. The Romans were victorious, and as a result, Antiochus was forced to flee Greece.

Antiochus had hoped to use terrain to his advantage to defeat the Romans, taking inspiration from the Greek city-states' stand against the Persians. However, his army was not composed of professional soldiers as the Spartans (and their allies to a lesser extent) were, and the path the Persians used to outflank the Greeks was now relatively well known. Far from making a valiant stand, the Seleucid army was annihilated while the Romans suffered minimal casualties.

The battle reaffirmed the strength of Rome's maniple against the Greek phalanx, especially in battles fought in more than one direction at a time.

The battle was described by Appian (included below) and by Livy at 36.16-19.

Appian's account:

Coordinates: 38°48′00″N 22°32′00″E / 38.8000°N 22.5333°E / 38.8000; 22.5333

...
Wikipedia