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Hellas: Great Battles of the Hellenes
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Posted by Webmaster on September 21 2004, 03:54 PM
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From the 5th to 3rd century BC, the Hellenistic nations possessed the most powerful armies of the time. Their use of heavy armor and the phalanx formation allowed them to defeat their often less organized and lightly protected opponents. But due to the large number of independent city-states in Greece war was just as likely to erupt against other Hellenes as it was against foreign powers like the Persians. Nonetheless, Hellenes participated in many battles where the history of Europe, and indeed the world as we know it, hung in the balance. Immortal names such as Thermopylae, Salamis, Issus, and Gaugamela attest to the martial prowess of the Hellenistic peoples of Greece and Macedonia. Great leaders like Leonidas, Xenophon, and Alexander the Great accomplished impossible feats, including the largest empire the world had yet seen.
Battle of Marathon – 490 BC
In retaliation for their aid of the Ionian Greeks in Asia Minor, Darius the Great of Persia sends an army to attack Athens. The Athenians meet the Persians on the beach where they landed. Soon the Persian flanks break and the Athenians crush the center in a pincer move. As the Persians flee, they are slaughtered to the tune of 6400, while the Athenians loose less than 200.
Battle of Thermopylae – 480 BC
Xerxes, Darius’ son, leads a massive army of roughly 180,000 men into Greece. Meeting him along the coast at a narrow point 60 feet wide is an army of 7000 Greeks, lead by King Leonidas of Sparta. They stop the Persian army in its tracks for two days, but a traitor shows the Persians a route around the narrow pass of Thermopylae and immediately the elite Persian Immortals are sent to encircle the Greeks. Leonidas sends most of the army away and fights a delaying action with 300 Spartans and 1,100 Boeotians. They fight until they are dead to the last man.
Battle of Salamis – 480 BC
Marching on to Athens, the Persians burn it to the ground. Waiting offshore near the island of Salamis, the combined Greek fleet waits for their Persian counterparts. By skillful seamanship, the Greeks trap Xerxes’ galleys in the narrow straight between the mainland and the island. A pitched battle occurs, in which the Greeks annihilate the Persian fleet, sinking 200 ships.
Battle of Plataea – 479 BC
The troops left by Xerxes in Greece after his departure face off against the combined Greek army (including a large contingent from Sparta) on the plains in front of the city of Plataea. In a long, protracted battle the Persians march out from their camp and attack the Greek lines. The Athenians are harried by the Persians and their Greek allies, but are reinforced by more hoplites. While the Spartans hold their positions under a rain of arrows, the Spartan leader, Pausanias, looks for good omens from the gods to attack. This takes so long that the Tegean hoplites cannot stand the strain of the Persian barrage and charge. The Spartans follow, smashing the Persian line, which flees in panic. Pursued by the Greeks, only 3000 Persians are left alive at the end of the day out of an army of approximately 50-60,000.
Battle of Sphacteria – 425 BC
A Spartan force, on the island of Sphacteria during the Peloponnesian War, are attacked by a larger Athenian force intent on taking the narrow strip of land. Using peltasts, archers, and slingers the Athenians deny the Spartans close combat, rendering their hoplites useless. Eventually the Spartans surrender in a shocking break from their traditional “last-stand” philosophy.
Siege of Syracuse – 416 BC
Taking the war to the colonies of their opponents in the Peloponnesian War, an Athenian army of roughly 45,000 (including allies) advances on the city of Syracuse in Sicily. They lay siege to the city, which calls on Sparta for aid. The Spartan general Gylippus arrives and takes control of the Syracusan forces. He immediately captures the high ridge north of the city, as well as various defensive walls that had been lost to the Athenians. By skillful land and sea offensives, Gylippus traps the Athenian fleet in the harbor and destroys it. At the same time the Athenian army is driven into marshland, where they die from disease in large numbers. Eventually the force surrenders to the Syracusans. It is a defeat that Athens will never recover from.
