Here we encounter a slight problem. Unfortunately, we do not have any surviving paragraphs of these two parts of H____’s work. Luckily, we do have some other sources. Those do require some more interpretation and speculation than H____’s work, which I consider to be a correct description of historical events.
Now let us take a closer look at some of these.
Source 1:
This is a letter 265 from a Latin soldier in the Roman auxiliary corps to family in Latium. The letter can be found in the conlectio epistoliorum Latini, which can be found in the library of Roma.
We have fought hard in a great ambush. A great many of our men were killed. With me, all is well. It were Samnite rebels in the Ghostly Forest. It must have been a hundred thousand warriors who overwhelmed us. Some say they have heard the Pyrrhic oxen. I ran, quickly. Many ran away. It was terrible.
Stay in good health, Marcus.
Notes:
We know that the Romans lost control over Arpi to Italian rebels in 265. T____ A_____ tells us that around 5000 Samnites and Apulians took up arms against the Romans in 266. They were led by a man called Cnaeus, possible a Roman traitor. His camp supposedly was on Mount Garganus, on the small peninsular East of Arpi – the spur of the booth of Italy. This mountain was covered by the so-called Ghostly forest mentioned in the letter.
The greatest mystery the letter offers us, is of course the allusion on the presence of Pyrrhos during the battle. The Senate sent more than 15000 men the quell the revolt. Only 3000 came back. The chances are slim that this defeat was inflicted solely by the Cnaeus’ rabble.
It is possible that Pyrrhos saw an opportunity to take Arpi by supporting the rebel army. However, it is impossible that any elephants were present during the battle, since these beast were all killed the previous year during the battle of Demetrias.
The question why Pyrrhos wanted to attack Arpi now, in 265, and not four years earlier after the Battle of Cannae, probably will remain unanswered.
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
The location of the Ghostly Forest
Last edited by Mediolanicus; 09-14-2009 at 21:06.
Reason: Iulius should be a vocative... Won't be the only mistake.
Our second source about the taking of Arpi is an official letter from 263 from Taras to Sparta, the mother city of Taras, in which they asked Sparta to send drillmasters to train the garrison of a city called Argurippoi.
Notes:
Argurippoi is the old Greek name of Arpi, as we can clearly see through the Italotai name of the town: Argyrippa. It is therefore certain that Arpi was in Greek hands, and not in the hands of the rebels. Any mention of Arpi in Greek documents during the Roman occupation of the town simply referred to the town as “Arpoi”.
Source 3:
We learn from a pamphlet, issued in Ambrakia in 264, that Pyrrhos possessed the title “Protector of All Samnite People”. If fact, this was the only title the pamphlet granted Pyrrhos.
Notes:
Yes, Ambrakia is indeed the Epirote capital. Odd place for anti-Pÿrrhos propaganda, but it appears that the Epirote population grew tired of seeing their king fight other people’s war while letting his sons die in wars more important and closer to home.
It was Alexandros who became to be looked upon as the real king of Epeiros. He kept – forgive me an anachronism here – the country running, while his father was playing mercenary general over seas. It was also him who set up the campaign to avenge Ptolemaios’ death.
Source 4 – and Notes together for the sake of readability:
Yet another source for this period are the Athenian archives, which were under the supervision of Krateros the historian, king of Makedon, during the years 267-264. The archive, wherein all official documents passing through Athens were copied and registered, reached its high days during the supervision of Krateros, who was obsessed with having everything recorded for later generations.
One such a document gives us the information that in the summer of 265 Alexandros of Epeiros fought a battle almost on the same location as where his brother had fallen two years earlier. The scroll gives amazingly accurate troop numbers for both sides, but almost no other information about the battle. Alexandros of Epeiros, with 23530 men under his command, seems to have defeated a 30270 men strong Antigonid army, led by Antisthenes, on a plain near Demetrias.
After his victory Alexandros did not besiege Demetrias, as the Antigonids suspected. Instead they saw the Epirote army heading back North and disappearing out of sight. The Antigonids immediately sent two armies from Thessalia to intercept Alexandros.
Unfortunately for them, Alexandros had boarded an allied Illyrian pirate fleet and sailed South towards the almost unprotected Athena. The siege was short and a direct attack followed a few weeks later.
Guarding the city were around 2500 levies under command of Kalos Agreades, the youngest son of Antigonos. Although the Epirotes lost more than 4000 men in the attack, Athena was soon theirs. Kalos was captured and brought to Alexandros, who beheaded him himself. Ptolemaios was avenged.
Source 5, and Notes :
Roman official annals gives us a good idea of the events in Southern Italy during the year 263, and it seems that the Greek occupation of Arpi was a short one. The Consuls for that year, Tiberius Cornelius Blasio and Marius Aurelius Orestes, attacked both Apulia and Taras, each with two legions and their alae.
