Rome Total History: Action Reports

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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.

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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.

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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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PYRRHUS OF EPIRUS chapter X
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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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 horsemen ultimately stood no chance and Arpalos was the sole rider to escape. When he fled the field, his Bruttian skirmishers were easily dispersed.

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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.

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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.

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(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 50 men.)

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PYRRHUS OF EPIRUS chapter XIV
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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.



Fortunately 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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PYRRHUS OF EPIRUS chapter XV
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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 got the news 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.

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22. New Alliances

Meanwhile one of the king's envoys, Agathocles of Egypt, had reached the court of the Seleucid king in Antioch, who appeared 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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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

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

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

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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.

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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.

Attachment 316926

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.

Attachment 316927

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

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Attachment 316928Attachment 316929

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

Attachment 316930Attachment 316931Attachment 316932

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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.

Attachment 317137

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

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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.

Attachment 317139

The tyrant was killed in battle.

Attachment 317140

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

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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.

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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.

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

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29. Pyrrhus' Return to Italy

After capturing Akragas, Pyrrhus thought that he had done enough for the Sicilian Greeks. There was still an independent Greek army commanded by Sosistratus, an ally of Phintias, but the king thought that the Syracusans should be able to deal with this renegade by themselves. So he installed Gelon, son of Hieron, as governor of Akragas and then he returned to Tarentum.

30. The Battle of Phintias

As soon as Pyrrhus was gone, the Carthaginians took the field with a strong army threatening Segesta like they had done before. Gelon however thought it more important to eliminate the last resistance among the Greeks and so he moved out from his city to challenge Sosistratus north of Phintias, a new town on the mouth of the river Himeras founded by the former tyrant.

Sosistratus' forces were armed in the most traditional way as five units of militia phalanx. Gelon knew well how to manoeuver his troops to harass the enemy with arrows, javelins and boulders. It was a hard work running here and there to reduce the militias and ultimately rout them, but it was the right thing to do as the Sicilians and Epirotes lost only 33 men. Sosistratus was slain in a duel between the bodyguards.

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After the battle Gelon took initiative to secure his western border. To this purpose he ordered to repopulate the ancient city of Selinunt half way to Lilybaeum and use it as a fort.

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31. Sulla's Retreat at Barium

The next summer Pyrrhus moved out from Tarentum to challenge the Roman commander Lucius Cornelius Sulla who was encamped near Barium in Apulia. Sulla first seemed to accept the fight, but when the Epirotes drew near he gave order to avoid battle and retreat to Brundisium.

Frustrated, Pyrrhus accused the Romans that they eluded him. He felt like there was little glory to gain against similar enemies.

32. Three Roman Assassins

On his way back to Tarentum the king was informed by his spies that there were at least three assassins waiting in the vicinity of the city. Their names were refered to him as Lucius Albinus, Decimus Pollio and Tiberius Pompeius. As a loyal soul Pyrrhus had not expected that the enemy would resort to such sneaky means. Having no assassins on his own paylist, he felt particularly vulnerable and so he decided for his own safety to sleep on his ship in the harbour of Tarentum, swearing that he'd leave Italy if the Romans wouldn't send a decent army against him.

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Pyrrhus sleeping on his ship in the port of Tarentum:

To recruit the agents necessary to counter the Roman assassins, Milo gave disposition to build an execution square in Kroton.

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33. Pyrrhus in Illyris

The next winter the situation in Southern Italy was still the same and Pyrrhus decided to seek new glory in Illyria. The Spartan prince Cleonymus in his role as governor of Apollonia informed him about an uprising near Epidamnus, and the king took this as a good excuse for returning to his home country.

Pyrrhus took with him some of his best troops and as soon as he landed in Apollonia he moved out against the rebels of Epidamnus.

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34. The Battle of Epidamnus

The brigands had two units of Illyrian pirates and two units of archers under the command of a rebel general named Kandaules. Pyrrhus sent his skirmishers, infantry and cavalry alike, against the pirates and his Thessalian cavalry against the archers on the right. He himself rode against the archers on the left who fell back to elude him.

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The Illyrian Pirates have recruited some Nubian slaves, male and female:

Fearing that his Thessalians could be attacked by the rebel general, the king pursued the archers only for a short while and then returned to engage the enemy commander. When the rebel captain fell the battle was won, and it took only little further effort to rout the pirates and archers.

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[Philadelphos]

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PYRRHUS OF EPIRUS chapter XXIV
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35. Unexpected Alliances

Pyrrhus' leave encouraged both the Romans and the Carthaginians to take a further step and conclude an alliance against the Epirote Kingdom.

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The first to strike were the Carthaginians who attacked the two forts of Segesta and Selinunt.
Pyrrhus meanwhile tried to strengthen the ties with the Greek powers. Adding to his previous success, when he had convinced the Ptolemies and the Seleucids to make peace, he now encouraged them to conclude an alliance, which actually came into being thanks to Cinias' efforts.

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The statesman's diplomatic offensive was even more successful when the Greek City States led by the Achaeans asked for a ceasefire.

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Pyrrhus not only accepted, but offered also a new trade treaty.

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36. The Battle of Selinunt

Meanwhile the forts of Segesta and Selinunt were under siege and the Sicilian Greeks had to find a way to save their garrisons. The army besieging Selinunt was particularly numerous and Gelon in Akragas was not strong enough to take on the Carthaginians alone. He therefore asked Heracleides, the governor of Panormus to join him and together they marched over the Elymian pass to reach Selinunt.

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The Greeks had put together a decent army, but the Carthaginians were nothing less. Whoever wanted to attack had to march through the dry valley of the river Hypsas, so that neither party had an advantage from the terrain.



It was a challenge in which the Sicilians had the better phalanx and cavalry, while the Carthaginians had lots of mercenaries, most of them Iberian infantry, Libyan skirmishers and Balearic slingers. The latter were a particularly hard match for the two generals who attacked in vain several times. Due to the flexibility of the Carthaginian light infantry, who took advantage from hiding in the woods, some of the Greek units suffered severe damage, especially the Sicilian slingers and the Lucanian warriors.

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When the Sicilians had turned the skirmishers to flight, the Carthaginians reorganized on the next hillside. A second charge was necessary, but in the end the Greek phalanx proved its superiority. From 750 enemies only 170 escaped to Lilybaeum, while the Greeks lost 130 men of 700.

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[SharpEyed]

Well situation of my republic on normal difficulty, guess should have gone with very hard.

Making about 30k money per turn.
And idk why those Gallic armies arent attacking to me all together.




Was preparing an attack to Apollonia