Lucullus, the consul, was at war with Mithridates the king of Pontus.[1] Landing in the Troad and camping near the precinct of Aphrodite, he thought he saw Aphrodite standing by him during the night, and saying this to him: 'Why are you slumbering, great-hearted lion? Fawns are close by'. With a start he realised that the king's fleet was at anchor nearby; he sailed against it and was victorious in the sea-battle, killing everyone including the general Isidoros.[2] Mithridates fled to Tigranes, the king of the Armenians.[3] Lucullus waged war on Tigranes too, capturing most of his cities and laying siege to [sc. the capital] Tigranocerta.[4] Observing the Roman [army] and calculating that it was easy to count, Tigranes uttered this famous aphorism: 'they are many, if envoys, but if soldiers, few'.[5] Nevertheless, coming to grips with the Roman forces, he realised that his multitude was unable to help him. Antiochus the philosopher, at rate, when mentioning this battle says that the sun never looked down on its like.[6] Strabo says[7] that so effortlessly did the Romans bring about the slaughter of this great mass of men that after the engagement they laughed at themselves for having employed arms against such slaves. And Livy[8] said that he was astonished by this battle, for he says that the Roman had never been drawn up [in numbers] so inferior to the enemy; for the victors were a mere twentieth part of the vanquished.