Battle of Aegospotami – 405 BC
In the final battle of the Peloponnesian War, the Athenian fleet beaches its ships on the beaches of Aegospotami. The Spartan admiral Lysander attacks suddenly and the Athenians are caught unprepared. Almost the entire Athenian fleet is captured and Athens capitulates to Sparta.
Battle of Cunaxa – 401 BC
14,000 Greek mercenaries fighting for the Persian prince Cyrus, along with his local levy troops, face the army of King Artaxerxes in a battle for the throne of Persia. The Greeks hold the right flank of Cyrus’ army and, once the battle commences, rout the Persian troops facing them. Unfortunately Cyrus’ left is defeated and he is killed. Leaderless, his army breaks up, leaving the Greeks to march home on their own.
Battle of Leuctra – 371 BC
Sparta marches with its allies to confront the Thebans, whose power had been increasing. To counter the superior skills of the Spartan hoplites, the Thebans form up in a phalanx 50 men deep and angle their line. As a result the thin Spartan formation is swept aside and defeated. Sparta’s power fades and Thebes becomes the dominant power in Greece. Theban general Epaminondas becomes a hero in Thebes for his shocking defeat of the greatest army in Greece.
Battle of Mantinea – 362 BC
The Thebans attack Mantinea, who calls upon their allies (including Athens and Sparta) to help them resist the formidable Theban army. Using a similar strategy as that used at Leuctra, the Thebans annihilate the Mantinean army, but the great general Epaminondas is killed.
Battle of Chaeronea – 338 BC
Philip of Macedon continues his annexation of Greek territory by invading. Thebes and its main rival Athens temporarily join to fight the invaders at the plain of Chaeronea. Philip adopts the angled battle line pioneered by Epaminondas and advances, the sarissa of his professional phalangites foiling the attempts of the Allied hoplites to come to grips. Meanwhile the Macedonian cavalry lead by Philip’s son Alexander punch through the Theban line. Surrounding the famous Sacred Band unit of Thebes, the Macedonian cavalry kill them almost to a man. Thousands of Greeks are dead and more captured, handing Philip the control of Greece.
Battle of Granicus – 334 BC
Alexander the Great sets out to conquer the Persian Empire and fights the first of his great battles by the River Granicus. The Persians array themselves on the opposite bank of the river and Alexander (on his horse Bucephalus) leads the Companion Cavalry across the river to attack the Persians before their infantry can advance. Behind him the Macedonian army moves forward. They take the far bank and rout the opposition. Alexander has a close call when the crown of his helmet is split with a blow from a Persian cavalry axe.
Battle of Issus – 333 BC
Driving deeper into the Persian Empire, Alexander is confronted by the Persian King Darius III leading a formidable army. Again, the Persians take up position on the far side of a river, advancing to attack the Macedonian line. It holds at first, but a gap opens up on the right flank. Alexander quickly attacks with the Companion Cavalry and defeats the Persian left then goes after Darius personally. The Persian king runs for his life, leaving his army to its fate. The Companions then rip into the rear of the Persian center as the rest of their army begins to flee. It is a commanding victory and although Alexander is wounded in the battle his army manages to capture Darius’ family.
Battle of Gaugamela – 331 BC
Desperate to stop Alexander in his march across Persian territory, Darius assembles a huge army at Gaugamela, equipped with everything from scythed chariots to elephants. His cavalry force alone is so massive that it manages to outflank the Macedonians. The battle opens with a chariot charge that is easily stopped, followed by the Persian cavalry attacking. There line is so long that they begin to wrap around Alexander’s army, but as they do so a weak point develops. Charging with the Companions, Alexander manages to punch through the Persian line. The Persians furiously attack the Macedonian left, which comes under heavy attack. Alexander wheels around to help them and manages to drive off the attacking Persian cavalry. The Persian army crumbles as men flee for their lives and with them go the last hopes of defeating Alexander. The Persian Empire has fallen.