Blasio first led siege to Arpi where a left a small part of his army and then marched with the remainder of his two legions to Pyrrhos’ camp, a little to the South. Although the Roman army was defeated and the consul was killed in the battle, Pyrrhos saw no other option than to retreat back into Tarantine territory.
Orestes, meanwhile, had laid siege to Taras. We do not have account of any battle, but Orestes was granted a triumph at the end of his magistracy for a victory over Pyrrhos, although Taras had not yet fallen. So we can say with some certainty that Orestes had defeated Pyrrhos in a field battle.
With both his main stronghold under siege, one battle won with apparently enough casualties on his own side to make him retreat and one battle lost, Pyrrhos’ position looked bleak to say the least.
A very small update, as we have discovered that a famous 19th century painting, called The Death of a Roman Consul, most likely shows us the death of Tiberius Cornelius Blasio, the consul killed by Pyrrhos. The artist is unknown, but we know the painting once hung in the history gallery of Lord G___ B_____ of G_____. The Lordship's gallery was famous because it contained numerous painting of important events during the classical era.
The Death of a Roman Consul - ca. 1834
yes, yes, this should have been part of the previous update but hey, dediscere humanum est.
Pyrrhos and what was left of his army set up camp near Brentesion (Brindisium) for the winter of 263. Manius Cornelius Scipio Asina, the consul who had replaced Blasio (see supra), boldly risked an attack on Pyrrhos’ fortified position. The Epirote sallied out to give battle.
Such bold and risky behaviour was often seen in Roman generals. Their offices only lasted for one year – or in the case of Scipio Asina, less – so the pressure to win an important military victory during this short time was high. Carefully orchestrating a military victory only to be replaced by the new magistrate, who then took all the honour for the victory, was the nightmare of any Roman commander.
The text:
[…]
The Roman consul had under his command the survivors of the army of the Cornelius Blasio, the consul killed by Pyrrhos. They numbered no more than what was left of Pyrrhos army.
When he saw the Epirote preparing for battle he too deployed his troops. This he did not do in the ordinary manner. In stead he put his allied infantry in the centre with his Roman infantry on the wings, not in three rows, but the hastati, principes and triarii all next to each other. His cavalry he kept all in reserve, since Pyrrhos’ cavalry was no longer numerous enough to pose any real threat.
[…]
Pyrrhos soon broke through the Roman centre, but was outflanked by the Roman foot, who turned and attacked. Scipio waited and saw that the Epirote centre was beginning to weaken, because all soldiers had turned their attention to the Romans on the flanks. Then he gave orders to his cavalry and charged personally towards this weak point.
[…]
The Epirote retreated to where Budaros, the Illyrian, lay with his fleet of Liburnes [light warship, often used by pirates]. There he was greeted by 3000 men, volunteering to go wherever he went, because they had lost all in the war against the Romans.
They boarded and set sail to Epeiros.
[…]
That's one for Molinaargh and one for the man with no name.
Book VII, 12-19.
Background:
The Dardanoi, an Illyro-Tracian tribe, had been a long time ally of Epeiros. They were enduring constant raiding from Getic (Dacian) invaders. Beautiful murals found in the city of Serdike tell us the story of these incursions.
Epeiros sent over its Illyrian army under the command of a Mollosian called Pialos Kassandreus, who repelled the Getic invaders. He then put Dardania under military administration and made Serdike his seat.
Meanwhile Alexandros was still out campaigning in Hellas. He had spent the autumn and winter of 263 laying waist to the countryside of Euboea, even laying siege to its most important city, Chalkis. This changed when, in early spring 262, he heard reports of two massive armies nearing Athena.
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Two of those beautiful murals I wrote about:
The text:
[…]
When Alexandros heard the Antigonid army was lead by Amphion, the general who had also lead the main army in the battle that killed his older brother Ptolemaios, he is said to have almost died of anger.
[…]
Alexandros ordered his army to move immediately and all 15000 men was transported back to the mainland in only three days.
[…]
There, with the Athena in the distance on his left, he gave battle to the Antigonids, whose men numbered more than twice his own. Althought the Epirotes fought hard and bravely, it was soon clear that they were no match for the Antigonid host. Alexandros, meanwhile, had found Amphion and challenged him to a duel.
[…]
Although their commander had been slain, their morale hardly wavered. Alexandros knew that it was time to blow the retreat. He had surely avenged his brother now.
[…]
The Antigonid army chased the retreating Epirotes and caused heavy casualties. Even more men fell when the boats were reached and it became clear that they could not carry all the survivors. Fighting broke out between the Epirotes themselves near the boats, while the Antigonids charged the Epirotes farthest from the water.
[…]
The Letter
--> - 
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by gamegeek2
Bookmarks