The year is 69BC. The place is Tigranocerta, the golden city of the ancient empire of Armenia. On one side, the forces of the Roman Republic under the Roman General Lucullus. On the other side, Tigran the Great, King of Armenia; one of the most powerful rulers of the near-east.
For five years Rome had been at war with the kingdom of Pontus, in today’s central Turkey. After a series of crushing defeats at the hands of the Roman legions, the Pontic King Mithridates fled to his ally and son-in-law Tigran. Tigran had transformed Armenia into one of the most powerful empires in the east. As a testament to his own success Tigran built a royal city, Tigranocerta on the borders of Armenia and Mesopotamia. It was here where the King of Pontus, Mithridates took refuge from the Romans.
Time Commanders – BBC
Time Commanders is a BBC TV show where a contest takes place in which teams fight each other in virtual reruns of the world’s greatest battles. In the first two series, team of four contestants would direct the forces on one side. The teams were unfamiliar with computer games, to make sure their gaming skills did not influence their success.
During each game, a pair of military specialists analyse the performance of the players and explain how the real historical battle unfolded.