The Fall 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)