King Pyrrhus in Rome Total History

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PYRRHUS OF EPIRUS chapter I
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1. Prelude

My goal in this campaign is to follow the footsteps of king Pyrrhus of Epirus. Therefore I will first fight in southern Italy trying to defeat the Romans and liberate the Samnites. When this is done, I will move into Sicily trying to expel the Carthaginians from the island. Afterwards I will return to Italy and from there I will cross over to Macedonia. After the conquest of Macedonia my last goal will be the Peloponnese, especially the cities of Sparta and Argos.

Here I play Rome Total History mod with Alexander, which gives better computer performance. The campaign was started VH/H under version RTH 1.6, but in the meantime there have been two upgrades with a number of improvements.

Since I designed this mod, I know the scenario so well that my advantage needs some kind of correction. I therefore impose myself a number of handicaps. First, I limit my activities in the first turn, so that my neighbors can make the first move. Second, I decide that all offensive action from my side must be carried out by king Pyrrhus in person. The only exception to this rule should be the unification of Epirus, that is the conquest of Apollonia, which can be carried out during the king's absence by his sons. Third, the Epirotes cannot carry out genocide, that means they cannot eliminate the Romans and when an enemy is reduced to only one region, they must offer him to become a protectorate. I may decide on additional handicaps as the game develops. If the situation gets critical I may also decide on exceptions.



2. Pyrrhus' Arrival

The History book tells us that Pyrrhus arrived with an army of 25,000 men consisting of pikemen from Epirus and Macedonia, mercenary hoplites and peltasts from the Greek cities, archers from Crete, slingers from Rhodes, elite cavalry from Thessaly and even 20 war elephants from Egypt. In Italy he hired more Samnites, Lucanians, Bruttii, and some Illyrians. The following message has the news of their arrival.

Pyrrhus in Italy

At invitation of the city of Tarentum, king Pyrrhus of Epirus has crossed the Adriatic Sea with 25,000 men.
To fight the Romans and the Carthaginians, he has hired soldiers from all parts of the Hellenistic world, including pikemen from Epirus and Macedonia, mercenary hoplites and peltasts from the Greek cities, archers from Crete, slingers from Rhodes, elite cavalry from Thessaly and even 20 war elephants from Egypt. In Italy he can count on help from the Samnites, Lucanians, Bruttii, and some Illyrian tribes.
With these forces Pyrrhus hopes to establish a kingdom of the Greeks in Magna Graecia and Sicily, and then make a triumphant return home to win the throne of Macedon.

During the first turn Pyrrhus had enough to do to organize his army and thus he didn't move. He only gave order to build two ports in Ambracia and Croton. His son Ptolemy in the meantime moved to Phoenice to prepare the conquest of Apollonia. The Sicilian ally Hieron II of Syracuse trained his troops and generals. When Pyrrhus checked his balance sheet, he realized that all these measures cost him so much money that his war chest would be empty by the end of the year. He therefore gave order to conclude two trade treaties with Egypt and Macedon and raise taxes to the maximum level in all cities.

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PYRRHUS OF EPIRUS chapter II
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3. First Battle with Fabricius

When the first turn was done Pyrrhus received news of a number of events, especially the Gallic invasion of Delphi, the foundation of the Achaean League, and the civil war in Macedon.

Gallic Invasion in Greece

Several hordes of Celts, who call themselves Galati, have invaded Macedonia and Thessaly. Under their leader Brennus they are approaching Delphi to plunder the riches of the famous Oracle. The Aetolians, trying to defend the sanctuary of Apollo, are requesting support from the other Hellenes. Will they be able to beat off the invaders?

Achaean League Founded

The Achaean League is reformed by twelve towns in the northern Peloponnesus. It is governed by a federal council with proportional representation of members and an annual assembly of all free citizens in Aegion.
The League achieves a common coinage and foreign policy and the member cities pool their armed forces. Executive power and army command are in the hands of a strategos who is annually elected, as well as his deputy, the hipparch.

