Plutarch: Lives of the noble Grecians and Romans
day came, Lucullus brought out his forces under arms. The
barbarian army stood on the eastern side of the river, and there
being a bend of the river westward in that part of it, where it was
easiest forded, Lucullus, while he led his army on in haste, seemed
to Tigranes to be flying; who thereupon called Taxiles, and in
derision said, "Do you not see these invincible Romans flying?"
But Taxiles replied, "Would, indeed, O king, that some such
unlikely piece of fortune might be destined you; but the Romans do
not, when going on a march, put on their best clothes, nor use
bright shields, and naked headpieces, as now you see them, with the
leathern coverings all taken off, but this is a preparation for war
of men just ready to engage with their enemies." While Taxiles was
thus speaking, as Lucullus wheeled about, the first eagle appeared,
and the cohorts, according to their divisions and companies, formed
in order to pass over, when with much ado, and like a man that is
just recovering from a drunken fit, Tigranes cried out twice or
thrice, "What, are they upon us?" In great confusion, therefore,
the army got in array, the king keeping the main body to himself,
while the left wing was given in charge to the Adiabenian, and the
right to the Mede, in the front of which latter were posted most of
the heavy-armed cavalry. Some officers advised Lucullus, just as
he was going to cross the river, to lie still, that day being one
of the unfortunate ones which they call black days, for on it the
army under Caepio, engaging with the Cimbrians, was destroyed. But
he returned the famous answer, "I will make it a happy day to the
Romans." It was the day before the nones of October.
Having so said, he bade them take courage, passed over the river,
and himself first of all led them against the enemy, clad in a coat
of mail, with shining steel scales and a fringed mantle; and his
sword might already be seen out of the scabbard, as if to signify
that they must without delay come to a hand-to-hand combat with an
enemy whose skill was in distant fighting, and by the speed of
their advance curtail the space that exposed them to the archery.
But when he saw the heavy-armed horse, the flower of the army,
drawn up under a hill, on the top of which was a broad and open
plain about four furlongs distant, and of no very difficult or
troublesome access, he commanded his Thracian and Galatian horse to
fall upon their flank, and beat down their lances with their
swords. The only defense of these horsemen-at-arms are their
lances; they have nothing else that they can use to protect
themselves, or annoy their enemy, on account of the weight and
stiffness of their armor, with which they are, as it were, built
up. He himself, with two cohorts, made to the mountain, the
soldiers briskly following, when they saw him in arms afoot first
toiling and climbing up. Being on the top and standing in an open
place, with a loud voice he cried out, "We have overcome, we have
overcome, fellow-soldiers!" And having so said, he marched against
the armed horsemen, commanding his men not to throw their javelins,
but coming up hand to hand with the enemy, to hack their shins and
thighs, which parts alone were unguarded in these heavy-armed
horsemen. But there was no need of this way of fighting, for they
stood not to receive the Romans, but with great clamor and worse
flight they and their heavy horses threw themselves upon the ranks
of the foot, before ever these could so much as begin the fight,
insomuch that without a wound or bloodshed, so many thousands were
overthrown. The greatest slaughter was made in the flight, or
rather in the endeavoring to fly away, which they could not well do
by reason of the depth and closeness of their own ranks, which
hindered them. Tigranes at first fled with a few, but seeing his
son in the same misfortune, he took the diadem from his head, and
with tears gave it him, bidding him save himself by some other road
if he could. But the young man, not daring to put it on, gave it
to one of his trustiest servants to keep for him. This man, as it
happened, being taken, was brought to Lucullus, and so, among the
captives, the crown, also, of Tigranes was taken. It is stated
that above a hundred thousand foot were lost, and that of the horse
but very few escaped at all. Of the Romans, a hundred were
wounded, and five killed. Antiochus the philosopher, making
mention of this fight in his book about the gods, says that the sun
never saw the like. Strabo, a second philosopher, in his
historical collection says, that the Romans could not but blush and
deride themselves, for putting on armor against such pitiful
slaves. Livy also says, that the Romans never fought an enemy with
such unequal forces, for the conquerors were not so much as one
twentieth part of the number of the conquered. The most sagacious
and experienced Roman commanders made it a chief commendation of
Lucullus, that he had conquered two great and potent kings by two
most opposite ways, haste and delay. For he wore out the
flourishing power of Mithridates by delay and time, and crushed
that of Tigranes by haste; being one of the rare examples of
generals who made use of delay for active achievement, and speed
for security.
On this account it was that Mithridates had made no haste to come
up to fight, imagining Lucullus would, as he had done before, use
caution and delay, which made him march at his leisure to join
Tigranes. And first, as he began to meet some straggling Armenians
in the way, making off in great fear and consternation, he
suspected the worst, and when greater numbers of stripped and
wounded men met him and assured him of the defeat, he set out to
seek for Tigranes. And finding him destitute and humiliated, he by
no means requited him with insolence, but alighting from his horse,
and condoling with him on their common loss, he gave him his own
royal guard to attend him, and animated him for the future. And
they together gathered fresh forces about them. In the city
Tigranocerta, the Greeks meantime, dividing from the barbarians,
sought to deliver it up to Lucullus, and he attacked and took it.
