Anabasis Pyrrhou - An Epeirote AAR

[Hax]

Yeah, I usually multiply by ten on that kind of stuff, but for Elephants I haven't really found a suitable number. Do you have any idea what a lot would be?

[Centurio Nixalsverdrus]

I have the impression that elephants and bodyguards shoud be treated 1:1. From what I remember, Hannibal had only a handful of elephants with him on his famous trail. So, 12 Elephants with 3 men each I think would fit. Remember that they are really expensive, and I can't imagine the Epeirotes (or any other faction in any other place) to have stables for breeding more than 360 elephants. I think 30 or something (animals, not riders) would already be really imperial.

[Hax]

Thanks a lot! I was a bit concerned with that myself, but I chose to ignore my gut feeling, or whatever you call that. I like The Internal Historian better.

[Maion Maroneios]

Yeah, I frowned a bit about that part as well. If you do a quick search on elephant usage in Hellenistic times, you'll see that (according to Nick Secunda) there where special units of elephants. An elephantarchia was composed of 16 beasts, IIRC. I'll look back at that though, because I'm not 100% certain of the exact number.

Maion

[Hax]

@Maion: Thanks for clearing that up ^^

I have also edited the first post, might be interesting.

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Book II - ΠΤΟΛΕΜΑΙΟΣ

Chapter I - Kimmerika

According to Pyrrhos' will, it would be his first-born son Ptolemaios to reign as the new King. Whereas Pyrrhos was mostly concerned with glory and conquest, Ptolemaios was known to be both a practical and intelligent governor, as well as a good tactician and logistician. He had been present at the siege of Demetrias and oversaw the rebuilding of Thessalia and Makedonia, before he joined his father at the siege of Thermon. Aside from that, he had also travelled to Antiocheia and Alexandreia tes Neilou multiple times and had held a good relation with both the Ptolemaic and the Seleukide dynasties.

When Ptolemaios came to the throne, Hellas was fairly at peace. The Spartans had never left the borders of Lakedaimon and had respected the peace. They had allied themselves with the cities of Rhodos and Halikarnassos and were now mostly concerned with Mikra Asia, and when news grew that Ptolemaios was setting sail with an army towards an unknown target in the east, there was little response from Sparta.

The way Ptolemaios levied his troops is as following: he firstly gave large tracts of land to the mercenaries who had served his father in the Aitolian and Achaian campaigns and then left for Pella, to raise a new army. Some of the mercenaries (most of them being Galatikoi) were given full rights in the new Kingdom (what was met with anger by some Makedonian nobles) and were recruited as phalangitai. From northern Makedonia 2,000 well-armed and disciplined Agrianians came too, with their axes and javelins, and from Thessalia came another 2,000 hoplites, clad in the old style. Finally there were some 4,000 psiloi, consisting from both archers and slingers, most of them from the countryside.

Ptolemaios was nearly set to go, when the journey was postponed. News from Ambrakia had told that the armourers there had been raising Elephantes of their own, of which a special contingement could be expected within the year, which inticed Ptolemaios to stay in Makedonia for another year, in which the transports to Kimmeria were being created.



Finally, after 7 months, the Elephantes came from Ambrakia, and now Ptolemaios was finally able to board the ships.



As winter came and the winds above the Aigaian became wild and turbulent, they anchored not far from Lysimacheia.



The skies lighted up in spring, and as the fleet moved into the Bospohoros, the army resupplied at Byzantion. There it was found that news travels fast indeed, as the word had spread that Pergamos Poitneonios had
liberated the city of Syrakousai from anti-Hellenic opponents.



In Byzantion, Ptolemaios sent a letter to Pergamos concerning his recent victories. An excerpt from the letter is as follows:

=================================================================================================

"To Pergamos Poitneonios, liberator of Syrakousai and Hero of Trinakria.

Hail,

It is with my greatest respect that I salute you, Pergamos. Word has spread quickly concerning your recent victory at the city of Syrakousai, and I am certain that my father, son of Aiakides, would have been most proud of your success. However, I must urge you to remain vigilant; Hieron, the old governor of Syrakousai before he was murdered was not fond of the Karkhedoi to their west, who had commited several atrocities towards the inhabitants of Ακραγασ* and had laid siege to Syrakousai itself multiple times (yet not succeeded).