While the Epirotes were unloading their troops in Tarentum, the Romans had taken Brundisium. Pyrrhus realised that he was surrounded by at least three Roman armies, although each one significantly smaller than his own. He decided to make his first move in Bruttium against a small detachment under the command of the consul Gaius Fabricius.



The battle was fought near Hipponium and since the numbers were clearly favourable for the Epirotes, there was never any doubt about the outcome.



King Pyrrhus let the enemy commander escape, so that he could refer at home that the Romans didn't stand a chance against their far superior enemies.



While the Epirotes and the Romans were fighting over Bruttium, a terrible news arrived from Rhegium:

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PYRRHUS OF EPIRUS chapter III
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4. Rhegium Avenged

After the battle Pyrrhus found himself in a dilemma, because the other two Roman
armies threatened his base in Tarentum and Croton and with his exhausted army he
had no chance to reach them before they laid siege on one of the cities. The king
thus decided that the Tarentines were save behind their walls and that it was
better to use the occasion for an attempt on the rebel city of Rhegium.



The king's plan was based on the power of his elephants who quickly tore down the weak
city gates. The Campanian rebels under Decius put up some resistance in the
streets, but ultimately they were slain.



When Pyrrhus entered the city a physician named Dexicrates offered to enter his
service. He was the only man in the city who had successfully opposed the
mercenaries' terror regime by blinding their commander. Pyrrhus honoured the
courageous chirugeon with a decent sum and then he ordered him to look after the
wounded.



Finally, as he feared a Roman attack on Tarentum and wanted to be ready
for a quick return, he ordered the Tarentine admiral Democrates to sail to the
strait of Messana. Then he took winter quarters.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

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PYRRHUS OF EPIRUS chapter IV
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5. The Battle of Heraclea

As Pyrrhus had feared, the Romans used his absence in Rhegium to lay siege on the city of Tarentum. Knowing the bad roads in the region, Pyrrhus feared that a march through Bruttium would not let him reach the besieged city in time. He therefore embarked his army at Rhegium and sailed past Kroton to disembark near Thurii. His plan was almost thwarted when the ships carrying the infantry were delayed by bad weather. Pyrrhus now called the governor of Kroton to send him all available infantry and with these and his own cavalry he advanced on Heraclea where he attacked the enemy in the back.



The Roman commander, a member of the mighty Scipii family, had taken a strong position finding cover for his left flank behind an abandoned clay facility. Pyrrhus sent his subcommander Andranodoros to move around the inaccessible place and attack the Roman velites in the flank. This plan worked fine until the Roman cavalry commander attacked and drove Andranodoros back. Meanwhile however Milon and the defenders of Tarentum had entered the battlefield and their intervention saved Andranodoros.



On their right flank the Romans fought a desperate battle against the Epirote elephants and Tarantine and Thessalian cavalry. The Hastati and Principes fought bravely, and both sides used their javelins to great effect, but finally the Romans were all killed or routed and their general was slain.

6. The Siege of Apollonia

While Pyrrhus fought at Heraclea, his son Ptolemy moved against Apollonia and started to besiege the city. He had received reinforcements by the king of Egypt, Nile infantry and Libyan spearmen, but didn't trust them much in the cold weather. For this reason Ptolemy left them in Ambracia and Dodona to guard the border with Aetolia. The army assembled under the walls of Apollonia was not very big, but there were some decent hoplites. Ptolemy was confident to resolve the question in a short siege.

When his siege work was ready, he mobilized every available man for the storm, including the Nile spearmen offered by king Ptolemy to guard the Epirote homeland during Pyrrhus' absence in Italy. The defenders commanded by Mytilus of Dardania were almost equal in number and the battle was to the last blood. It could have gone either way, but in the end Ptolemy and Alexander of Epirus prevailed and Apollonia was conquered.

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PYRRHUS OF EPIRUS chapter V
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7. A Sicilian Invitation

After the battle Pyrrhus gave his men a rest in Tarentum. He might have been satisfied with his campaign so far, but as he found his war chest empty he realized that he needed a lot more income to continue the war.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The king was still pondering his options, when a message arrived from Tauromenium in Sicily, in which the local tyrant Tyndarion begged him to intervene in the war against the Mamertines in Messana.
Pyrrhus felt that this was an offer he couldn't refuse. Hoping to achieve new plunder and glory, he accepted immediately and ordered his main force to cross over into Sicily.

