Sulla's Trophies

In 86 BCE Sulla broke Mithridates’ European offensive with back‑to‑back victories at Chaeronea and Orchomenus, achieved under acute supply constraints after the sack of Athens.  This cleared Greece of Pontic forces and opened the road to the 85 BCE peace at Dardanus. 

As Mithridates’ general Archelaus leveraged Greek defections (notably Athens under Aristion), Sulla crossed into Greece, besieged and stormed Athens/Piraeus, and financed siege operations by stripping nearby sanctuaries and using the Academy’s groves for timber, signs that he was operating on limited finances.

Mithridates' general, Archelaus, meanwhile, concentrated Pontic strength in Boeotia, drawing Sulla north into the plains around Chaeronea and Orchomenus. 

Chaeronea (early–mid 86 BCE)

Plutarch places Sulla’s line near the Molus stream and the hill of the Mouseion, describing a coordinated Roman push and a local flanking action via a concealed path down on Thourion, which helped crack Archelaus’ position. Two trophies were erected: one by the Molus, another on Thourion recognizing local officers Homoloichos and Anaxidamos. 

"But Sulla says he missed only fourteen of his soldiers, and that afterwards, towards evening, two of these came in. 5 He therefore  p391 inscribed upon his trophies the names of Mars, Victory and Venus,⁠35 in the belief that his success in the war was due no less to good fortune than to military skill and strength. This trophy of the battle in the plain stands on the spot where the troops of Archelaüs first gave way, by the brook Molus, but there is another planted on the crest of Thurium, to commemorate the envelopment of the Barbarians there, and it indicates in Greek letters that Homoloïchus and Anaxidamus were the heroes of the exploit."
- Plutarch, Life of Sulla

Pausanias - writing with Boeotian topography in view - recalls Sulla’s trophies at Chaeronea. 

"There are two trophies erected at Chaeronea by Sulla and the Romans, for the victories over Taxilus and the army of Mithridates."

Both confirm that after defeating the armies under under Taxilus at Chaeronea, Sulla claimed the battlefield via trophies, this will show up again at Orchomenus. 

Orchomenus (autumn 86 BCE)

Archelaus and Dorylaus were both generals of Mithridates, but after Chaeronea they clashed over strategy - Archelaus cautious, Dorylaus aggressive. Dorylaus’ insistence on open battle helped bring about the Pontic army’s destruction. Plutarch 20.1: 

For Dorylaüs, having put in at Chalcis with a large fleet, on which he brought eighty thousand of the best trained and disciplined men in the army of Mithridates, at once burst into Boeotia and occupied the country.

Nevertheless, Archelaüs was much encouraged by the nature of the country about Orchomenus, where they were encamped, since it was most favourable as a battle-field for an army superior in cavalry. For of all the plains of Boeotia this is the largest and fairest, and beginning from the city of Orchomenus, it spreads out smooth and treeless as far as the marshes in which the river Melas loses itself. This rises close under the city of Orchomenus, and is the only Greek river that is copious and navigable at its sources; moreover, it increases towards the time of the summer solstice, like the Nile, and produces plants like those which grow there, only stunted and without fruit.

Sulla changed the terms of battle 

His troops dug ditches and lines to squeeze Pontic cavalry off firm ground toward the marsh. When part of the Roman line wavered, Sulla personally rallied them on the earthworks, “remember Orchomenus”.

Plutarch 21.1

Sulla proceeded to dig trenches on either side, in order that, if possible, he might cut the enemy off from the solid ground which was favourable for the cavalry, and force them into the marshes. The enemy, however, would not suffer this, but when their generals sent them forth, charged impetuously and at full speed, so that not only Sulla's labourers were dispersed, but also the greater part of the corps drawn up to protect them was thrown into confusion and fled. Then Sulla threw himself from his horse, seized an ensign, and pushed his way through the fugitives against the enemy, crying: "For me, O Romans, an honourable death here; but you, when men ask you where you betrayed your commander, remember to tell them, at Orchomenus".

The next day Sulla won a decisive victory. 

Next day Sulla again led his soldiers up to the enemy's fortifications and continued trenching them off, 4 and when the greater part of them came out to give him battle, he engaged with them and routed  them, and such was their panic that no resistance was made, and he took their camp by storm. The marshes were filled with their blood, and the lake with their dead bodies, so that even to this day many bows, helmets, fragments of steel breastplates, and swords of barbarian make are found embedded in the mud, although almost two hundred years have passed since this battle.