It could be that even as I write this letter, the Karkhedoi are trying to strengthen their grip on the island. I urge you to go north and persuade the inhabitants of Messena to join your cause, whether it be by words or sword. I bid you the best of luck in Trinakrie.

- Ptolemaios, King of the Epirotes, son of Pyrrhos who united Hellas. Time of writing is 524th year after the first Olympiad, Byzantion."

*Ακραγασ = Also known as Akragas or Agrigentum in the Latin tongue.

=================================================================================================

The fleet set sail once again, leaving the ports of Byzantion. They followed the shore of Mikra Asia for some time, before going to full sea on the height of Herakleia.



Finally, the fleet reached Kimmerika in the autumn of the 524th year after the first Olympiad. There Ptolemaios and his army disembarked and started the siege of Chersonesos.



From his tent in Kimmerika, Ptolemaios received word from Hellas as long as the ships from Pella set sail. Firstly came the news that both Athenai and Chalkis had built several sewers under the city, improving city-wide hygiene and setting examples for the rest of the Kingdom. At around the same time, the armouries and barracks in Demetrias had been expanded and improved, allowing more troops to be levied.



As winter came, news arrived from Pella once again, as the military dockyards in Thessalonika had been expanded, with large warehouses built for the storage of iron and wood. Also had the city of Thermon grown in size, a result from gradual hygienical improvements.



At around this time, Ptolemaios received a letter from Syrakousai.

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"To Ptolemaios, King of Epirotes, Lord of Makedonia, Thessalia and Thraikia.

Hail, my King.

To my greatest regrets, I have to write in the little time I have. I received your letter not even three weeks after Syrakousai was pacified, and I withdrew all of the forces from the city as soon as I had read your words.

The man I have left in charge of Συρακουσαι* is Neikodamos Prochteios, an older citizen of the city, as myself. He is a skilled and loyal governor, well-suited to lead the city at this time, and several wise men have been aiding him in running the day-to-day affairs of the city. At this moment, we are marching towards the north, as you have said. So far, the Karkhedoi have done nothing to threaten our position on Trinakria just yet, though we have had several men patrolling the borders of Elimeia. I have heard however, that they came to Συραkoυσαι with an embassy of diplomats, offering free trade to and from Karchedon. What Neikodamos' answer was I do not know, though I suspect he will have accepted.



Μεσσανα** stands less than 10 stadia from where we stand now, and we have already begun to cut the Messanian supply lines.



I wish you the best of luck, my King, and may Zeus smile upon your efforts.

I have also included a gift from Archimedes, who has been aiding Neikodamos in his affairs concerning Syrakousai. He has been studying your father's conquests and made this, may it aid you in the future.

- Pergamos Poitneonios. Time of writing is 524th year after the first Olympiad, Trinakrie."

*Syrakousai
**Messana

=================================================================================================

With Pergamos' letter also came a map, drawn by Archimedes, a renowned scholar. As he unrolled the parchment, he smiled at the gift.

The extent of the Epirote Kingdom, after the fall of Syrakousai (524th year after the first Olympiad):

[Centurio Nixalsverdrus]

This AAR reads like the stories of old. I'd suggest to include regularly a map of your possessions and also the date in modern format for a better overview. Also I'd like to ask what font you are using?

[Maion Maroneios]

Great update, Hax! Just a minor correction: It's Alexandreia tou Neilou, as Neilos (Nile) is masculine in Greek so the genitive form is tou Neilou.

I'm becoming geeky again with my corrections

Maion

[Hax]

Thanks Maion! Geeky corrections are great, thanks a lot.

@Centurio Nixalverdrus: The font is Trebuchet MS. Thanks for reading, and I'll try to include a map as often as possible.

[Olaf Blackeyes]

@ Maion: Actually its a good thing that you correct us so much cuz EB is ALL about historical accuracy ( and how to @#!#$ with it in my case ). I mean very few of the people on the EB parts of the .org take the time to do this. :High Applause:

@ Hax: WOOT for invasions. Nice chapter and an interesting turn in your game. I LIKE where i think this is going. Keep it up.

