Battle of Issus

The Battle of Issus was the third major battle, following the Battle of Nicaea, in 194 between the forces of Emperor Septimus Severus and his rival, Pescennius Niger, Roman governor of Syria who had been acclaimed Emperor by his troops, like Severus, following the death of Pertinax. Severus won decisively and Niger fled back to Antioch and was later killed while attempting to flee to Parthia. The victory was attributed by historians Herodian (Book 3) and Cassius Dio (Book 74) to the numerical advantage enjoyed by Severus (12 legions) compared to six or nine for Niger, even though the latter had created a large supporting force of auxiliaries from amongst the client kingdoms and allies of the East. While this concluded hostilities on the field between the two rivals for control of the East, the city of Byzantium withstood a siege by Severan troops until 196, possibly on the hope that a third rival to the principate, the governor of Britain Clodius Albinus, nominally allied with Niger, would defeat Severus in the West.

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