The Seleucid Army: A Historical Guide [Part Nine] Antiochus III and the War with Rome (2)

The Seleucid Army:
A Historical Guide

Part Nine

Antiochus III and the War with Rome (2)

By Craig Tyrrell

More Seleucid Army

Seleucid Army: Part 1

Seleucid Army: Part 2

Seleucid Army: Part 3

Seleucid Army: Part 4

Seleucid Army: Part 5

Seleucid Army: Part 6

Seleucid Army: Part 7

Seleucid Army: Part 8

The End of the Greek Campaign

After the devastation of his hopes in Greece by the rapid and overwhelming response of Rome, Antiochus was left with his empire intact, but with a strong and vengeful enemy just across the Aegean looking to settle the score with him.

The Strategic Position

The position of Antiochus was far from hopeless. The mass of his forces, which he had experienced such difficulty in bringing to bear in Greece, faced no such limitations on his home turf. His empire could be approached only by water, meaning that the Romans would need command of the sea in order to present any threat at all to his domains.

His empire, however, was far from homogenous. Critical in the naval contest to come would be the coast of Asia Minor, which had only recently been subjugated and only those cities which were heavily garrisoned were completely secure against Roman influence. Rome also had strong allies in the islands off the coast, of which Rhodes was the most important.

This situation could easily have become a standoff if not for that principal bit of unfinished business in western Asia Minor, Pergamum. The strategic position of Eumenes of Pergamum was impressive - his domains cut off land communication between the bulk of the Seleucid domains and the Hellespont, and offered the Romans a good harbor and secure base in Asia.

The Naval Campaign

On sea, the Romans would have the advantage in terms of numbers, and the weight and manning of their fleet, but Antiochus' admiral, Polyxenidas, would have an advantage in terms of handier build, greater mobility, and local knowledge of his seamen.

Strategically, the aim of Polyxenidas was to prevent the juncture of the Roman fleet with those of Pergamos and Rhodes. After a series of maneuvers, though, the Roman fleet was able to join with the Pergamene fleet, and reached a strength of 105 decked vessels, compared to less than 70 Seleucid vessels. The junction was reached at Phocaea, which became the first Greek town in Asia to fall to the Romans.

With their numerical superiority assured, the Roman fleet then sought out Polyxenidas, and battle was joined off Cissus. The maneuverability advantage of the Seleucid fleet proved to be easily neutralized by the Roman tactics of iron claws and large boarding parties. The Romans first broke the Seleucid left, which was resting toward the shore, and then Eumenes threw the Pergamene fleet against the Seleucid right and Polyxenidas' forces dissolved in rout. Thanks to their superior speed, only 23 vessels were lost, 10 of which were captured.

The battle assured the Romans of command of the sea for the coming campaign season, and opened the entire coast of Asia Minor to Roman invasion. As the campaign season ended for the year, Erythrae actively joined the Romans, and discontent simmered in the Greek cities of Asia Minor.

Antiochus Prepares for the Campaign Season of 190 BC

Antiochus was now deprived of his naval defense, and concentrated on building up his land forces. He began to concentrate all of the forces he could gather at Magnesia, sited roughly half way up the Hermus valley from the sea toward his capital of Sardis. From every province of the empire, units streamed in to the camp at Magnesia. The force he assembled represented a clear cross-section of the might of Asia, arrayed against the invader from the east.

Antiochus also strove to redress the situation at sea, for only with command of the sea could he assure victory in the coming campaign. Polyxenidas' fleet was bottled up in the harbor of Ephesus by the superior Roman, Pergamene and Rhodian fleets, but was still a threat. Antiochus negotiated with the notorious corsairs of the area, encouraging them to attack the Roman supply ships. He also strained every effort to increase his fleet in Ephesus. Additional naval forces were requisitioned from the Phoenician cities, and Hannibal was appointed to bring them up to the theatre of war.

Other than a damaging raid on the area around Thyatira, the Roman and Pergamene forces were content to sit out the winter in their current positions.

The Campaign Season of 190 BC Begins

The aim of Livius and the Roman forces in Asia at the start of the campaign was to clear the area around the Hellespont to allow the remainder of the Roman forces an easy crossing into Asia. Accordingly he moved north up the coast with a portion of his fleet and legions, eventually laying seige to the strong Seleucid garrison holding Abydos, the key to the area. Just as the siege had reached a critical phase, the Romans suddenly raised the siege and sailed off.