[Maion Maroneios]

Good to see it's appreciated, I try to be as less offensive as I can No seriously, it's what Olaf said. I've come to be real peeky with historical accuracy, hence my (sometimes, or all the time depending on how you see it) geeky attitude. Of course, don't be hesitant to shoot me form half a yard with a shotgun when I start correcting everyone for every minor mistake here

Maion

[Hax]

Finally, I've been wanting to do that for some time now

Hax takes aim from half a yard with a shotgun.

No seriously, I really appreciate the fact that you're willing to help me out with some of my mistakes here.

[Maion Maroneios]

Finally, I've been wanting to do that for some time now

Hax takes aim from half a yard with a shotgun.

Good, always happy to help. Hence the 'crossing the line' statement. Sometimes too much help can have a negative effect. Anyway

So, what are your plans really? East or West? Italia turning green would be a nice sight

Maion

[Hax]

I'll not just say what will happen. All I will say is that you are not going to see any Phalanx vs Phalanx combat soon.

[Hax]

Chapter II - Sikilia

As Ptolemaios had set sail for Kimmeria, so had Pergamos left for the city of Syrakousai. Born and raised in a wealthy Syrakusan family, his family was exiled from the city when Hieron II died. He himself had then left for Epiros, which was still at war with the Argead dynasty and the Aichaian League.

Fully aware that the city would not just surrender when he would come to Trinakria, he took with him an army large enough to hold the entire island, as ordered by Pyrrhos before he died. His armies were conscripted as such; for the last twenty years, the population of Ambrakia had steadily grown, well over a million inhabitants. From these men were levied over 12,000 phalangites, mostly consisting out of Hellenized Illyrians. From Pella came 2,000 Makedonian noblemen on horseback, known as "loncophoroi". Also were 2,000 prodromoi from Thermon, which have been extensively discussed. From the poorer classes came the sphendonetai, or slingers, and the remaining Kretan mercenaries that had served under Pyrrhos were re-enlisted and joined the army as well.

Remarkably, Pergamos had assembled his army in a very short time, as it took him less than half a year to recruit his men. This is remarkable, for Pergamos had not been well-known in Hellas, and even less-so because he was from Sikilia.

The fleet left the port of Ambrakia during the mild spring times, when the ocean was still calm.



At that time the fleet reached the friendly city of Kroton, where they resupplied and prepared for the last part of the journey.



Even before summer was out and the ocean became wilder and unreliable, the fleet had reached Syrakousai. Pergamos and his army disembarked and prepared themselves for the coming siege. As we discussed in the previous chapter, Pergamos had managed to take the city without any further conflict. Not a single citizen in the city was harmed, save the traitors that had murdered Hieron.

As Ptolemaios' letter arrived, Pergamos had already pacified the province and had installed another man, Neikodamos Prochtheios (a friend which had come with Pergamos when their family was banished), as the tyrant of Syrakousai. It is said that Pergamos contemplated not more than ten seconds before ordering the army to be assembled once again. Whether this is true or not, Pergamos left his home city with his troops and marched through the gladed valleys of Sikilia to the north.

Reaching Messana before the year was out, Pergamos immediately started the siege of the city. Messana was an interesting city; it had been colonized by Hellenic settlers from Mykene, even before the first Olympiad was counted, and had been renamed to Messene by the King of Rhegion in honour of the city Messene in Hellas. It's population had been recently murdered by marauding Mamertinoi, who had taken refuge in the city ever since.

Ennychos, leader of the Mamertines had been refusing to acknowledge Pyrrhos during his wars against the Romaioi and Pergamos was well-aware of this, perhaps explaining the fact that he did not send an embassy to the city before commencing with the siege.

After one year had passed, the Mamertines came out. To Pergamos' surprise, the mainstay of their army was still Hellenic, as he had expected them to be barbaroi.

Hardly having time to align his troops, Pergamos hastily assembled his men in a straight line, Thorakitai on the flanks and the Kretan archers behind the main phalangite line.

The lonchophoroi were assembled straight behind Pergamos' own bodyguard, whilst the prodromoi were held as reserves in the forest.