He seized on the treasure himself, but gave the city to be
plundered by the soldiers, in which were found, amongst other
property, eight thousand talents of coined money. Besides this,
also, he distributed eight hundred drachmas to each man, out of the
spoils. When he understood that many players were taken in the
city, whom Tigranes had invited from all parts for opening the
theater which he had built, he made use of them for celebrating his
triumphal games and spectacles. The Greeks he sent home, allowing
them money for their journey, and the barbarians also, as many as
had been forced away from their own dwellings. So that by this one
city being dissolved, many, by the restitution of their former
inhabitants, were restored. By all of which Lucullus was beloved
as a benefactor and founder. Other successes, also, attended him,
such as he well deserved, desirous as he was far more of praise for
acts of justice and clemency, than for feats in war, these being
due partly to the soldiers, and very greatly to fortune, while
those are the sure proofs of a gentle and liberal soul; and by such
aids Lucullus, at that time, even without the help of arms,
succeeded in reducing the barbarians. For the kings of the
Arabians came to him, tendering what they had, and with them the
Sophenians also submitted. And he so dealt with the Gordyenians,
that they were willing to leave their own habitations, and to
follow him with their wives and children. Which was for this
cause. Zarbienus, king of the Gordyenians, as has been told, being
impatient under the tyranny of Tigranes, had by Appius secretly
made overtures of confederacy with Lucullus, but, being discovered,
was executed, and his wife and children with him, before the Romans
entered Armenia. Lucullus forgot not this, but coming to the
Gordyenians made a solemn interment in honor of Zarbienus, and
adorning the funeral pile with royal robes, and gold, and the
spoils of Tigranes, he himself in person kindled the fire, and
poured in perfumes with the friends and relations of the deceased,
calling him his companion and the confederate of the Romans. He
ordered, also, a costly monument to be built for him. There was a
large treasure of gold and silver found in Zarbienus's palace, and
no less than three million measures of corn, so that the soldiers
were provided for, and Lucullus had the high commendation of
maintaining the war at its own charge, without receiving one
drachma from the public treasury.
After this came an embassy from the king of Parthia to him,
desiring amity and confederacy; which being readily embraced by
Lucullus, another was sent by him in return to the Parthian, the
members of which discovered him to be a double-minded man, and to
be dealing privately at the same time with Tigranes, offering to
take part with him, upon condition Mesopotamia were delivered up to
him. Which as soon as Lucullus understood, he resolved to pass by
Tigranes and Mithridates as antagonists already overcome, and to
try the power of Parthia, by leading his army against them,
thinking it would be a glorious result, thus in one current of war,
like an athlete in the games, to throw down three kings one after
another, and successively to deal as a conqueror with three of the
greatest powers under heaven. He sent, therefore, into Pontus to
Sornatius and his colleagues, bidding them bring the army thence,
and join with him in his expedition out of Gordyene. The soldiers
there, however, who had been restive and unruly before, now openly
displayed their mutinous temper. No manner of entreaty or force
availed with them, but they protested and cried out that they would
stay no longer even there, but would go away and desert Pontus.
The news of which, when reported to Lucullus, did no small harm to
the soldiers about him, who were already corrupted with wealth and
plenty, and desirous of ease. And on hearing the boldness of the
others, they called them men, and declared they themselves ought to
follow their example, for the actions which they had done did now
well deserve release from service, and repose.
Upon these and worse words, Lucullus gave up the thoughts of
invading Parthia, and in the height of summertime, went against
Tigranes. Passing over Taurus, he was filled with apprehension at
the greenness of the fields before him, so long is the season
deferred in this region by the coldness of the air. But,
nevertheless, he went down, and twice or thrice putting to flight
the Armenians who dared to come out against him, he plundered and
burnt their villages, and seizing on the provision designed for
Tigranes, reduced his enemies to the necessity which he had feared
for himself. But when, after doing all he could to provoke the
enemy to fight, by drawing entrenchments round their camp and by
burning the country before them, he could by no means bring them to
venture out, after their frequent defeats before, he rose up and
marched to Artaxata, the royal city of Tigranes, where his wives
and young children were kept, judging that Tigranes would never
suffer that to go without the hazard of a battle. It is related
that Hannibal, the Carthaginian, after the defeat of Antiochus by
the Romans, coming to Artaxas, king of Armenia, pointed out to him
many other matters to his advantage, and observing the great
natural capacities and the pleasantness of the site, then lying
unoccupied and neglected, drew a model of a city for it, and
bringing Artaxas thither, showed it to him and encouraged him to
build. At which the king being pleased, and desiring him to