| Battle of Histria | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 A map of Scythia Minor showing the ancient Greek polis of Histria, in reference to other polises, where the battle took place. | |||||
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| Belligerents | |||||
| Scythians | Roman Republic | ||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||
| Unknown Bastarnae king, possibly Burebista | Gaius Antonius Hybrida | ||||
| Strength | |||||
| Unknown number of cavalry | Large infantry and cavalry force | ||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||
| Unknown | Entire infantry unit | ||||
The Battle of Histria, c. 62–61 BC, was fought between the Bastarnae peoples of Scythia Minor and the Roman Consul (63 BC) Gaius Antonius Hybrida. The Bastarnae emerged victorious from the battle after successfully launching a surprise attack on the Roman troops; Hybrida escaped alongside his cavalry forces leaving behind the infantry to be massacred by the Bastarnian-Scythian attackers.
In the late 2nd Century BC, the Pontic king Mithridates VI Eupator began a campaign of expansion around the Black Sea and into the interior of Asia Minor in modern-day Turkey. His campaigns led to the subjugation of the Bosporan Kingdom, Scythia Minor including the Black Sea Greek polises of Histria and Tomis, as well as the provinces of Bithynia, Cappadocia and much of Asia Minor. These campaigns led to conflict with the Roman Republic, the outcome of which was the return of Bithynia and Cappadocia to their respective rulers. The Roman Republic then urged the king of Bithynia to invade Pontus with the intent of seizing loot to return to Rome. Mithridates in retaliation conquered Bithynia and Cappadocia once again and began massacring the Roman and Italic populations of Asia Minor with the assistance of the Greeks in what is referred to as the Asiatic Vespers. This led to two further wars between the Roman Republic and Pontus which ended with the death of Mithridates VI, the end of revolts in Greece, Macedonia, and Asia Minor among others, and the subjugation of Armenia.
During this period, Gaius Antonius Hybrida was sent alongside Sulla to Macedonia to assist in the First Mithridatic War in around 87 BC After the end of the First Mithridatic War, while Sulla returned to Rome, Hybrida stayed in Macedonia levying contributions for himself. He was later recalled to Rome. First to face criminal charges in 76 BC resulting in his expulsion from the Senate, and then again in 63 BC to be elected to the position of Roman Consul and to fight the campaign against Catiline. From here he returned to Macedonia where he began incurring into the territory of Lower and Upper Moesia. He was to be attacked and defeated twice during this time, first by the Dardanians in an unknown location and then second near Histria by a coalition of Bastarnian and Scythian peoples, who may have been under the command of the Dacian king Burebista.
Burebista himself took command of the Bastarnae, Scythian, Dacian and Getae peoples sometime between 82 BC and 60 BC. His rule led to a vast expansion of the Dacian kingdom, as far north as the Bug River at Olbia, south into Thrace, east along the Black Sea and west into Moesia and Pannonia. During the civil war between Pompey and Caesar, Pompey sought the assistance of Burebista, however, the Battle of Pharsalus ended any chance of an alliance between the two. Caesar himself had plans to lead a campaign against Dacia, however, both Caesar and Burebista were assassinated in 44 BC and Dacia itself broke apart into several smaller pieces soon after. The Dacians later enjoyed a resurgence in 85–86 AD under the rule of Decebalus, but, were again eventually defeated in 106 by Emperor Trajan who then turned a large portion Dacia into a province of Rome; Roman Dacia.