The first ones to clash with Pergamos' lines were the Tarentine riders, whose horses got trapped by the Thorakitai. Unable to retreat, they were quickly cut down.





At the same time, most of the infantry that came out of the city were dispatched by the sphendonetai and Kretan mercenaries, leaving only Ennychos himself to lead his cavalry in a foolish charge against the phalangite line.



He himself died there as well, impaled by one of the thorakitai. His corpse was never found, even though Pergamos tried to find his body personally.





With Ennychos' death, the few men that remained standing tried to flee back, though they were quickly dispatched by the swift Makedonian riders.



The ones that surrendered were spared though, and thus Messene was won.





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Next: Chapter III - On the Karkhedoi

[Centurio Nixalsverdrus]

You have some very nice pictures Hax. Somehow I thought you had already captured Syrakusai, why is it still Eleutheroi? Or perhaps I need some sleep.

[Hax]

Well, Ptolemaios leaving for Kimmerika takes place around the same time that Pergamos went to Sikilia. So Chapter I and Chapter II are taking place at the same time.

[hrrypttrbst]

Yeah I'm not crazy!
Are there gonna be more at the same time chapters because i like it?

[Hax]

There will indeed be more chapters! I just got back from a very tiring weekend, and I've been sorting screenshots till about 225 BC, and with this tempo, there'll be a lot more chapters.

[hrrypttrbst]

You make me wanna play an epirote campaing!Even tough I did not long ago killed them in my Makedonia campaing

[Roka]

great AAR, really like the style in which it is written, keep up te good work

[Tweety]

Really really love this AAR. Very nice, :D
Consider yourself having just gained a new reader! :)

[julius_caesar_the_first]

I've been following since it started and I have to say it is GREAT. I really liked the simultaneous chapters. Very good idea.

I will continue to follow this AAR (I've been subscribed since it started) so keep up the good work.

[Hax]

@hrrypttrbst: Bad Makedonia! >: | Thanks for reading, though! Epeiros has some really great units available, though.

@Roka: Thanks! As I've said, I'm trying to write in the same style as the "Anabasis" by Xenophon.

@Tweety: Thanks a lot! I'm happy that you like it.

So I've had some problems with photobucket (I think it's the suckiness of my internet provider. They fail hard) and I couldn't upload pictures for a while. Anyway; here's the new chapter.

=============================================================================

Chapter III - On the Karkhedoi

As Messana was conquered, so had Ptolemaios pacified Kimmerika, and was now sailing back home.





Around that time Pergamos secured his hold on the eatern part of Sikilia and Neikodamos fortified his garrison at Syrakousai, due to recent Karkhedonian activity on the island. Pergamos then returned to Ambrakia to resupply his army with fresh troops. The journey home took no more than 5 months in total, yet in that time the Karkhedonians had already amassed their forces near Akragas.



The Karkhedonian host consisted mostly out of Phoenician spearmen from their main cities of Karkhedon and Atiqa, though there were some elephants of the African breed and 3,000 Libyan horsemen.

Even though Neikodamos received word of the Karkhedonian armies on time, he had fairly little time to strengthen his defences at Syrakousai. Fearing an attack on Messana first, he had sent most of the remaining soldiers there and left only his bodyguard in the city. Knowing that the Karkhedonians would now not march for Messana, he levied only lightly-armoured javelineers.

It took no longer than 3 weeks before the Karkhedonian host had crossed the borders and were marching straight for Syrakousai. Severely overpowered, Neikodamos hastily sent riders to Messena, though they were intercepted by Karkhedonian horsemen and killed. And so Syrakousai was besieged by the Karkhedonians.

===========================================================================

Having heard of the Karkhedonian betrayal, Pergamos, who had reached Ambrakia by then, wasted no more time in resupplying his armies and left once again, taking a contingent of elephants from India with him as well.



Most of his army stayed the same, save for the 2,000 Samnite mercenaries he picked up at Kroton (who was still autonomous at that time). Due to the fierce winter winds, he had arrived at Sikilia sooner than expected, and received word that the Karkhedonoi had failed to conquer Syrakousai.

