Battle of Korakesion
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Korakesion, also known as the Battle of Coracesium, was a naval battle fought in 67 BC
between the pirates of Cilicia
and Pompey
of ancient Rome
. Plutarch
describes it as the key battle of Pompey's clearing of the Mediterranean
of pirates after several smaller battles. He writes of the battle that the pirates had about one thousand ships (almost certainly an exaggeration) against Pompey's two hundred, but were defeated in the initial naval engagement.
After retreating to the shore, the pirates were apparently besieged in the town of Coracesium, modern day Alanya
, before surrendering.
67 BC
Year 67 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Piso and Glabrio...
between the pirates of Cilicia
Cilicia
In antiquity, Cilicia was the south coastal region of Asia Minor, south of the central Anatolian plateau. It existed as a political entity from Hittite times into the Byzantine empire...
and Pompey
Pompey
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, also known as Pompey or Pompey the Great , was a military and political leader of the late Roman Republic...
of ancient Rome
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
. Plutarch
Plutarch
Plutarch then named, on his becoming a Roman citizen, Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus , c. 46 – 120 AD, was a Greek historian, biographer, essayist, and Middle Platonist known primarily for his Parallel Lives and Moralia...
describes it as the key battle of Pompey's clearing of the Mediterranean
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
of pirates after several smaller battles. He writes of the battle that the pirates had about one thousand ships (almost certainly an exaggeration) against Pompey's two hundred, but were defeated in the initial naval engagement.
After retreating to the shore, the pirates were apparently besieged in the town of Coracesium, modern day Alanya
Alanya
Alanya , formerly Alaiye, is a beach resort city and a component district of Antalya Province in the Mediterranean Region of Turkey, from the city of Antalya. On the southern coast of Turkey, the district has an area of 1,598.51 km2 and 248,286 inhabitants...
, before surrendering.