Anabasis Pyrrhou - An Epeirote AAR

[Olaf Blackeyes]

Not bad Hax, not bad at all.

[johnhughthom]

Not bad Hax, not bad at all.

Understatement alert.

Excellent start Hax, I had toyed with the idea of an Epirote AAR before going with my Roman one so it's nice to see this. I'm expecting great things.

[Aemilius Paulus]

Understatement alert.

Amen!

Nice to see an Epeiros AAR. I don't remember ever finding an Epeirote AAR that lasted for more than one page, and I have looked at just about all of the AARs ever posted in this section of the EB forum. Hope this one lasts.

[gamegeek2]

I chose to do Of Mail and Men (version 1.1) over an Epeirote AAR. Glad to see my role was filled by someone as capable as you, Hax. (I just hope you can manage this AND AtB work)

[PriestLizard]

Yeah
Great to see an epirote AAR! Even though its sad that now both of my ideas for upcoming AARs of mine (AS,Epeirus) are assigned ( ) I wish you the best for this. I will follow this one closely

[hrrypttrbst]

Good AAR!!
Keep it up.

[Hax]

Thanks for all your replies! Way more than I had expected.

@Olaf Blackeyes: Thanks!

@johnhughtom: Thanks for reading. I'll be on the lookout for your Romani AAR as well

@Aemilius Paulus: If you go way back into the old pages, you can find my "Age of Aiakides" AAR. It's not really that long, but I had a nice empire back then. Thanks for reading!

@gamegeek: Sure thing. AtB goes first, eh!

@PriestLizard: You could try and start an Epeirote AAR of your own, and take the Alexandrian route. I plan on going west a bit first, taking revenge for Beneventum and Asculum ;)


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Chapter II - A Thracian Thermopylae?

As soon as Demetrias had been pacified, Pyrrhos turned his eyes north. As the King-in-Exile Antigonos was fighting over the Peloponnese with the Alliance of Sparte and Athenai, there was no immediate threat to Thessalia. It was also during this time that a distress call came from the city of Taras, which had long been allied to Pyrrhos.



The Romaioi, regrouping after their defeats at Beneventon and Askulon had laid siege to the main city of Kalabria. As Pyrrhos was unable to raise a fleet in time, he denied the plea for help and regrouped his army at Demetrias. From Ambrakia came 2,500 more Helleno-Illyrian phalangitai, and Demetrias delivered 1,600 classic hoplites. Also came with him an elite regiment of Kretan mercenaries.

Before the year was out, all was prepared, and spies had been sent to the town of Tylis.





Finally, as the 505th year after the first Olympiad came to end, Pyrrhos had already crossed into Southern Thracia, past the villages of the Agrianians and Bisaltans.



They camped there for the remainder of the winter and marched on when the snows melted and the mountain passes opened. Before the apple-trees blossomed, however, they had reached Tylis.



During that time, news finally came from Taras once again. The Romans had attacked the city in the third month of their siege and taken the city for their own, renaming it "Tarentum".





Meanwhile, in Epeiros proper, the cult of Askleipios had grown, which lead to the investment in Askleipieia, where the diseased could be treated for their illnesses.



After less than a year of siege, the Thracians attacked Pyrrhos on the plains before the city.



The Thracian army consisted mostly out of the many tribes that inhabited the area of Dardanoia, though there were some Hellenic hoplites with them as well.



As the Thracians came nearer, Pyrrhos aligned his youngest Galatians soldiers on the left of his Phalangitai, with the more experienced ones to the back.



Before long, the Thracians clashed with the Galatian mercenaries, their warcries filling the air.



Battle progressed slowly, as none of either side managed to get a clear advantage over the other.



The first true change came when the Thracian falx-bearers entered battle, their curved blades cutting through the undefended flesh of the Galatians. Seeing this imminent danger, Pyrrhos threw in the Galatian reserves. These were more reliable men, more in number and more experienced.



Battle progressed further. The Thracians, though surrounded, were relentless and slew many of the younger Galatians, causing growing panic between the ranks of the mercenaries. And the worst had yet even to come.



At that time, the older Galatians had been attacked in the rear by a band of Thracian spear-armed footmen, not at all that different from the classic Hellenic phalanx. Fortunately, Pyrrhos did anticipate this move by Drigiza, the Thracian warleader. The Illyrian cavalry circled around the now open flanks, and crushed the Thracians. At the same time, Pyrrhos charged the Thracian peltasts headon, crushing most in his way;



The barbarians were followed into the streets of Tylis, cut down mercilessly by the light and agile Illyrian cavalry.



Among those who were cut down while fleeing was Drigiza himself. His horse was cut down beneath him and his skull was shattered by the fall.



The last that remained standing were the Hellenic hoplites. Eventually they too, fled, and in their haste to get back to the city, they were crushed on the pikes of the Illyrian phalangites;



In the end, Serdike was conquered, but the loss of more than 5,000 men, together with the loss of some of Pyrrhos' most trusted Galatians made the victory somewhat less sweet than it could have been. The remaining 300 Thracians were enslaved and sent to Pella, Ambrakia and Epidamnos.







And thus came an end to the siege of Serdike, which Pyrrhos would later name in his annals "The Thracian Thermopylae". Whether it was truly comparable to the slaughter the Spartans created in Thessalia is doubtful, but to Pyrrhos, it counted as such.


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Next: Chapter III - A Gateway to the East

[PriestLizard]

Nice update - some sweet screenshots you have there!!
I'm curious how your AAR will develop once Pyrrhos is dead... thats when epeirote AARs get interesting... I guess. Untill then, I hope you will lead Pyrrhos to the glory and fame he deserves and did not receive in reality.