8. The Battle of Metapontum

As soon as the king had left, the Romans sent another army against Tarentum and their commander was again Fabricius. This time however the Tarentine defenders under Milon felt strong enough to thwart a siege. Milon sent a message to Andranodoros, who was still in the vicinity, ordering him to challenge the Romans near Metapontum, a few miles west of Tarentum, and when this was done his garrison sallied forth to attack the enemy from the rear.

Although the Romans fought bravely, Milon's superior forces carried a clear victory. Gaius Fabricius was again able to escape.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

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PYRRHUS OF EPIRUS chapter VI
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9. The Mamertines' Fate

Pyrrhus decided not to lose time with a siege at Messana. When his Syracusan ally declared unable to provide the necessary catapults, he resolved to use his elephants to tear down the city gates.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The Mamertines in the city were totally surprised by the quick move. Largely outnumbered, they rallied under their commander Cios, but when the Epirotes and allied Sicilians entered the city, they were slain to the last man on the plaza.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

10. Back in the Green

The conquest of Messana resolved a number of problems for king Pyrrhus, most of all those regarding his war chest. Previously his debt had been growing to a considerable amount, but now, due to control of the trade in the Strait of Messana, his balance sheet turned positive, allowing to recoup the loss and pay the creditors.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Another positive aspect was that the Epirote forces were now in control of a connected territory ranging from Ambracia and Apollonia to Tarentum and Syracuse, thus embracing the entire Ionian Sea.

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PYRRHUS OF EPIRUS chapter VII
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11. Tarentum under Attack

While Pyrrhus was planning his next move in Sicily, the Romans sent already their
third army against Tarentum. This time their commander was Publius Cornelius Scipio,
who was eager to avenge the death of his brother.



The Roman forces were superior to the Tarantine defenders, but Milon and Andranodoros
were confident to resolve the situation with another sally. However, when they faced
the enemy under the walls of the city, something went wrong and Andranodoros fell in
his first charge.



The Greek phalanx fought bravely, but when the Roman cavalry drove
back the Illyrians and other light infantry, the militias were surrounded by hastati
and decimated. When the Greek army fled to the walls, Milon barely escaped with his
life.

The Greeks had lost 333 men, the Romans only 120.

Milon then sent for help from Croton, and the new governor Zoippus arrived with his
cavalry and the Cretan archers. Since the Romans had lost a third of their strength in
the previous encounter, Zoippus felt strong enough to challenge them near Metapontum.



In the battle he pointed towards a little hill on the Roman right flank. There he
directed his entire cavalry and when the Roman principes moved against the Cretan
archers he sent the Tarantine cavalry to harass them in the flank with their javelins.



The Roman commander Publius Cornelius Scipio rode out to thwart this with his
bodyguards, but, isolated from the rest of his army, he soon found himself surrounded
by the entire cavalry of the Greeks.



When he fell, the Romans lost heart and retreated towards Brundisium. When Milon's
garrison arrived from Tarentum, the battle was already over. The Romans had lost 90
men, the Tarentines only 30.

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PYRRHUS OF EPIRUS chapter VIII
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12. The Death of Gaius Fabricius

The Romans would still not give up and the next time they sent another insufficient army under Tiberius Claudius Nero. Milo had momentarily gone to Kroton, but he had left a strong garrison under Zoippus who had no difficulty in rejecting the attackers. The Tarentines lost only two men, against 90 casualties for the Romans. Nero retreated to Brundisium.



Thinking that the Romans had finally enough, Milo returned to Tarentum sending Zoippus back to Kroton. The garrison of Tarentum was now over 500 men strong, and Milo didn't expect any danger, but at the occasion the Romans attacked again with 600 of their best men, including a number of generals. The Tarentines were clearly outnumbered and Kroton was unable to send any reinforcements. It looked as if Milo had to sustain a long siege from Nero's forces.