[IMG]https://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x152/Elphir/EB/Epeiros%20AAR/Battles/Syracuse%20-%20249%20BC/RomeTW-ALX2008-12-1716-01-19-20bmp.jpg[IMG]

The remaining Karkhedonians had retreated west, and so Pergamos followed them there. His spies reported the host not forty miles from his current position and stuck inbetween two mountainsides, Pergamos effectively cut off the route to Syrakousai.



At that time Hamalcar (as the Karkhedonian commander was called) faced a choice between retreating further into his own lands or make a move towards Messana. He chose the latter, and as soon as Pergamos heard of the Karkhedonian move, he marched his troops into Karkhedonian area and onto Lilibeo herself.

Pergamos' armies reached Lilibeo before the winter set in and had effectively besieged the city. Even though multiple storytellers have mistaken Pergamos' move as abandoning his countrymen at Messana, he had in fact forced Hamalcar to abandon his siege at Messana.

As he heard that Hamalcar was now marching back for Lilibeo, Pergamos set his camp to the north, trying to avoid an attack in the rear, and then, after two years of strategical movement, it finally came to an open battle as Hamalcar had reached the city.



Having Hamalcar (of the Karchedonian army) to his east, and Hamalcar (of Lilibeo) to his west, Pergamos aligned his troops in two fronts. The thorakitai of Ambrakia and the Samnite mercenaries were ordered to meet the host of Lilibeo, and the main army (consisting out of the pikemen of Illyria and most of the cavalry) had to meet Hamalcar and his campaigning forces.

Here Pergamos made two tactical mistakes, which would cost him many men. Having expected that Hamalcar's force would be aligned in a column, he set up his pikemen deeper rather than wider.

Also having both the thorakitai as well as the Samnites aligned at the west side caused his phalangites to be exposed on the flanks.



By now, the host of Lilibeo had clashed with Pergamos' heavy infantry on the western side and the light Iberian cavalry was quickly routed by the prodromoi from Chaonia.



Now the Phoenician infantry had been engaged into hand-to-hand combat with the Samnites from Kalabria and Hamalcar's personal bodyguard had been engaged by the thorakitai with their long spears.



As Hamalcar's bodyguard was cut down by the thorakitai, so had the remaining Karkhedoi reached Pergamos' pikemen and with no flanking guard, were able to cross over the flanks and engage the thorakitai in their rear. Being surrounded by two fronts, Pergamos quickly sent in the Macedonian cavalry, and here came Pergamos' third mistake. Hamalcar's (of the campaigning army) personal bodyguard was now able to charge in and break the will of both the thorakitai as well as the loncophoroi.







The only thing that prevented a total loss was the presence of the samnites (who would later be awarded with a lot of autonomy), who were able to hold off an attack from both flanks. At this point Pergamos saw that the fate of all of Sikilia was on a sword's edge. He ordered his phalangitai to break up and engage Hamalcar's infantry, as he himself charged into his bodyguard.





As Hamalcar was now surrounded by Pergamos' bodyguard, he turned to flee but was dragged off his horse and stabbed numerous times.



This would change the later course of battle. As the Samnites became wearier, they were reinvigorated as they heard the news of Hamalcar's death and fiercely fought on. As the Karkhedonians were struck by fear knowing their leader dead and their enemies fighting on with determination, they threw off their armour and abandoned their weapons and ran for the safety of the woods.

By now, Pergamos had been engaged by the bodyguard of Hamalcar (of Lilibeo). As he saw his friend dead, the governor of Lilibeo had charged into Pergamos' bodyguard. Having less experience than Pergamos, his bodyguard was quickly cut down until only he himself remained, and he was felled as his horse was cut down beneath him.



With the defeat and death of two of their foremost generals, those that remained standing fled the field leaving Pergamos and what remained of his forces on the field.



The little remaining forces in Lilibeo surrendered the city as their armies had been destroyed, and this marked the end of all Karkhedonian presence on the island.



Pergamos had not been kind to the city. To avenge the stab in the back and the massacres at Akragas commited by the Karkhedonoi, he put 3/4th of the entire population to death, and then razed the entire city and rebuilt it in the Hellenic fashion.

