The Fall of the Pharaohs

[eadingas]

The Fall of the Pharaohs

The deadliest war of the ancient Europe.

By E.A.Dingas, 2008

Preface/Disclaimer:

I am not a great tactician . In fact, I am so poor a tactician that I have never progressed beyond Medium battle difficulty setting in EB. I don’t use house rules because it would make things too difficult. I sometimes even have to cheat my way out of battles, by bridge-choking or other tricks. So this story is not a tale of glorious victories and battles that have turned the tides. There will be no photos of troops being led to slaughter, as in my experience most battles in RTW look pretty much the same – you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. Instead, it will focus on the strategical and economical warfare of two major powers. The aspect of RTW that has drawn me to EB and to work on it for a few years before other duties called me away.
Also, I usually get bored with a campaign at some point – usually when all my neighbours attack me at once. This time was different though, as my war with Ptolemies turned into a conflict on a scale I’ve never experienced before, and I decided at some point to start recording the progress of this war. This is the result, so far. I’ve decided to write it in a form of an academic work looking at things from today’s perspective

[eadingas]

1. Background: The Greek and Dacian Wars.

1.1 Balkan Cauldron

The thirty years before the eruption of the Egyptian War were an unending chain of victories for the Roman Army. After establishing its dominion over Italy, settling a dispute with Carthage over Sicily and securing the Alpian passes from the Gaul threat, the eyes of the Eagles turned east, where their chief enemies lay.

The Punic War was swift and decisive. In its aftermath, the two Mediterranean powers came to a conclusion that their interests are not mutually exclusive. The Carthage was busy fighting the Iberians, and it conceded all of Sicily in exchange for peace. The Republic was never interested in fighting its wars in the West. The logistic aspect of transporting an army across the Mediterranean was enough to deter a fledgling nation with no naval power to speak of. And there was a war to win in the East.

The Senate has decided that to punish Epeirotes for their insolence in trespassing the sacred Italian soil, the Hellenic nation must be destroyed. A two-pronged attack was launched. First, a fleet of merchant ships transported one legion straight into the heart of Epeirote territory, near Ambrakia. Secondly, a stronger land-based force marched from Patavium, across the lands of the barbaric Illyrians.
At first, the neighbours of Epeiros were only too happy to see their rival diminished in power. But soon they recognized a greater threat, and in an unlikely alliance, Macedonians and Hellenes launched an attack that might as well have proved deadly if only it was better coordinated.
There came twenty years of heavy fighting across the Balkans. The royal city of Ambrakia itself changed its allegiance at least three times, as two successful Macedonian counterattacks wrestled it from Roman hands. The greek fleet controlled the Adriatic, and the only way to transport the troops was through Illyrian plain, busy with rebels. The mighty phalanx were more than a match for the Roman armies.

Eventually, however, the Eagles prevailed. First, Pella fell, and with it, the advanced Macedonian shipyards became Roman. This enabled the Republic to wrestle control of the seas from the Greeks. The fall of Peloponnesus came next, reducing the Pan-Hellenic Alliance to a small group of poleis around the Delphic Sanctuary, fiercely defending their mountain hideouts (Curiously enough, this rebel force would hold their ground for the next thirty years, as Rome could never spare enough troops to deal with it decisively) Without their ally, and without their capital, Makedonians retreated east, across the Bosphorus straits. Hot in pursuit after them, and after the remaining Hellenes colonies, the Legions trespassed into Ionia. Thus, Rome came into direct contact with Empire of the Pharaohs.

[eadingas]