But then the Epirote commander decided to rely on his experience trying to weaken the offenders in a sally. His plan was to attract the Romans while using the city walls for cover and then weaken the enemy with his Cretan archers. He therefore placed his infantry under the walls with his cavalry covering their open flank and the Cretan archers behind. A few skirmishers were used to draw the enemy into battle and when the ruse worked, the Romans lost 200 men, while the Tarentines had only two casualties.



Finishing their arrows, the Tarentines then retreated behind the walls and the battle ended in a draw. The enemy was weakened, but still able to maintain the siege. Unable to attack a second time, Milo had run out of options. But there was a small detachment in Lucania and when these men returned to the city a few days later a second battle evolved in which Milo's forces were able to enter again.

This time the Romans had taken a strong position on a small hill far from the city walls, where Milo's archers and skirmishers were in disadvantage. Although the enemy was outnumbered, the battle was still a hard work for the Tarentines. Only after attentive manoeuvering they ultimately managed to drive the Romans from the hill and back to Brundisium. The most prominent victim of this battle was Gaius Fabricius who had been the first Roman commander to face Pyrrhus in Italy.

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PYRRHUS OF EPIRUS chapter IX
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13. Negotiations in Messana

While the fighting in Tarentum was still going on, the Romans and the Carthaginians both sent envoys to Pyrrhus, asking him to surrender and accept to become a protectorate.



The king only laughed at the ambassadors, telling that they deserved death or at least the quarries for such an absurd proposal, but since he didn't want to put his own friend Cineas in danger (who was negotiating in Rome at the time), he let them escape.

14. Archimedes in Syracuse

While this happened in Messana, Hieron of Syracuse thought that he had been cheated by a goldsmith. He therefore asked a young talented mathematician to investigate the case and when this man, named Archimedes, found a solution for measuring the purity of gold, the ruler of Syracuse was so fond that he kept him as his personal counselor and engineer.



Hieron gave Archimedes the task to build a large quinquereme and when the ship was ready he even made him commander of the fleet patroling the Strait of Messana. When a Roman ship tried to force the passage, Archimedes proved his valour defeating the enemy without a single loss among his own men.

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15. Pyrrhus in Sicily

In the meantime Pyrrhus was planning his next move in Sicily. First he sent Thoenon to spy on Panormus, but unfortunately the mission failed and the spy was executed by the Carthaginians. Since the man was very popular in Syracuse, the Sicilian Greeks accused Pyrrhus that he had sent him on a suicide mission, but the king refused the allegations and reconquered his detractors with the promise to drive the Carthaginians from the island.



The town of Panormus was defended by Hamilcar Gisgo commanding a decent garrison. Pyrrhus was not very fond of the idea to lay siege on the city, fearing that the Carthaginians would send reinforcements from Lilybaeum to close him from behind. He therefore waited until the Syracusans were able to provide their heavy catapults and then took Panormus in a surprise attack.

Most of the Carthaginian defenders fell near the gate, including Hamilcar Gisgo. The remaining ended their lives on the plaza.



After the victory celebrations Pyrrhus appointed his officer Heracleides of Leontini as the new governor of Panormus, and then he returned to Messana.

16. Uprising in Bruttium

With Tarentum secured and Panormus in his hands, Pyrrhus thought that his kingdom was now quite consolidated. His income had risen to over 4,000 pieces of gold and so he decided to build better roads in Messana and Kroton. The roads in Bruttium however were infested with bands of rogues and brigands.



Since the troops were needed in Panormus and Tarentum, the governors Gelon, Tyndarion and Zoippus lacked adequate troops to fight the plague, and the result of their inefficiency was a general uprising in Bruttium. Leader of the rebels was Arpalos of Locri who commanded over 300 brigands near Hipponium. Even stronger was the army of Polydoros on the Aspromontus, and a third group under Damasippus blocking the access to the port of Locri. All together there were probably over thousand brigands cutting off the connection between Rhegium and Kroton, and the Epirote governors, including Messana, had only little more than 400 men under their command.