At that time Ptolemaios himself had reached Syrakousai and made Pergamos and his family the lords of Sikilia, save for Syrakousai alone, who would be for Neikodamos and his family, to honour the fact that he did not abandon the city when he was surrounded.

So was the history of Sikilia.

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Next: Chapter IV - On Megale Hellas

[Subedei]

Very good read! Interesting AAr all the way up to this point! Congrats!

[hrrypttrbst]

Cannot wait for the next chapter!Keep up the good work!Also good work that you did avenge you on the Karkhedonians!

[Centurio Nixalsverdrus]

That was a bloody battle Haxos. But a good read as well.

[Maion Maroneios]

Very nice chapter, Strategos Haxos

Maion

[Hax]

@Subedei: Thanks for reading!

@hrrypttrbst: Yeah, they really started to piss me off after some 5+ attacks on Syrakousai. Thanks for reading.

@Centurio Nixalsverdrus: This was one of the closest battles I've fought in my EB career. If Pergamos had died there, I'd probably also lost all of Sikilia.

@Maion Maroneios: Thank you, Maion.

================================================================================================

Chapter IV - Megale Hellas

As the sacking of Lilibeo commenced, Ptolemaios (who had then arrived at Sikilia himself) sent an embassy to the city of Karchedon with a peace treaty. In return, he demanded that the island of Sardinia was handed over to Epirote rule.

Within two months, the embassy had returned, bringing the news that the Karchedonians had refused the peace treaty, and so Ptolemaios (and his new army that he had conscripted in Makedonia) set sail for Sardinia.



Arriving at the island during the winter, Ptolemaios set up camp immediately near the sea and organized the supply lines to Sikilia. With the supplies there came news of the homeland as well. As Ptolemaios had gone, the Spartans had finally crossed the borders of Lakedaimon and had conquered Korinthos. During the defense of Korinthos, Zenon (son of Alexandros, Ptolemaios' brother), had also been killed.







However, with that news also came word that Seambys Aiakides, also one of Ptolemaios' nephews, was busy raising an army of his own.



As Ptolemaios came to Karalis, the city that served as the provincial captial of Sardinia, the inhabitants surrendered without any further fighting, and for this Ptolemaios chose not to expel the population.

================================================================================================

As he was in Karalis, Ptolemaios continued to run the affairs of Makedonia and Hellas. As the supply ships came and went, he heard more news about how the situation in the Peleponessos continued.
The Spartans had now crossed the Isthmus, defeating an Epirote leader there and had then laid siege to Athenai.





At that time he also heard that Seambys was almost done with his army and was now preparing to march south.



As Seambys arrived though, he found only that the Spartan force had already annexed Athenai. Without any further waiting, he sent a small force to guard the Isthmus (thus preventing any Spartan aid towards Athenai), and laid siege to the city herself.



================================================================================================

At around the same time that Seambys surrounded Athenai, there came a distress call from Sardinia. The Romani had betrayed the peace treaty that Ptolemaios had strived hard to achieve and laid siege to Messana.







Ptolemaios immediately left Sardinia and sailed for the town of Rhegion, who had recently come under Roman command, hoping to draw the Romans from Sikilia. He was proven right; as Italia herself (as the Romans called Megale Hellas) was threatened, they abandoned the siege of Messana and marched north. They met Ptolemaios on the fields north of Rhegion.



The way Ptolemaios aligned his battle ranks are as following: the Makedonian pezhetairoi formed the mainstay, whilst the elite Chaonion Agema were set at the furthest right flank, as is common in the Makedonian phalanx order. At their flanks were the thorakitai from Ambrakia. The invention of the thorakitai is a story apart; Pyrrhos, knowing that war would eventually break out again with the Romani developed a heavy infantry unit, to defend the phalanx at their weakest points; the flank and rear.







Behind the phalanx line were the Agrianian shock infantry. Armed with axes and javelins, these men were hardy and disciplined and performed excellently against both cavalry and infantry.



Then there were the Scythian archers, who had travelled all the way from Kimmerika with Ptolemaios. They were armed with composite bows which outranged all the bows in the west, save for the Kretans', perhaps.



Behind the left flank were the prodromoi, or forerunners. They were lighter than most of the heavy cavalry, and well-suited for chasing down psiloi and routers.



