Numahr
12-20-2006, 16:29
I had started a Pontic campaign. I stopped it because of the devs stating Pontus was not complete enough for a good game experience. Sad to abandon my game, I decided to share the last battle I played with this wonderful little faction…
Context
In 260 BC, a new power was rising in Anatolia: the Pontic kingdom.
In a couple of years, the tiny kingdom based in the remote Pontic montains had conquered the major Greek harbours of Samsun and Trabzon, thus gaining a lucrative maritime façade. So wanted Mithridates I Ktistes, the founder of the Pontic dynasty. He died a few years after having witnessed this success.
His successor was ambitious too. The Seleucid dynasty, already at war with all its neighbours, friends of Pontus, could not deserve much attention to the defense of Mazaka, just a few hundred kilometers south of the Pontic capital. In 262, Mazaka’s weakened garrison was raided and the city added to Pontic possessions.
In 260, the powerful Seleucid Empire stroke back and sent a powerful army to retaliate against Pontus.
The Pontic General in Chief, a Hellene
https://img311.imageshack.us/img311/3600/0161zm5gx7.jpg
https://img311.imageshack.us/img311/5399/0160tv2bu6.jpg
The Seleucid Empire claims to be the sole legitimate heir of Alexander the Greek in Asia Minor… Yet Greeks have massively rallied to the Pontic cause. The Pontic General, Ariarathes Herakleotes, is one of these Hellenes with a mixed Greek/Persian culture. He conquered Samsun 10 years ago and then on ruled the city, preserving Greek culture and customs. Being a good and serious administrator, he supported the city architectural and commercial development. But lacking charisma, unable to appeal to the masses, he eventually left his position to a local politician, less skilled in pure administration but a good speaker and beloved by the locals. Ariarathes then came back to Amasia, advising the King in military matters.
The new Pontic army
The Pontic kings had conquered the Greek costal cities with an army composed of Persian infantrymen trained to form phalanx à la Macedonian. But the Empire has grown and now encompasses multiple ethnicities.The army evolved too and reflects this diversity.
In the last few years, Ariarathes Herakleotes has trained a unit of Persian hellenized phalanx, the traditional core of the Pontic army. But his real contribution is the enrolment of numerous poorly equipped, but fanatical, Greek militia who admire him and are ready to die for him. In addition, Pontic nobles, hastily levied peasants and mercenary Galatian celtic infantry complete this very multi-ethnic army. The Seleucid counter-attack will be its first test…
The Battle for the Mazaka plateau
The Seleucid army was spotted in the vicinities of Mazaka at the end of the winter of 260. It comprised mostly superiorly trained and equiped phalanx soldiers, supported by skilled Judean light infantrymen. Ariarathes Herakleotes decided to meet the invaders immediately, fully confident in his new battle system. The two armies clashed on the snowy Anatolian plateau…
Ariarathes let the Seleucid heavy infantry make contact with his relatively weaker infantry line, giving orders and encouraging them from just a few meters behind.
https://img311.imageshack.us/img311/4423/0004qg2.jpg
On the right flank, the Pontic levies holding their line, for how long? They stand no chance against the well-organized Seleucid phalanx...
https://img168.imageshack.us/img168/9224/0003hc7.jpg
On the left flank, the Pontic phalanx resists easily the light Judean soldiers
https://img310.imageshack.us/img310/464/0005dj5.jpg
On the centre, the heroic Greek militia are furiously engaged by their cousins serving the Seleucid tyranny…
https://img310.imageshack.us/img310/2707/0006cg5.jpg
They have weaker equipment and are less numerous but hold the line!
https://img310.imageshack.us/img310/1329/0007vp3.jpg
https://img310.imageshack.us/img310/1452/0010cl4.jpg
This buys time for the Pontic skirmishers to exploit gaps in the contact line
https://img311.imageshack.us/img311/738/0008qc0.jpg
https://img310.imageshack.us/img310/18/0011jn1.jpg
However the powerful Seleucid army holds despite heavy losses. This Seleucid officer has destroyed the levy spearmen and commands his men to press their advantage
https://img311.imageshack.us/img311/7798/0014dl6.jpg
The Gallic reserves are now on the first line. They are still fresh and impetuous: they progessively break the Seleucid phalanx line and the battle becomes confused. The Seleucid General is isolated from his soldiers and killed by the Galatians...
https://img311.imageshack.us/img311/5150/0016cg9.jpg
https://img310.imageshack.us/img310/3388/0019jb6.jpg
https://img311.imageshack.us/img311/8403/0022ad6.jpg
The Greeks understand that they must hold, may they pay it by their lives, for the sake of the honour, liberty and prosperity brought to them by the Pontic Kings!
https://img310.imageshack.us/img310/9691/0013dn3.jpg
Thanks to this heroic defense, Ariarathes can repeatedly charge Seleucid phalanxes’ flanks
https://img310.imageshack.us/img310/6877/0017la9.jpg https://img311.imageshack.us/img311/590/0012os2.jpg
https://img311.imageshack.us/img311/4095/0018lu0.jpg
Victory at last! Almost all Greeks have been slain but they have hold the line, demonstrating the profound attachment the Pontic kings can expect from their subjects of all cultures…
https://img311.imageshack.us/img311/4830/0023ui6.jpg
Thanks for reading, comments welcome :)
Context
In 260 BC, a new power was rising in Anatolia: the Pontic kingdom.
