Quote Originally Posted by bobbin View Post
Ptolemy Keraunos wasn't that good a general from what I understand, the Keraunos part of his name means "thunder" and was given to him becuase of his rather headstong nature. Amusingly the Celtic leader that defeated him was named Bolgios, which has a similar meaning.

I also recall reading about the Celts rolling under the spears of the phalanx so they could get in close, where they would have the upper hand, I don't know if it was used in this specific case though.
From what I've read, Ptolemy Keraunos hastily raised a relatively undersized and undertrained force in his arrogance. Macedon had not really faced any threats from "barbarians" since Phillip or Alexander and he underestimated the power of the Gauls. Don't know if there are any accounts of the battle but he did march north to meet the Gauls. It wouldn't surprise me if the terrain was ill suited to the phalanx as well.