The reason for the abrupt departure was a great naval victory of Polyxenidas over the Rhodian fleet. Polyxenidas (who was an exiled Rhodian), had contacted the Rhodian admiral, Pausistratus, offering to yield up the Seleucid fleet if allowed to return to the place of his birth. While Pausistratus was distracted awaiting his surrender, Polyxenidas achieved a surprise attack in which Pausistratus was killed and 31 of the 36 Rhodian ships were taken or sunk.

At the same time the Roman naval force holding Phocaea left on patrol, and the popular party within the town opened their gates to Antiochus, who secured this part of the coast.

It was the potential of having his scattered fleet defeated in detail by the forces of Polyxenidas that had caused Livius to raise the siege of Abydos. Now, in a series of maneuvers, he was able to reunite the Roman, Pergamene and remaining Rhodian fleets, and reestablish the allied superiority at sea.

Blow and Counterblow

The strategic situation now settled into a stalemate, with the Roman fleet itself tied down holding the Seleucid navy in the harbor of Ephesus, while the garrison of Abydos prevented Roman forces crossing the Hellespont.

At this time the praetor for the new year, Lucius Aemillius Regillus, arrived to relieve Livius. As his first act Aemillius sent Livius, now his subordinate, to seize Lycia. The garrison and population of Patara, the capital, offered such a resistance that the attempt failed utterly and Livius sailed home in disgust.

At the same time Antiochus sent his son Seleucus to attempt the reduction of Pergamum. The garrison, under Eumenes' brother Attalus, was forced to shut themselves up in the city itself and abandon the countryside to pillage. However, the city was too strong for the Seleucid forces to crack, and could easily be supplied as long as the allies retained command of the sea. Thus neither side was able to break the prevailing stalemate.

The March of the Legions

Ultimately, though, time favored Rome. As the maneuvering in Asia Minor continued, the legions were drawing ever closer. Under the command of Scipio Africanus and his brother Lucious, two legions were dispatched from Italy to join the two already in Greece. The combined force of 13,000 foot and 500 horse marched to do battle with Antiochus.

But first they needed to reach him. The first obstacle was the Aetolians, who were still in the field despite the heavy Seleucid defeats of the previous year. Not wanting to be distracted from their main objectives, the Scipios reached a quick armistice with them. Then their forces crossed through Macedonia and Thrace, aided by Philip of Macedon, who had repaired the road and provided provisions to support a speedy crossing.

The remnants of the Seleucid hold on Thrace were garrisons in Aenus, Maronea and Lysimachia. They were unable to impede Roman progress, and remained on the defensive as the Romans crossed Thrace and reached the Hellespont.

After the failure of his attack on Pergamos, and with the steady approach of the legions, Antiochus despaired and offered to treat. The answer he received was that he must await the arrival of the consul before negotiations could begin.

Rebuffed, he let loose his hordes of troops on the territories outside the coastal cities belonging to Pergamum and its allies, while hurrying reinforcements to Phocaea to hold the Romans at the Hellespont. Although a sortie by a party of Achaeans from Pergamum drove off the forces under Seleucus in that area, the enemy territory not protected behind walls was effectively razed, and Antiochus drew his forces back from the coast.

The Rhodians Take on Hannibal

The strategic situation now required the allies to divide their fleet. The Rhodians were sent east to intercept Hannibal and the approaching Phoenician fleet, the Pergamene fleet was sent north with material to aid the legions in crossing the Hellespont, and the Roman fleet remained off Ephesus to contain Polyxenidas.

The Rhodian fleet sailed down the coast of Asia Minor, stopping to reinforce the garrisons of the Rhodian coastal towns threatened by Antiochus. They encountered Hannibal and the Phoenician fleet in the harbor of Side in Pamphylia. Hannibal needed to break through and brought his forces out for battle - 47 ships including three great ships with 7 banks of oars and four of six. Facing them the Rhodians under Eudamos fielded 36 ships - 32 quadriremes and 4 triremes.

Hannibal arranged to engage the Rhodians as they rounded a headland in column, so he had the initial advantage and numerical superiority. However the Rhodian vessels were highly maneuverable and Rhodian seamanship superb. Where Hannibal was personally the attack was pressed with great vigor, but the other parts of the fleet were outmaneuvered and pushed back.

In the end Hannibal was driven back to the harbor at Side. Although 20 of his ships remained undamaged, he now had no hope of joining Polyxenidas and uniting to defeat the Roman fleet. The victory, though narrow, was decisive. If Hannibal had been able to join Polyxenidas, the overwhelming naval superiority possible would have prevented the Romans from crossing over to Asia. Now the fleet Antiochus had counted on to bar that door had been rendered ineffective.

