{"slug": "taurus-mountains", "label": "Taurus Mountains", "wikipedia": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taurus_Mountains", "wikidata": "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q172556", "qid": "Q172556", "description": "mountain range", "entries": 13, "years": 13, "span": [-400, 1137], "span_label": ["401 BCE", "1137 CE"], "topics": [{"title": "Conflict & Security", "count": 11}, {"title": "Exploration & Expansion", "count": 1}, {"title": "Religion & Belief", "count": 1}], "related": [{"slug": "asia-minor", "label": "Asia Minor", "shared": 4}, {"slug": "phrygia", "label": "Phrygia", "shared": 3}, {"slug": "syria", "label": "Syria", "shared": 3}, {"slug": "seleucid", "label": "Seleucid", "shared": 3}, {"slug": "byzantine-empire", "label": "Byzantine Empire", "shared": 2}, {"slug": "arabbyzantine-wars", "label": "Arab–Byzantine wars", "shared": 2}, {"slug": "anatolia", "label": "Anatolia", "shared": 2}, {"slug": "antiochus-iii-the-great", "label": "Antiochus III the Great", "shared": 2}, {"slug": "turkey", "label": "Turkey", "shared": 2}, {"slug": "cilicia", "label": "Cilicia", "shared": 2}, {"slug": "ancient-greece", "label": "Ancient Greece", "shared": 2}, {"slug": "armenia", "label": "Armenia", "shared": 1}], "items": [{"year": -400, "year_label": "401 BCE", "section": "Conflict & Security", "date": null, "text": "Cyrus the Younger uses a quarrel with Tissaphernes over the Ionian cities as a pretext for gathering a large army and also pretends to prepare an expedition to Pisidia, in the Taurus Mountains. Cyrus starts out with about 15,220 men, of whom 10,400 are Greek mercenaries. When he reaches the Euphrates River at Thapsacus, he announces that he is marching against Artaxerxes II. He advances unopposed into Babylonia; but Artaxerxes, warned at the last moment by Tissaphernes, hastily gathers an army. The two forces meet in the Battle of Cunaxa, north of Babylon, where Cyrus is slain.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1242237123#Persian_empire", "title": "401 BC", "revid": 1242237123, "section": "Events › By place › Persian empire"}}, {"year": -312, "year_label": "313 BCE", "section": "Exploration & Expansion", "date": null, "text": "Antigonus, after finding a pass across the Taurus Mountains that was still open, marches his main army into Asia Minor and goes into winter quarters in Celaenae in Phrygia. Meanwhile, Antigonus' admiral Medius is ordered to sail the new Antigonid fleet from Phoenicia into the Aegean. On route he captures one of Cassander's fleets (the one that had escorted Prepelaus to Asia Minor).", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1300255025#Asia_Minor", "title": "313 BC", "revid": 1300255025, "section": "Events › By place › Asia Minor"}}, {"year": -285, "year_label": "286 BCE", "section": "Conflict & Security", "date": null, "text": "As Demetrius Poliorcetes and his army are chased across Asia Minor to the Taurus Mountains by the armies of Lysimachus and Seleucus, in Greece his son Antigonus meets with success. Ptolemy's fleet is driven off and Athens surrenders to Antigonus.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1156902149#Greece", "title": "286 BC", "revid": 1156902149, "section": "Events › By place › Greece"}}, {"year": -235, "year_label": "236 BCE", "section": "Conflict & Security", "date": null, "text": "Antiochus Hierax, supported by his mother Laodice I, allies himself with the Galatians (Celts) and two other states that are traditional foes of the Seleucid kingdom. With the aid of these forces, he inflicts a crushing defeat on his older brother Seleucus II's army at Ancyra in Anatolia. Seleucus leaves the country beyond the Taurus Mountains to his brother and the other powers of the peninsula.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1368088891#Asia_Minor", "title": "236 BC", "revid": 1368088891, "section": "Events › By place › Asia Minor"}}, {"year": -214, "year_label": "215 BCE", "section": "Conflict & Security", "date": null, "text": "The Seleucid king, Antiochus III, crosses the Taurus Mountains, uniting his forces with Attalus of Pergamum and, in one campaign, deprives his rebel general, Achaeus, of all his dominions and takes Sardis (with the exception of the citadel).", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1337286145#Seleucid_Empire", "title": "215 BC", "revid": 1337286145, "section": "Events › By place › Seleucid Empire"}}, {"year": -187, "year_label": "188 BCE", "section": "Conflict & Security", "date": null, "text": "Through the peace treaty of Apamea (in Phrygia), the Romans force the Seleucid king, Antiochus III, to surrender all his Greek and Anatolian possessions as far east as the Taurus Mountains, to pay 15,000 talents over a period of 12 years and to surrender to Rome the former Carthaginian general Hannibal, his elephants and his fleet, and furnish hostages, including the king's eldest son, Demetrius. Rome is now the master of the eastern Mediterranean while Antiochus III's empire is reduced to Syria, Mesopotamia, and western Iran.