Anabasis Pyrrhou - An Epeirote AAR

[Hax]

On the Anabasis Pyrrhou

An Epeiros AAR

Book I - Pyrrhos

Chapter I - On Pella and Demetrias
Chapter II - A Thracian Thermopylae?
Chapter III - A Gateway to the East
Chapter IV - Of the Athenians
Chapter V - Over the Sea?


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Book II - Ptolemaios

Chapter I - Kimmerika
Chapter II - Sikilia
Chapter III - On the Karkhedoi
Chapter IV - Megale Hellas


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Book I - ΠΥΡΡΟΣ

"What does it feel like?"

"What do you mean?"

"War. How is it like?"

"War is nothing of what you read of in books. There is no glory in ending another man's life. What counts is the idea for what you fight for."

Chapter I - Of Pella and Demetrias

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In the 504th year after the first Olympiad, Pyrrhos, the King of Epiros, had laid siege to the city of Pella. With Pyrrhos came over 5,000 Galatikoi mercenaries, feared since the sacking of the Delphinion. Also came 5000 phalangites from Illyria and 2500 foot-companions from Epiros proper. A special contigement was made out of 360 elephants from India, a gift from the King of Syria.

The battle started on a clear spring morning, as the soft leaves were flattened by the huge grey feet of the enormous elephants. As the sun rose to the sky, the elephants had crushed the pallisade that was erected in Alkyoneus' haste to defend the capital of the Makedones. Directly afterwards, the blonde Galatikoi rushed in, their swords glistening in the morning sun. Encountering very little resistance in the outer quarters of the city, they quickly secured what was left of the gates and the Elephantes were sent in.

The grey beasts towered over what little men remained, and those who did threw off their arms and ran. Those who could not hide fast enough were thrown against buildings or crushed by the grey feet of the elephants.



Alkyoneus too met his doom there. He was caught by one of the ivory tusks which pierced straight through his linothorax.



With the death of the King's son, the garrison quickly surrendered, and although Pyrrhos had now annexed the former capital of the Makedones, Pella was never truly a battle. It was a mere show of defense, which cost the life of Alkyoneus, son of Antigonos, and many of his men.



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Pyrrhos spent little time enjoying his victory, as the Makedones could still launch a counterattack from Thessalia. Some have argued that Pyrrhos' haste was due to the fact that his mother was a Thessalian, and that he still felt some passion for the region and their fine horses, but it has been most widely accepted that he wished to remove any possible threat.

Quickly pacifying the region, he set south before summer arrived, taking with him all of his soldiers, save a small contingent of javelineers, armed with knives to keep the peace.

Even before autumn arrived, they had met Pyrrhos' son Helenos less than 30 miles from Demetrias, who had taken with him a number of no smaller than 6820 Illyrians, of which counted 2,000 horsemen and 4820 spear-armed infantry, which counted to a total of 22,290 men, not counting the bodyguard of Pyrrhos and Helenos.

As they had halted for that day, they laid siege to Demetrias on the next, blocking all trade to and from the city. They were forced to wait for another two weeks, however, for the 1,600 hoplites from Ambrakia, clad in the traditional Hellenic fashion.

Two days after the hoplites and their consorts arrived, they began the attack.



Pyrrhos aligned his elephants in front, followed by the Illyrian spearmen, after which came the Galatikoi. The line was ended by the phalangitai and the Illyrian cavalry and the personal bodyguard of Pyrrhos himself.



As soon as the walls were battered down, the Illyrians rushed in, securing the outer part of the city. They were quickly followed by the blond-haired Galatians and their shortswords. It was at that moment that the first Makedonian retaliation came, as the Agrianian axe-bearers and the phalangites clashed with the Illyrians. Knowing that the Agrianians were fearsome warriors, Pyrrhos sent in the hoplites to hold the situation until the Elephantes could arrive. As the elephants took down the walls behind the phalangites, they were able to turn the tide of the battle.





Within mere seconds, they had cut a bloody swathe through the Agrianians and Makedonians, throwing them into walls and crushing them, causing a chain rout which proved disastrous for the garrison of the city.



As the battle in the outer quarters turned in the Epirote favour, the Galatians had been pinned down in the streets by Kalos, second son of Antigonos Argeades.



As Kalos himself died in the streets, panic began to grow in the Makedonian hearts. Most of them threw down their weapons and were either cut down by the Galatians or crushed by the Elephantes.





The Galatians and Illyrians had now proceeded into the heart of the city, causing chaos and bloodshed where they went, until the streets overflowed with blood. It were the Elephantes, though, who came to the center of the city first, encountering the elite Thessalian cavalry. Nimble yet strong, they cut down more than 30 Elephantes before they were eventually defeated.



Demetrias is what Pella should have been, as it was at Demetrias that the Argeades were thrown down, not at Pella. In the hearts of the Thessalians, Demetrias would never be forgotten, as in total more than 20,000 men died.

''Run, friend, run, tis Pyrrhos on the Thessalian plain

With bloodshed awide ended Antigonos' reign"







Even though the poem speaks bad of Pyrrhos, he treated the Demetrian citizens with respect, paying for the damage done by the Galatians personally.

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Next: Chapter II - A Thracian Thermopylae?