Battle of Hydaspes – 326 BC
Alexander pushes into India where he is faced by the powerful army of King Porus. In an almost clichéd situation, Porus deploys his forces (including infantry, cavalry, elephants, and chariots) along the far bank of the Hydaspes River. Alexander splits up his forces and takes one group to another fordable section of the River while leaving a smaller group at the main crossing to distract Porus. Upon crossing, Alexander defeats a force of chariots lead by Porus’ son, who is killed in the fighting. Porus and Alexander line up to face each other, the Macedonians attacking first with their cavalry. The Indian left cavalry formation is hard pressed by Alexander and the Companions and others charge around from the Macedonian left to help. The Indian cavalry and chariots retreat to the safety of the line of war elephants screening the infantry. Peltasts and light infantry move forward to battle the elephants, drawing out the Indian cavalry who are crushed by the Companions. The Macedonian phalanx attacks the entire Indian line, suffering losses from the elephants. Alexander leads the cavalry to attack the Indian rear and their battle line falls apart. Porus loses thousands of men, but the Macedonians have suffered more losses than in any other battle. Among the casualties is Alexander’s famous horse Bucephalus.
Battle of Raphia – 217 BC
Descendants of Alexander’s generals, Antiochus III (Seleucid Empire) and Ptolemy IV (Ptolemaic Empire), do battle at Raphia near Gaza for control of Palestine. Both forces feature large cavalry, infantry, and elephant forces. Initially the Seleucid’s larger Indian war elephants push back their African opponents. Further cavalry and peltast attacks go well for the Seleucids, but Ptolemy’s cavalry escape from the opposing elephants and some of his infantry defeat their opponents. Now the two huge phalanxes clash, the Ptolemaic forces pushing back Antiochus’ men due to their numbers before the Seleucid cavalry and elephants can return. Over 10,000 of Antiochus’ men are killed while Ptolemy loses only 2200.
Battle of Cynoscephalae – 197 BC
In retaliation for Macedonia’s support of Carthage in the Second Punic War, Rome invades. They meet the Macedonian army on a hill and give battle. Initially the Macedonian phalanx holds, but the rough ground combined with an elephant charge drives back the Macedonian left. The Roman right peels around and slams into the rear of the central phalanx. Roughly 8000 Macedonians die as Rome routs their forces. |
User Comments:
| CyDoN
:: October 21 2007 |
| This sound very intresting :) i like the fact that u call them Hellenes not Greeks. I hope to see this game out soon. I would buy it. |
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| Themistokles
:: May 18 2009 |
In Thermopylae, Herodotus reports the Persians had 2 million men, but most accounts settle on around 300,000
Sounds great!!!!
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| Mythos_Ruler
:: May 18 2009 |
I agree with the number 300,000. That number could also include the marines and seamen within the 600-ship fleet (which itself would comprise of about 120,000 men), so 180,000 in the land army makes sense. This number could be doubled to 360,000 to include the slaves, servants, smithies, prostitutes, and wives that would have traveled with them. Add to that probably 20,000 pack animals and about 20,000 horses and you have a HUGE army. No need to bandy about with idiotic numbers in the millions when the real numbers are amazing enough! Herodotus' implication that the Persians had 1207 ships is obviously exaggerated. Six hundred ships at the outset allows for losses at Artemisium and in the two storms they endured and still allows the Persians to outnumber the Greeks slightly at Salamis (the Greeks probably had around 280-300 ships at Salamis, while the Persians had just north of 300).
The Persians nearly won the war, but ended up losing almost 220,000 men by the end of the whole debacle. Around 20,000 at Thermopylae; 80,000 at Plataea (only 10,000 Persians escaped slaughter); and nearly the entire fleet (120,000 men) over time due to Artemisium, 2 storms, Salamis, and Mycale! Amazing numbers. Lets not forget the countless myriads of camp followers and animals that would have been killed or captured as well. A complete disaster no matter how you look at it (100s of thousands vs. millions).
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