In a couple of years, the tiny kingdom based in the remote Pontic montains had conquered the major Greek harbours of Samsun and Trabzon, thus gaining a lucrative maritime façade. So wanted Mithridates I Ktistes, the founder of the Pontic dynasty. He died a few years after having witnessed this success.
His successor was ambitious too. The Seleucid dynasty, already at war with all its neighbours, friends of Pontus, could not deserve much attention to the defense of Mazaka, just a few hundred kilometers south of the Pontic capital. In 262, Mazaka’s weakened garrison was raided and the city added to Pontic possessions.
In 260, the powerful Seleucid Empire stroke back and sent a powerful army to retaliate against Pontus.
The Pontic General in Chief, a Hellene
https://img311.imageshack.us/img311/3600/0161zm5gx7.jpg
https://img311.imageshack.us/img311/5399/0160tv2bu6.jpg
The Seleucid Empire claims to be the sole legitimate heir of Alexander the Greek in Asia Minor… Yet Greeks have massively rallied to the Pontic cause. The Pontic General, Ariarathes Herakleotes, is one of these Hellenes with a mixed Greek/Persian culture. He conquered Samsun 10 years ago and then on ruled the city, preserving Greek culture and customs. Being a good and serious administrator, he supported the city architectural and commercial development. But lacking charisma, unable to appeal to the masses, he eventually left his position to a local politician, less skilled in pure administration but a good speaker and beloved by the locals. Ariarathes then came back to Amasia, advising the King in military matters.
The new Pontic army
The Pontic kings had conquered the Greek costal cities with an army composed of Persian infantrymen trained to form phalanx à la Macedonian. But the Empire has grown and now encompasses multiple ethnicities.The army evolved too and reflects this diversity.
In the last few years, Ariarathes Herakleotes has trained a unit of Persian hellenized phalanx, the traditional core of the Pontic army. But his real contribution is the enrolment of numerous poorly equipped, but fanatical, Greek militia who admire him and are ready to die for him. In addition, Pontic nobles, hastily levied peasants and mercenary Galatian celtic infantry complete this very multi-ethnic army. The Seleucid counter-attack will be its first test…
The Battle for the Mazaka plateau
The Seleucid army was spotted in the vicinities of Mazaka at the end of the winter of 260. It comprised mostly superiorly trained and equiped phalanx soldiers, supported by skilled Judean light infantrymen. Ariarathes Herakleotes decided to meet the invaders immediately, fully confident in his new battle system. The two armies clashed on the snowy Anatolian plateau…
Ariarathes let the Seleucid heavy infantry make contact with his relatively weaker infantry line, giving orders and encouraging them from just a few meters behind.
https://img311.imageshack.us/img311/4423/0004qg2.jpg
On the right flank, the Pontic levies holding their line, for how long? They stand no chance against the well-organized Seleucid phalanx...
https://img168.imageshack.us/img168/9224/0003hc7.jpg
On the left flank, the Pontic phalanx resists easily the light Judean soldiers
https://img310.imageshack.us/img310/464/0005dj5.jpg
On the centre, the heroic Greek militia are furiously engaged by their cousins serving the Seleucid tyranny…
https://img310.imageshack.us/img310/2707/0006cg5.jpg
They have weaker equipment and are less numerous but hold the line!
https://img310.imageshack.us/img310/1329/0007vp3.jpg
https://img310.imageshack.us/img310/1452/0010cl4.jpg
This buys time for the Pontic skirmishers to exploit gaps in the contact line
https://img311.imageshack.us/img311/738/0008qc0.jpg
https://img310.imageshack.us/img310/18/0011jn1.jpg
However the powerful Seleucid army holds despite heavy losses. This Seleucid officer has destroyed the levy spearmen and commands his men to press their advantage
https://img311.imageshack.us/img311/7798/0014dl6.jpg
The Gallic reserves are now on the first line. They are still fresh and impetuous: they progessively break the Seleucid phalanx line and the battle becomes confused. The Seleucid General is isolated from his soldiers and killed by the Galatians...
https://img311.imageshack.us/img311/5150/0016cg9.jpg
https://img310.imageshack.us/img310/3388/0019jb6.jpg
https://img311.imageshack.us/img311/8403/0022ad6.jpg
The Greeks understand that they must hold, may they pay it by their lives, for the sake of the honour, liberty and prosperity brought to them by the Pontic Kings!
https://img310.imageshack.us/img310/9691/0013dn3.jpg
Thanks to this heroic defense, Ariarathes can repeatedly charge Seleucid phalanxes’ flanks
https://img310.imageshack.us/img310/6877/0017la9.jpg https://img311.imageshack.us/img311/590/0012os2.jpg
https://img311.imageshack.us/img311/4095/0018lu0.jpg
Victory at last! Almost all Greeks have been slain but they have hold the line, demonstrating the profound attachment the Pontic kings can expect from their subjects of all cultures…
https://img311.imageshack.us/img311/4830/0023ui6.jpg
Thanks for reading, comments welcome :)