Atlas of Battles

battle, notable, ancient

Battle of Elasa

Battle of Elasa was a battle fought in April 160 BC at Elasa, in what is now Israel. It was part of the Maccabean Revolt, which ran from 167 BC to 160 BC. The recorded result: Seleucid victory. Recorded strength: 20,000 infantry; 2,000 cavalry against 800–1,000 soldiers? (ancient sources); Unknown (modern sources).

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Battle of Elasa (Augustin Calmet, c. 1730)
Battle of Elasa (Augustin Calmet, c. 1730). Augustin Calmet, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
FoughtApril 160 BC
WhereElasa, Israel31.876N, 35.208E
OutcomeSeleucid victory
BelligerentsSeleucid EmpireagainstMaccabean rebels
Casualties and lossesUnknownandHeavy
Part ofMaccabean Revolt167 BC to 160 BC

Where it sits in the Maccabean Revolt

Battle of the Ascent of Lebonah, 167 BCBattle of Beth Horon, 166 BCBattle of Emmaus, 165 BCBattle of Beth Zur, 164 BCBattle of Beth Zechariah, 162 BCBattle of Adasa, 161 BCBattle of Elasa, 160 BC167 BC160 BCBattle of Elasa, 160 BC
7 placed engagements of the Maccabean Revolt in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

DateApril 160 BC (month precision)
PlaceElasa, Israel
31.876N, 35.208E
KindBattle, ancient
Strength20,000 infantry; 2,000 cavalry800–1,000 soldiers? (ancient sources); Unknown (modern sources)
Casualties and lossesUnknownHeavy
Commanders
  • Bacchides (general)
Battle of ElasaBattle of ElasaBattle of AdasaAtarot convoyBattle of Ammunition HillBattle of Beth HoronBattle of Beth HoronBattle of AdasaBattle of Beth HoronTel AvivGaza CityHaifaNablusEl ArishNazarethAl KarakAs Suwayda100 km31.876N, 35.208E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 21 times between 1010 BC and 1967.

In the same war

Battle of Elasa is one of 91 engagements of the 2nd century BC in the atlas and one of 152 in present-day Israel.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q1281077, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Elasa, revision 1370439894, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.