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PYRRHUS OF EPIRUS chapter XI
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17. The Battle of Aspromontus

Due to the dimension of the threat, Pyrrhus decided to return to Bruttium himself. He collected the garrison of Messana and
gathered a strong army in Rhegium, including his war elephants and reinforcements from Syracuse. Aided by the governors Gelon and
Tyndarion he then moved out to attack Polydoros on the Aspromontus.



The view from the lofty tip of Italy was just breathtaking,...


(view of Sicily with Nebrodes and Mount Aetna)

... but Pyrrhus and his officers had no time for sightseeing.


(view of Bruttium with Mount Sila)

The enemy had gathered on the Ionian slope only a few passes from the top. Both armies rushed forward to gain the hilltop, but the
Epirotes had the better and from that moment there was little doubt about the outcome.


(View of the Ionian coast)

After annihilating the most dangerous force of the brigands, Pyrrhus returned to Messana, leaving Tyndarion in Bruttium to deal
with the rest of the rebels.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

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PYRRHUS OF EPIRUS chapter XII
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18. The Battle on the Sila Pass

The most prominent leader of the brigands, Arpalos of Locri, had chosen a position on the pass of the Sila to block the road from Hipponium (the port of Rhegium) to Kroton. Although some detractors tried to deny it, saying that he had changed his name, this leader was actually born in the port of Locri on the Ionian coast of the Sila mountain range, and since he had taken to the hills near his home town, he was perfectly acquainted with the territory. Tyndarion feared that he would try to elude his attack and therefore asked the governor of Kroton to send his cavalry in order to cut the brigand's retreat.



Approaching the high pass, Tyndarion's scouts were unable to locate the rebels. They found the cavalry from Kroton instead, and the commander ordered to include them in the battle line. There was a moment of disorder, and just when Tyndarion's army was in the middle of confusion Arpalos suddenly broke out of the bush with his bodyguards. He first fell upon the Rhodian slingers who were completely unprepared and lost half of their strength before the Epirotes were finally able to converge.



Surrounded by regular cavalry and infantry, the brigand horseme ultimately stood no chance and Arpalos was the sole rider to escape. When he fled the field, his Bruttian skirmishers were easily dispersed.



Arpalos apparently survived the battle, and some locals reported that they had seen him riding north to join the Romans. Others claimed that he was hiding in his hometown Locri, but more probably he died of his wounds somewhere on the Sila mountains. In any case he disappeared into oblivion, very similar to how he had risen from nothing.

After the Battle Tyndarion went to Consentia, the former capital of the Bruttii. He fortified the place and left his cavalry as a garrison in the fort. Since Consentia lay half way between Tarentum, Rhegium and Croton, the garrisoned troops were able to reach each other place on short term, bringing reinforcements if one of the cities was under attack.

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PYRRHUS OF EPIRUS chapter XIII
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19. The Death of Atilius Regulus

On the next occasion the Romans attacked once more the city of Tarentum. Their commanders were Gnaeus Pompeius and Atilius Regulus, but since they had only insufficient forces, Milo decided to sally with his garrison. The Tarentines stormed forward from the gate in a bit of disorder and when Regulus moved his bodyguards the skirmishers got in trouble. But Milo collected his cavalry and drove the enemy back, killing Regulus on the occasion.



In the meantime the Hastati and Principes suffered severe losses from the Cretan archers and when Pompeius realized that there was no way to get past the hoplites he rode off with 100 survivors to Brundisium.



(After this battle I had finally enough of the superiority of the Cretan archers. Ancient sources usually describe them as a small elite force, and this induced me to reduce their number from 80 to 60 men. Further experimentation will be needed to understand the impact of this change and eventually their number might be reduced some more to 50 or 40 men.)

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20. The Battle of Segesta

Pyrrhus next step in Sicily was an attack on Segesta, the fortified stronghold of the Elymians.



The biggest work in the assault was done by archers and onagers and the defenders actually never stood a chance. Pyrrhus garrisoned the fort and moved back to his winter quarters in Panormus.



The Carthaginians however felt that he was now threatening their most important city on the island: Lilybaeum. As a reaction they dispatched their general Bomilcar with a strong army to Segesta. Bomilcar did not dare to attack the castle and so he encamped in a light forest west of Segesta.