SEG 41.448 preserves the memory of Sulla’s battlefield claims :  this drawing is taken from M. Magnisali & T. Bilis, in "10th International Symposium on the Conservation of Monuments in the Mediterranean Basin, p. 639 (Google Books).

The Boeotian victories freed Sulla to move east; he met with Archelaus and progressed to the Peace of Dardanus (85 BCE): Mithridates evacuated Asia and client kingdoms (Bithynia to Nicomedes, Cappadocia to Ariobarzanes), paid 2,000 talents, and provided 70 warships; Sulla confirmed the rest of the king’s domains and Roman friendship.

This coin with 2 trophies at NAC 150 on November 4th! issued 6-84 BC probably celebrates the two victories

Sulla then returned to Rome where his civil‑war campaign would culminate at the Colline Gate (82 BCE). 

The three Trophies on the coin of Faustus are connected by Crawford (RRC) to the signet ring of Pompey the Great (Faustus' father in law).  Cassius Dio however claimed that Sulla had a similar 3 trophies signet ring. 

Cassius Dio (42.18.1-3) - the story of Pompey's death confirmed : When the battle of Pharsalus was announced, they were long incredulous. For Caesar sent no despatch to the government, hesitating to appear to rejoice publicly over such a victory, for which reason also he celebrated no triumph; and furthermore the event was clearly very improbable in view of the relative equipment of the two forces and the hopes entertained. But when at last they gave the story credence, they removed the images of Pompey and of Sulla that stood upon the rostra, but did nothing further at the time. Many, indeed, did not wish to do even this, and many also, fearing that Pompey might renew the strife, regarded this as quite enough for Caesar and expected that it would be a fairly simple matter to placate Pompey on account of it. Even when he (Pompey) had died, they did not believe it for a long time, not, in fact, until they saw his seal-ring that had been sent; it had three trophies carved on it, as had that of Sulla. 

Mackay argues that Sulla’s later three-trophy device can be read as Cilicia + Achaea (Chaeronea/Orchomenos) + Italy (Colline Gate); see his discussion of the Colline Gate battle and its commemoration (esp. pp. 194–197) and his argument about the three trophies (pp. 207–209). The “victory in Italy” would be Sulla’s defeat of the Samnite-led army at the Colline Gate (Porta Collina) outside Rome on 1 Nov 82 BC. While it certainly seems possible that Sulla would have claimed 3 victories - I prefer Crawford's choice to dismiss the note from Dio.

Another data point on this topic - suggesting that the dual trophies are both from Chaeronea - and the two trophies - on this coin

"The dual trophies at Chaironeia may have had a special significance for Sulla. The final issue of Athenian New Style tetradrachms minted for Sulla shows a pair of trophies on the reverse.  In addition, aurei and denarii minted by Sulla at Rome, probably in late 82 or early 81, have the head of Venus on theobverse and a pair of trophies on the reverse. It is tempting to associate these pairs of trophies on the coins with the dual trophies of Chaironeia.26 According to Cassius Dio (42.18), Sulla's signet was carved with a design of three trophies. The third trophy may have commemorated Sulla's subsequent victory at Orchomenos. The importance of these three trophies is indicated by the fact that they displaced Sulla's earlier signet, which depicted the surrender of Jugurtha by Bocchus."

References:

• Frier, Bruce W. “Augural Symbolism in Sulla's Invasion of 83.” Museum Notes (American Numismatic Society) 13 (1967): 111–18.

• Frier, Bruce W. “Sulla's Priesthood.” Arethusa 2, no. 2 (1969): 187–99.

• Camp, John, Michael Ierardi, Jeremy McInerney, Kathryn Morgan, and Gretchen Umholtz. “A Trophy from the Battle of Chaironeia of 86 B.C.” American Journal of Archaeology 96, no. 3 (July 1992): 443–55.  

• Badian, Ernst. “Sulla's Augurate.” Arethusa 1, no. 1 (1968): 26–46.

• Mackay, Christopher S. “Sulla and the Monuments: Studies in His Public Persona.” Historia: Zeitschrift Für Alte Geschichte 49, no. 2 (2000): 161–210. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4436575.

• Petrochilos, Nikolaos. “The Tropaion of Sulla over Mithridates VI Eupator: A First Approach,” n.d.

• The people of the Oropians [dedicated this to] Lucius Cornelius Sulla, son of Lucius, Epaphroditus (“favored of Aphrodite”), their savior and benefactor, [in gratitude] to Amphiaraos. https://epigraphy.packhum.org/text/180627