Cyrus the Younger vs Gaius Terentius Varro

Cyrus the Younger was appointed by his father Darius II as satrap of Lydia, Phrygia, and Cappadocia, and commander of all Persian forces in Anatolia. This gave him a power base for his ambitions.

Cyrus provided financial and military support to Sparta against Athens in the Peloponnesian War. He befriended the Spartan general Lysander, helping Sparta achieve final victory at Aegospotami in 405 BC.

Cyrus's forces engaged Artaxerxes II's army at Cunaxa, near Babylon. Cyrus personally led a charge against his brother but was killed in the fighting. His death ended the rebellion and left the Greek mercenaries stranded.

Cyrus gathered a Greek mercenary army of about 13,000 men and marched from Sardis to Babylon to overthrow his brother Artaxerxes II. The expedition was recorded by Xenophon in the Anabasis.

Varro, as consul, commanded the Roman army against Hannibal at Cannae. The Romans suffered a catastrophic defeat with tens of thousands killed. Varro survived and fled the battlefield, but was not punished by the Senate.

After Cannae, Varro was given command of the legions in Picenum and later in Gaul. He served honorably, raising new troops and defending Roman territories against Carthaginian incursions.

Varro served as proconsul in Etruria, where he conducted military operations against Hannibal's forces. He successfully prevented Carthaginian raids and maintained Roman control over the region.