1.2 The Ptolemy Empire ca. 230 BC

At this time, that is around 230 BC, Ptolemies controlled the vastest empire in the known world. Stretching from the deserts of Kyrene to the steppes of Parthia, Ptolemaic Kingdom controlled more land and resources than any other nation. This was mostly at the expense of the Seleukids, who fell apart shortly after 270 BC, divided between the Pharaohs and the Baktrian basileos. A remnant of the former empire still held control of the easternmost provinces though, and the pro-seleukid sentiment was still strong in the cities of Levant and Anatolia.
Ptolemies had few allies, preferring to deal with their threats themselves. Nevertheless, a small Pontic kingdom held their northern flank strong, while the Hellenes provided a well-needed naval power and a buffer against the ever-warring Macedonians. This balance of power in the eastern Med was all but destroyed by the Roman advances in the Greek War. The Ptolemies felt threatened and answered to the threat in the only way possible: by launching an assault against the Roman-held small Bithynian city of Nikaia.
By this time, the Macedonians and Hellenes were all but annihilated. The Delphos Alliance still held strong, but the Athens and Rhodes fell, and the last of the Macedonian provinces in Ionia surrendered. The Romans were almost ready to face their most deadly foe - but there was one more diversion to deal with.

1.3 Dacian War, 236 – 225 BC

A separate theatre of war opened in the North, where Getai commanders saw an opportunity for loot and plunder. The Illyrian and Thracian cities, once Macedonian, were now guarded only by small garrisons of Roman levies. Not having enough intelligence to learn about the Roman movements in the area, Getai besieged several cities and even managed to capture one of them for a while. Unfortunately for them, two legions were passing through Thrace on the way to the eastern front, and the Getai gambit failed miserably. The Eagles once again marched to a successful war against a weaker enemy.

1.4 Prelude to Nightmare: War in Ionia pre-225 BC

The barbarian northern tribes fought surprisingly well, however, and for several years Rome had many of her best soldiers tied in the mountain wars. Soldiers that would be crucial in securing a swift victory in the East. With the Dacian threat still severe in the north, the operations in Ionia could only be of the defensive scale. The siege of Nikaia repelled with great difficulty, the defensive position was established on the river east of the city, and further south along the borders of Pergamon, Lydia and Karia. Several major battles were fought, but neither side was able to gain advantage.
The Ptolemies suffered one major setback during this time, however. A raid of several cohorts has captured the undefended city of Ipsos and razed it to the ground. A Seleukid-friendly governor was established in the province and Roman troops retreated. Surprisingly, the Seleukid sentiment among the locals, including the troops, proved so strong that the Ptolemies didn’t bother with recapturing the city and instead decided to bypass it in their campaign. This later proved a fatal mistake.

The Ptolemaic Empire was slow to gather momentum. For several years, the troops were gathered from all four corners of the vast kingdom, while local Anatolian satraps bled themselves against the Roman forts along the frontline. This gave the Romans a respite they so badly needed. In 225 BC Buridava fell, and with it, the last of Getai kings. In the same year the Ptolemies finally launched their major offensive north of Ipsos. The total war has begun.

In the first years of the conflict, neither side was really prepared for what was to come. The Romans have just finished a series of deadly wars with minor enemies, and the Senate could hardly imagine anything more devastating than the conflicts with Hellenes and Macedonians. The Ptolemies, on the other hand, swept through Asia virtually unstopped by the weak Seleukids, and they must have imagined Rome as an equally clay-legged collossus. Only this can explain the eagerness with which both empires marched against each other across the plains of Phrygia. The conflict that would ensue would shake the foundations of the Ancient World and change the history forever.

(more to come as soon as I get my notes in order. it's now 209 BC in the campaign and I'm at a stalemate on the Tigris)

[General Appo]

Looks good, hope to see an truly epic war.

[Obelics]

good luck! just out of curiosity, are you the same eadingas of the resource patch?

[eadingas]

2. The War in Dates – from Battle of Hermus to Seleukid Crisis

Before we analyse the first phase of war in detail, let us consider the overall progress of the Roman campaign.

Situation in the Balkans in 235 BC


230 – 225 BC – Rome wages defensive war along the Ionian Limes. The defense concentrates along the two rivers running north-south and a fort of Castrum Hermionis. Roman legions manage to stave off several assaults on Nikaia.

226 BC – Raid on Ipsos. The city is sacked and left to its own devices – a Seleukid-friendly governor is established.

Situation in Ionia prior to the battle of Hermus



225 BC – To counter a major enemy offensive, the legions march east, towards Galatia. However, the Ptolemies exploit the gap in the limes and strike from south-east. Battle of Hermus, in which three legions defeat a slightly weaker Ptolemaic army.
Buridava falls, marking the end of Dacian War

The Battle of Hermus


224 BC – Roman legions enter Ancyra and proceed east. For the next three years, the Ptolemies successfully defend the mountain passes between Galatia and Sophene, in what is collectively known as First Battle of Mazaka.

