Zela

Zela is an old city. In the nineteenth century BCE, Assyrian merchants who were trading with Anatolia, recorded the name of the road station and called it Durchamit. A couple of centuries later, a town called Durmitta is mentioned in Hittite texts. After the Persian king Cyrus the Great had conquered Cappadocia in the mid-sixth century, the town became an important cult center of the Iranian water goddess Anahita, and retained some autonomy. Its high priest was recognized as ruler of what was called Zelonitis. The Graeco-Roman author Strabo, a native of nearby Amasia, explains how the sanctuary was founded: 

The Sacae advanced as far as the country of the Cappadocians [...]. But when they were holding a general festival and enjoying their booty, they were attacked by night by the Persian generals who were then in that region, and utterly wiped out. And these generals, heaping up a mound of earth over a certain rock in the plain, completed it in the form of a hill, and erected on it a wall, and established the temple of Anaïtis [Anahita] and the gods who share her altar - Omanus and Anadatus, Persian deities; and they instituted an annual sacred festival, the Sacaea, which the inhabitants of Zela (for thus the place is called) continue to celebrate to the present day.

After the overthrow of the Achaemenid Empire by Alexander the Great (336-323), the district belonged to the zone of influence of the Seleucid Empire, but after the Peace of Apamea in 188, it was part of the kingdom of Pontus.

The town was situated on a plain and was well fortified, because it was built on hill that sustained the walls on all sides. It controlled the road from Amasia (the capital of the kingdom of Pontus) to the Anatolian highland and was therefore of some strategic importance. 

In the neighborhood of the town, the kings of Pontus and the Romans fought for two major battles. In 67 BCE, Mithridates VI of Pontus, who had already been defeated by the Roman commander Lucius Licinius Lucullus, returned to his kingdom with a new army, and defeated Lucullus' deputy Gaius Valerius Triarius at Zela. (The story is told by Appian of Alexandria, Mithridatic War, 88). As a result of his deputee's defeat, Lucullus was recalled and replaced by Pompey the Great, who -according to Strabo- "added considerable territory to the small town, which belonged for the most part to the temple slaves" (Geography, 11.8.5).

After the second battle, Zela was a safe possession of the Roman world, and benefited from the rapid urbanization of the Anatolian highland during the reign of Augustus. It belonged to the province of Cappadocia, but was transferred to Galatia by Nero.

The battle of Zela

When Caesar arrived in Syria, from Egypt [where he had spent the winter with Cleopatra], and learned that the government at Rome was badly and injudiciously conducted [...], thought it was yet first incumbent upon him to settle the state of the provinces through which he passed [...]. This he hoped soon to effect in Syria, Cilicia, and Asia, because these provinces were not involved in war. In Bithynia and Pontus indeed he expected more trouble, because he understood Pharnaces [the son of Rome's archenemy Mithridates VI of Pontus] still continued in the latter, and was not likely to quit it easily, being flushed with [an earlier] victory [...].

After a stay of some days in these parts, he named Sextus Julius Caesar, his friend and relation, to the command of Syria and the legions appointed to guard it; and sailed himself for Cilicia, with the fleet he had brought from Egypt. [...] Advancing through Cappadocia [...], he stopped two days at Mazaca and arrived at Comana. [...] Upon his approaching Pontus, and the frontiers of Galatia, Deiotarus, ruler of that province [...], came in a suppliant manner to Caesar, to beg forgiveness for assisting Pompey with his army [during the battle of Pharsalus] [...]. Caesar restored him and commanded him to join him with all his cavalry, and the legion he had trained up after the Roman manner.

Caesar arrived in Pontus and drew all his forces together, which were not very considerable, either for their number or discipline. The sixth legion, which was composed of veterans that he had brought with him from Alexandria, [had been] reduced to less than a thousand men. He also had the legion of Deiotarus, and two more that had been in the [earlier] battle [...].

Ambassadors arrived from Pharnaces, "to entreat that Caesar would not come as an enemy, for he would submit to all his commands." [....] Pharnaces promised every thing, but [tried] to elude his engagements. Caesar, perceiving his drift, did now, out of necessity, what he was usually wont to do through inclination, and resolved to decide the affair as soon as possible by a battle.

Zela is a fortified town in Pontus [...]. All around is a great number of large mountains, intersected by valleys. The highest of these, which is celebrated for the victory of Mithridates, the defeat of Triarius, and the destruction of our army, is not above three miles from Zela, and has a ridge that almost extends to the town. Here Pharnaces encamped, with all his forces, repairing the fortifications of a position which had proved so fortunate to his father.[1]

Pharnaces perceived this, and next morning ranged all his troops in order of battle before his camp. Caesar, on account of the disadvantage of the ground, believed that the king was reviewing them according to military discipline, or with a view to retard his works, by keeping a great number of his men under arms, or through the confidence of the king, that he might not seem to defend his position by his fortifications rather than by force. Therefore, keeping only his first line in order of battle, Caesar commanded the rest of the army to go on with their works.

Caesar, astonished at his incredible rashness and confidence, and finding himself suddenly and unexpectedly attacked, called off his soldiers from the works, ordered them to arms, opposed the legions to the enemy, and ranged his troops in order of battle. The suddenness of the thing occasioned some terror at first. Our ranks were not yet formed, when the scythed chariots disordered and confused our soldiers. However, the multitude of darts discharged against them soon put a stop to their advance.

The enemy's army followed them close, and began the battle with a shout. Our advantageous situation, but especially the assistance of the gods, who preside over all the events of war, and more particularly those where human conduct can be of no service, favored us greatly on this occasion.

After a sharp and obstinate conflict, victory began to declare for us on the right wing, where the sixth legion was posted. The enemy there were totally overthrown, but, in the center and left, the battle was long and doubtful; however, with the assistance of the gods, we at last prevailed there also, and drove them with the utmost precipitation down the hill which they had so easily ascended before. Great numbers were slain, and many were crushed by the flight of their own troops [...]. Our victorious men did not hesitate to advance up the disadvantageous ground and attack their fortifications, which they soon forced, notwithstanding the resistance made by the troops left by Pharnaces to guard it. Almost the whole army was cut to pieces or made prisoners. Pharnaces himself escaped, with a few horse; and had not the attack on the camp given him an opportunity of fleeing without pursuit, he must certainly have fallen alive into Caesar's hands.