The Battle of Tenedos of 86 BC was a naval battle between the forces of Mithridates VI of Pontus and those of the Roman Republic. The Roman-allied[1] fleet was led by Lucius Licinius Lucullus while the Pontic fleet was led by Neoptolemus. The Roman-allied fleet was victorious and ended Pontic naval supremacy in the Aegean and allowed the Romans to start transporting their army into Asia-Minor. The battle of Tenedos of 86 BC is part of the First Mithridatic War. There is another battle of Tenedos in 73 BC during the Third Mithridatic War.[1]
After winning two naval engagements Lucullus finally found the main Pontic fleet near the Island of Tenedos. Lucullus himself was on a ship commanded by an experienced Rhodian sailer, one Damagoras, who sailed his ship directly toward Mithridates' commander Neoptolemus. The Pontic admiral sought to ram Lucullus' ship in a head-on-attack. Damagoras skillfully avoided the attack, and Lucullus was able to orchestrate a victory over the Pontic fleet. After the battle Mithridates' naval forces all over the Aegean were in full retreat.[1]
1.^ Since the Romans did not have a fleet at the beginning of the war they borrowed ships and crews of their allies. In this case Lucullus had collected Greek, Cretan, Cyrene, Egyptyian and Rhodian naval contingents.