Opposed to the prodromoi, on the right flank was Ptolemaios himself and his 110 men-strong bodyguard, with 2,000 men of the heavy Molossian cavalry. They were the among the best cavalry in Epiros, composed out of able and young noblemen, comparable to the Hetairoi of the Makedonian kingdoms.



Before long, the first Romani soldiers came into range of the Scythian archers, and they released their deadly arrows into the Romani fray.



Upon taking casualties, the commanding Roman officer [who went by the name of ΓΝΑΙΟΣ ΚΟΡΝΕΛΙΟΣ ΣΚΙΠΙΟ ΑΣΙΝΑ in Greek] ordered his troops to double their speed and they were soon engaged with the line of Ptolemaios.









Battle slowly progressed with neither side gaining a true advantage over the other, and Ptolemaios was uneager to throw in any more soldiers, as the phalangite line did not falter. At that time, though, some of the Roman cavalry had managed to cross past the lines and were on the verge of opening up an entry for the infantry.



Here however, it showed the superiority of the Chaonion phalangites. Two of the men of the front row split from the main ranks and swiftly cut down the horsemen, whilst at the same time, their place was taken by two others. Further on the right side of the Chaonions, were the thorakitai, engaged with Greek hoplites conscripted by Skipio to fight under the Roman banner. At that point, Ptolemaios ordered the Agrianian reserves to surround the hoplite line.



By that time had the reinforcements arrived, led by a cousin of Skipio [known as ΣΕΡΥΟΣ ΚΟΡΝΕΛΙΟΣ ΣΚΙΠΙΟ ΑΣΙΝΑ in later Greek writings]. Now Ptolemaios ordered the Prodromoi onward, who soon clashed with Servios' bodyguard.



Soon though, the more experienced Roman soldiers had found a way to break through the phalanx line of the pezhetairoi and were now engaged in close-combat with the Makedonian phalangites.





On the far right side, the rest of the Romans had followed their example, and the front line of the Chaonions were forced to drop their pikes and draw their swords.



To Ptolemaios' surprise, the Kalabrian hoplites had not yet surrendered and were fighting with fierce determination, even though they were surrounded and attacked in the rear by the Agrianian shock troops.



At that point, however, came a crucial turning point in the battle. Skipio the Younger's horse had been cut down from under him and he was crushed underneath his steed. His head was then punctured by several blows from Agrianian soldiers.



Due to Skipio's death, most of the Roman line was faltering, and as the Roman cavalry was routed, the Agrianians pushed on, now engaging with the Roman Allied heavy infantry.



It was then that Ptolemaios decided to finally employ his deadliest units, the 36 Elephantes from the Indus river. The greatest difference between the use of the Seleukids and the Epirotes was the fact that Pyrrhos had developed a technique which employed the elephantes as a cavalry screen, and not so much a force to be thrown in at the front. The results for the Roman lines were catastrophic:



Causing a massive rout on the left side, the right side was faltering, but did yet stand. As the hoplites were finally broken, the flanks were open for Ptolemaios and his Molossian cavalry. He circled around the battle line and crashed upon the Roman lines.





Rhegion proved catastrophal for the Romani, and proved the excellence of the phalanx combined with heavy infantry and cavalry in the west.







The Roman population of Rhegion was expelled and sold as slaves in Ambrakia, Epidamnos and Pella, though the remaining Greek population was left in peace.

And thus began the conquest of Megale Hellas.

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Next: Chapter V - On the Spartans

Lot's, LOT'S of battles coming up in the next chapters.

[Maion Maroneios]

Yay! Kill the filthy Romaioi barbaroi! Liberation to Megale Hellas! Excellent chapter and nice shots mate

Maion

[Centurio Nixalsverdrus]

Well, three things I have to say:

1. That was the battlefield north of Rhegion, right? With a steep rock and a lake to the southwest, lots of forest. Your troops were positioned on the northern edge. I know it too well.
2. I get confused very often. First you say, "Zenon died in Demetrias", then showing to other FMs have died. Then in the next lines you mention the fall of Athenai, but forget that you magically reconquered Demetrias. I think you could take more care for the continuity.
3. Your screenshots are marvellous.