When Pyrrhus got news of his approach he collected his available troops and moved through Segesta to meet the Carthaginians in the field.



While approaching, the Epirotes had some difficulty to locate the enemy in the woods.



Bomilcar opened the hostilities sending his skirmishers against the Epirote center. When Pyrrhus sent his Greek cavalry to the right in order to catch them in the flank, Bolmicar unleashed his Roundshield Cavalry.



Luckily Pyrrhus was not far away with his bodyguards who destroyed the Carthaginian light cavalry.



Bomilcar then moved out himself with his bodyguards and the Iberian Infantry. Pyrrhus' bodyguards were superior in number and quality, but when the enemy infantry came close they prefered to disengage. Encouraged by the apparent flight of the king, Bomilcar pursued with his bodyguards, but after a short ride, when they were out of reach for the infantry, Pyrrhus suddenly turned back on the Carthaginians, killing their commander in a personal duel.



Meanwhile in the center and on the left flank the Epirote infantry, together with the elephants, had beaten Bomilcar's Sicilian mercenaries, and when Pyrrhus returned victorious to the battlefield the rest of the Carthaginians took flight. They had lost 360 men, the Greeks only 60, mostly from the light infantry.

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21. A Rebellion in Italy

During that winter the Romans kept quiet and when Pyrrhus sent Philonides of Tarentum to Capua to have an eye on them, he informed the king that civil unrest was devastating the Roman territory in Italy, with several Etruscan and Samnite strongholds still resisting the Roman armies. One of the rebels named Gaius Aurelius had even led his men to take position facing the walls of the capital Rome. Together with their previous defeats this explained why the Romans had taken no further action in Magna Graecia.



22. New Alliances

Meanwhile one of the king's envoys, Agathocles of Egypt, had reached the court of the Seleucid king in Antioch, who had been very eager to talk him into an alliance. Not thinking that this could bring him into conflict with his previous sponsor Ptolemy of Egypt, Pyrrhus gladly accepted and the treaty was published.

On learning the news, Pyrrhus' chief diplomat Cineas at first criticized his king, but then he travelled to Naxos for negotiations with the Egyptians. Thanks to his eloquence he actually convinced king Ptolemy to make peace with the Seleucids and renew his friendship with king Pyrrhus, concluding an alliance between Egypt and Epirus.

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23. The Battle of Mount Aetna

King Pyrrhus still had to learn that the Sicilians were a rebellious and not very grateful nation. After the recriminations for the death of Thoenon he received his second lesson when Hieron of Syracuse reported complaints about a band of brigands intercepting the trade between his city and Messana.



At the core of the rebel army was a large number of surviving Mamertines who were well armoured and led by two rebel generals.



Fearing that his own garrison was not enough to deal with the threat, Hieron requested support from the king and Pyrrhus sent him his elephants from Panormus.



Hieron faced the rebels on the slopes of Mount Aetna north of Katane. The enemy expected the Syracusans in a well organised battle line, and when the Syracusan cavalry tried to harrass them the horsemen suffered severe losses from the skirmishers.



Hieron then sent his own phalanx ahead, making sure that his cavalry and his elephants got to the enemy's flanks. His own bodyguards chased one of the rebel generals, and when they returned they had space to attack the enemy infantry in the back. This was enough to break the backbone of the enemy line.



Hieron carried a clear victory and the brigands were dispersed, but during the pursuit the Syracusan cavalry suffered another blow by hidden infantry, so that only 25 riders returned to their mothers.

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PYRRHUS OF EPIRUS chapter XVII
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24. The Siege of Lilybaeum



The same summer Pyrrhus moved against Lilybaeum on the western tip of Sicily.



However he had no patience for a long siege and so he ordered to throw down the city gates with the Syracusan onagers.



Although the town had reinforced iron gates, the huge machines built by Archimedes easily perfomed the task.



But when Pyrrhus sent forth his infantry he learned that Lilybaeum had a strong garrison and his own forces were probably not enough to capture the place. When the first unit passing the gate suffered severe losses, the others refused to go forward.



