Battle of Faventia
Part ofSulla's Second Civil War
Roman era gate at Faventia.
Date September, 82 BC Location Faenza,Roman Republic Result Optimate victory
Belligerents
Optimates	Populares
Commanders and leaders
Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius	Gaius Norbanus Balbus
Strength
20,000Legionaries	25,000 Legionaries
Casualties and losses
Low	9,000–10,000 killed and 6,000 defected (all but 1,000 lost)[1]

TheBattle of Faventia took place in September of 82 BC atFaventia during the context ofSulla's Second Civil War. The battle pitted theOptimates under the command ofQuintus Caecilius Metellus Pius against thePopulares forces commanded byGaius Norbanus Balbus. The battle resulted in an Optimate victory.

Through the course of the campaign of 82 BC, the Populares forces had divided into two groups, those in the north under the command ofGnaeus Papirius Carbo, and those in the south who were commanded byGaius Marius the Younger. Sulla had successfully defeated MariusBattle of Sacriporto and had managed to pin Marius and his fellow survivors under a siege atPreneste. Rome itself soon after had fallen to theOptimates. Soon after, the war had shifted toEtruria where Sulla engaged in a pitched cavalry skirmish against Popular forces near theGlanis River, emerging victorious.^[2] His forces managed to defeat those of Gnaeus Papirius Carbo after expelling Carbo fromPicenum.

After expelling Carbo's forces from Picenum,Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius camped atFaventia having decided to wait for the arrival ofGaius Norbanus Balbus who was marching with his army fromCisalpine Gaul. At the beginning of September, Norbanus Balbus arrived in the region and marched his forces towards Metellus' camp. No sooner had Norbanus Balbus arrived than he gave battle to Metellus' army. His soldiers were tired from their long march and were quickly routed. Norbanus Balbus' army retreated through avineyard and many of his forces were slaughtered there as they ran. Those that escaped, Norbanus Balbus amongst them, directed themselves towardsAriminum.^[3]

• Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix

• Appian,The Civil Wars.

• Gabba, Emilio (1958).Appiani bellorum civile liber primus (in Italian).Florence:La Nuova Italia.
• Lovano, Michael (2002).The Age of Cinna: Cruciable of Late Republican Rome.Stuttgart:Franz Steiner Veralg.ISBN 978-3-515-07948-8.
• Mommsen, Theodor (1856a).Historia de Roma. Vol. 3. Translated byAlejo García Moreno.Madrid:Turner.ISBN 978-84-7506-607-3.{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)

• 82 BC
• 80s BC conflicts
• Battles of Sulla's second civil war
• Military history of Faenza

• CS1 maint: location missing publisher
• CS1 Italian-language sources (it)
• CS1 errors: ISBN date