The Bithynians Join the Struggle

At the same time, the king received word of another significant defeat for him. The Bithynians under King Prusias, who had been courted extensively by both sides, elected to join the Roman cause, cutting off his garrisons and greatly threatening his hold on the critical Hellespont area.

Nothing now remained but to make the supreme effort with the remaining naval forces to prevent the Roman crossing. Polyxenidas sailed from Ephesus, and met the Romans off Teos. Although he outnumbered the Roman fleet by 9 vessels, again the heavy Roman ships combined with the seamanship of the Rhodian contingent and effective use of Rhodian fire ships lead to a Roman victory.

Polyxenidas escaped, but he had lost 13 ships captured and 29 lost, compared to 3 on the allied side. With this victory the naval war was finally resolved in total victory for Rome.

The Forcing of the Hellespont

With the loss of his navy, Antiochus had no hope of holding the Hellespont. Seeing that a decisive land battle would resolve the war, he drew in his garrisons from Thrace, and eventually even Abydos, and concentrated his army around Magnesia to await the Roman army.

The Romans quickly seized these places, and forced the surrender of Phocaea as well. As the legions, freed of all restraint, prepared to cross into Asia, Antiochus offered peace.

The terms he offered amounted to the entire original grounds for war - he had already evacuated Thrace, and now endeavored to give up his hold on the Greek cities of Asia Minor, and to pay an indemnity equal to half the cost of the war. The Romans, having come so far, refused. They insisted on Antiochus covering the entire cost of the war, plus the evacuation of all of Asia Minor back to the Taurus.

Antiochus now had no remaining choice but to fight. The Roman forces crossed the Hellespont, receiving the surrender of the towns of the Troad and reaching Troy, from which Roman legend had it that the city's founders had sprung.

The Roman force maneuvered close to Antiochus' camp at Magnesia. For several days the armies deployed within the shadows of their camp ramparts, but no aggressive move resulted. Finally the consuls, fearing the end of the campaigning season marched forth with intent to attack. After his posturing, Antiochus risked the morale of his army by not accepting a fight, so the battle was joined. The Battle of Magnesia

The Roman line formed up with four legions in the center, and a right made up of Achaean and Pergamene auxiliaries, Roman and Pergamene horse, and Cretan and Trallian light missile troops. Their left they anchored on a river, and covered with only four squadrons of horse. A few African elephants were stationed to the rear of the legions, and a force of Macedonian and Thracian volunteers guarded their camp.

Antiochus deployed his phalanx, supported by elephants, in the center. On their right was a body of Galatian foot, to their left a body of Cappadocian foot. On either flank beyond the foot were numerous bodies of horse, covered on the left with scythed chariots, and on both flanks by light missile troops. Antiochus personally commanded the right, his son Seleucus and nephew Antipater the left, and Minnio, Zeuxias and Philip the “elephantarchos” the center.

The weather started with a light mist, which hampered the missile troops on both sides. As the armies approached one another, Antiochus impetuously launched himself at the head of his wing at the Roman left. Outnumbered, the Romans were quickly routed and Antiochus raced off in pursuit of them.

On the Seleucid left, however, disaster struck. The allied missile troops wrecked havoc with the scythed chariots, causing them to rout and spread disorder and panic through the entire wing. The Roman and Pergamene horse dashed forward and sent the entire wing off in a panic. The Cappadocian foot, covering the flank of the phalanx, lost all flank support itself and routed from the field.

It was at this point that legion met phalanz, but the left flank of the phalanx was hopelessly compromised, and the outcome never in doubt. Amid heavy casualties the phalanx dissolved into rout.

Antiochus' victorious wing was then set upon by reinforcements, and sent into flight. As the fleeing forces reached their camp they rallied momentarily, but the Romans sent a strong force forward which stormed the camp, and the Seleucid army was virtually annihilated.

Wargaming the Era

Guidelines for recreating the later army of Antiochus III on the tabletop were presented in part 7.

Several interesting historical scenarios flow out of the campaign in Asia. The most obvious is the actual battle of Magnesia itself. The order of battle and terrain can be reasonably deduced from the ancient accounts, and it has few equals in terms of decisive large battles fought by the empire.

Other equally suitable scenarios could be made from the sideshow campaigns as both sides jockeyed for position. In particular, the Roman attempt to seize Lycia and Antiochus' re-taking of Phocaea would make interesting mini-campaigns.