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1369560521#Roman_Republic", "title": "188 BC", "revid": 1369560521, "section": "Events › By place › Roman Republic"}}, {"year": -38, "year_label": "39 BCE", "section": "Conflict & Security", "date": null, "text": "Marcus Antonius dispatches Publius Ventidius Bassus with 11 legions to the East and drives Quintus Labienus out of Asia Minor. Labienus retreats into Syria, where he receives Parthian reinforcements. Ventidius finally defeats him in the battle at the Taurus Mountains.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1326022052#Roman_Republic", "title": "39 BC", "revid": 1326022052, "section": "Events › By place › Roman Republic"}}, {"year": 638, "year_label": "638 CE", "section": "Conflict & Security", "date": null, "text": "Arab-Byzantine War: The invading Rashidun army under Khalid ibn al-Walid moves into Anatolia, conquering (without strong Byzantine resistance) the cities of Kahramanmaraş, Caesarea Cappadociae, Sebastia, and Malatya (west of the Taurus Mountains). Arab forces march into Armenia, where they capture the cities Edessa and Amida up to the Ararat plain.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1369557443#Arabian_Empire", "title": "638", "revid": 1369557443, "section": "Events › By place › Arabian Empire"}}, {"year": 641, "year_label": "641 CE", "section": "Conflict & Security", "date": null, "text": "Constans II establishes a new civil-military defensive organisation, based upon geographical military districts. Byzantine forces maintain the frontier, along the line of the Taurus Mountains (Southern Turkey).", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1364764166#Byzantine_Empire", "title": "641", "revid": 1364764166, "section": "Events › By place › Byzantine Empire"}}, {"year": 692, "year_label": "692 CE", "section": "Conflict & Security", "date": null, "text": "Arab–Byzantine War: Muslims conquer Armenia, Iberia and Colchis, the last remaining Byzantine holdings east of the Taurus Mountains. Emperor Justinian II is forced to agree to joint Byzantine-Arab control of Cyprus, in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea (approximate date).", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1340806257#Byzantine_Empire", "title": "692", "revid": 1340806257, "section": "Events › By place › Byzantine Empire"}}, {"year": 698, "year_label": "698 CE", "section": "Conflict & Security", "date": null, "text": "Autumn–winter – The Byzantine general Heraclius, brother of Tiberios III, crosses the mountain passes of the Taurus Mountains into Cilicia with an army. He launches a campaign in Syria, defeats an Arab force from Antioch, and raids as far as Samosata (modern Turkey).", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1340806584#Byzantine_Empire", "title": "698", "revid": 1340806584, "section": "Events › By place › Byzantine Empire"}}, {"year": 782, "year_label": "782 CE", "section": "Religion & Belief", "date": null, "text": "Arab–Byzantine War: Arab forces (95,000 men) under Harun al-Rashid, son of the Abbasid caliph Al-Mahdi, cross the Taurus Mountains and capture the Byzantine border fortress of Magida. Harun leaves his lieutenant Al-Rabi' ibn Yunus to besiege the city of Nakoleia (Phrygia), while another force (30,000 men), probably under Yahya ibn Khalid, is sent to raid the western coastlands of Asia Minor. Harun himself, with the main army, advances to the Opsician Theme.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1267081621#Abbasid_Empire", "title": "782", "revid": 1267081621, "section": "Events › By place › Abbasid Empire"}}, {"year": 1137, "year_label": "1137 CE", "section": "Conflict & Security", "date": null, "text": "Spring – Emperor John II (Komnenos) leads a Byzantine expeditionary force into Cilicia (the Byzantine fleet guards his flank). He defeats the Armenians under Prince Leo I (\"Lord of the Mountains\"), and captures the cities of Mersin, Tarsus, Adana and Mamistra. Leo retreats to the great fortifications of Anazarbus – where its garrison resists for 37 days. The Byzantine siege engines batter down its walls, and the city is forced to surrender. Leo escapes into the Taurus Mountains, while the Byzantine forces march southward into the plain of Antioch.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1362157430#Byzantine_Empire", "title": "1137", "revid": 1362157430, "section": "Events › By place › Byzantine Empire"}}]}