224-217 BC – Unsatisfied with lack of progress in central Anatolia, Senate orders the legions to move south and capture coastal provinces of Pamphylia and Kilikia

One of the several encounters forming the First Battle of Mazaka - this one in 219 BC


Situation in Anatolia prior to the Pontic War, 220 BC



218-215 BC – Pontic War. The Ptolemies persuade Pontos to attack Roman northern flank. A fresh legion and an auxiliary Scythian army is sent to deal with the threat and after three years of fierce fighting Pontos is brought to its knees.

Situation in Anatolia in 219 BC



217 BC – After three years of fighting, Antioch falls. The Ptolemy government moves to Damascus.

An expeditionary force lands in Alexandria and takes the city by surprise.

Overall situation in 217 BC


216 BC – Second Battle of Mazaka. A complete disaster, as two legions and their allies are destroyed and for a moment the fate of entire Anatolian campaign hangs in the balance. Rome manages to hold the defensive perimeter based on Ancyra and surrounding forts.

In Egypt, Memphis falls. In Syria, Tadmor is captured.

Second Battle of Mazaka

Overall situation in 216 BC


215 BC – A fresh legion lands in Syria and together with the force already there, manages to make quick progress. Within a year, Edessa, Syria Koile and Nabateia fall, cutting off the Egyptian provinces from the rest of the Empire. The Ptolemaic government flees East, and Roman legions start the pursuit.

Overall situation in 215 BC



214 BC – Third Battle of Mazaka. The allied Syrian army attempts to encircle the city from the east, but is intercepted and destroyed. Another army, supported by several cohorts of legionnaires, is stuck in the mountain passes near Karkathiokerta.

Overall situation in 214 BC


213 BC – Race to Tigris. Nearing exhaustion, two Roman legions cross the desert and after a heroic battle among the ruins of Babylon, capture the city. Seleukeia and Arbela fall as well, and the Levantine coast is cleared of any opposition. However, the march and the numerous battles along the way leave Roman troops in Mesopotamia unable to continue their progress.

In winter, another expeditionary legion lands in Kyrene, as the force from Memphis moves south to capture Hibis.

Overall situation in 213 BC

Situation in Anatolia in 213 BC

Situation in Egypt in 213 BC, prior to capture of Hibis

Situation in Mesopotamia in 213 BC, prior to capture of Babylon



212 BC – Battle of Karkathiokerta. After a diversion in the west, main Roman army strikes east of the city and captures it after a bloody battle. The city is left to rebel to the Seleukids, as Rome has not enough troops to spare to control it properly.

Situation in 212 BC prior to the Battle of Karkathiokerta


211 BC – Sea port of Charax is taken in an effort to secure the southern end of the Tigris defense.

Overall situation in 211 BC

210 BC – Battle of the Sands. Last major encounter in the conquest of Egypt, the combined forces of two Egyptian expeditions fight a Ptolemaic army composed of Nubian levies and mercenaries. The battle is a close victory for Rome.

IV Battle of Mazaka. After regrouping in Karkathiokerta, two auxiliary Roman armies move west towards the as yet unconquered city. One of them is annihilated, and the other severely battered, but eventually the battle is a victory for Rome and the city is besieged.

Battle of the Sands


209 BC – Last of the Egyptian cities falls. A series of rebellions shakes the Roman territories, and the neighbours see it as a right time to exploit the weakness of the overstretched empire: Sab’yn and Carthage decide to attack from the south and the west.
In the far northern end of the frontline, Rome decides to take Ecbatana in attempt to encircle the main Ptolemaic force concentrated in Susa.


Situation in 209 BC, the early stages of the oncoming crisis.


208 BC – V Battle of Mazaka. The city falls, and immediately rebels to the Seleukid side, with great losses for the Roman army stationed there. Also, Seleukia rebels to its former masters. The Senate decides to finally wage war against Seleukid-friendly possessions in western Asia.