The Battle of Chaeronea was fought by the Roman forces of Lucius Cornelius Sulla and Mithridates' general, Archelaus, near Chaeronea, in Boeotia, in 86 BC during the First Mithridatic War. The battle ended with a complete rout of the Pontic army and a decisive victory for the Romans. Forces Pontic troops One of Mithridates generals, Taxiles, and a large force were sent to join up with Archelaus and his forces in the Elatean plains. Baker cites a Roman army of less than 17,000 thousand, excluding allied troops, and the enemy Pontic army outnumbering those troops 5 to 1, or around 85,000 troops. Delbruck presents both a "supposed" figure of 120,000 troops and a reduced figure of a "more modest" 60,000 Asiatics. Delbruck further makes comments on the available primary sources and specifically refers to "vague and boastful" memoirs of Sulla which were the primary source that other historians of the time used, such as Plutarch. Hammond preferred the figure of 60,000 soldiers, which is supplied by Memnon of Heraclea. The Pontic forces are also said to have had 90 scythed chariots. Mithridates' armies were a compound make-up of Greek and Oriental elements, the infantry was made up of Macedonian style phalanxes, with Pontic phalangists for missile units, and the cavalry a combination of horse and scythe-wheeled chariots. Sulla's troops Sulla's forces are approximated to have been around 30,000 men, with Baker commenting that of these less than 17,000 were Romans and the rest were composed of Macedonian and Greek allies. Baker, however, doesn't give a concrete value for the number of Macedonian and Greek soldiers involved in the battle, merely noting a disparity of "over three to one" between the Roman and Pontic troops once the allies are accounted for. The Roman forces were composed of veteran Roman legions and some cavalry. Geography Sulla advanced his army from Athens and into Boeotia, where he met up with Hortensius, who had advanced southward from Thessaly, at Philoboetus. Hortensius himself had moved through the mountains with a guide, intent on avoiding an ambush. Baker remarks that this movement put Sulla in a favourable position, his supplies were secure, wood and water were plentiful, the roads into Thessaly could be watched and guarded with ease, and the hills provided an advantage. Baker describes this position as "commanding the Elatean plain and the valley of Cephisus." Sulla was determined to dictate the time and