Pyrrhus thus pondered his chances and in conclusion he ordered to finish all available arrows against the men on the walls and then retreat to Segesta.

[Philadelphos]

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PYRRHUS OF EPIRUS chapter XVIII
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25. The Battle of Consentia

The next autumn the Romans moved against Consentia. Their commander Tiberius Claudius Nero had assembled a decent army and the garrison was told to hold out. Relieving the town appeared momentarily impossible because Milo in Tarentum had to deal with an uprising, and the other governors had insufficient forces.



But when Milo started to clean up the area near Metapontum the brigands ceded without a fight and this offered an opportunity to send reinforcements to Consentia. Zoippus, the governor of Kroton, took command adding his own garrison, and with these troops he felt strong enough for battle.



Zoippus attacked Nero in the hills north of Consentia and the Romans were immediately in disadvantage because the Epirotes had the upper side.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The battle ended with a total defeat for the Romans who lost 170 men and two generals: Tiberius Claudius Nero and Marcus Licinius Crassus.

[Philadelphos]

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PYRRHUS OF EPIRUS chapter XIX
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26. Pyrrhus Captures Akragas

Feeling that his forces in Sicily were at the moment insufficient to conquer Lilybaeum, Pyrrhus decided to change target. The city of Akragas (Agrigentum for the Romans) was governed by the tyrant Phintias, and since this man was not very popular, Pyrrhus thought it fit to declare war and attack the town by surprise.



Throwing down the walls was an easy task for the onagers.



The defenders were able to put up some resistance in the streets and when Pyrrhus clashed frontally into the phalanx he lost a number of bodyguards. But then he decided to use the standard procedure, sending his cavalry to the enemy's flanks, and this broke the resistance on the plaza.



The tyrant was killed in battle.



But since some of his institutions were not all bad, Pyrrhus did not abolish his laws.



For the governor post of Akragas he called Gelon of Syracuse, the promising son of Hieron.

[Philadelphos]

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PYRRHUS OF EPIRUS chapter XX
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27. Tyndarion's Sacrifice

The province of Locri half way between Kroton and Rhegium had been infested by brigands for several years when Tyndarion of Tauromenium decided to restabilize peace and order.

This man had been a tyrant in his native town in Sicily, but when he heard of Pyrrhus and his deeds in Southern Italy he thought that this was a rightful man to end the terrible threat of the Mamertines. So he invited the king to cross over and unite the Sicilian Greeks under his banner. When Pyrrhus arrived Tyndarion stepped down as tyrant and agreed to offer his service as a commander of the Epirote army.

Ever since that day Tyndarion had faithfully served the king and so he was rewarded with a post of governor, first of Messana and Rhegium, and then of Kroton.

28. The Battle of Locri

To prove his loyalty to his king, Tyndarion collected the troops in Bruttium, including Zoippus' victorious army from Consentia, and then he moved against two bands of brigands threatening the port of Locri.



The brigands were commanded by two captains, Damasippus and Mausolos, who had taken a strong position uphill. Tyndarion marched his army up the road receiving some fire from two units of enemy archers.



Realising that the enemy archers had insufficient cover from only one militia phalanx, Tyndarion thought it would be easy to disperse them with his horsemen.
So he ordered the Thessalian cavalry to point at one of the archer units and moved with his own bodyguards against the other one.



To reach the enemy archers both cavalries had to elude the militia in the middle. The Thessalians rode left and the bodyguards around the other flank. Most of the bodyguards had no problem reaching the enemy, but Tyndarion's horse was passing very close to the spears and, taking fright, it suddenly changed direction, charging into the phalanx.



Most of the other bodyguards were already ahead and only one comrade tried to help his commander, but in vain. Tyndarion was slain by the brigands, being almost the sole victim of the battle.



The Epirote soldiers almost immediately avenged the death of their commander killing the two rebel leaders.



Except for the fate of their leader, the battle was a big success for the Epirotes who had lost only two men to the enemy while killing 348.



Hearing the tragic news, Pyrrhus mourned the death of his generous friend and ordered him to be buried with great honours in his home town.



To replace him as governor of Kroton he called his son Helenus from Epirus.