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272 BC. The Massaliot adventures in Greece.
272 BC
Cleonymus, a Spartan of royal blood who has been outcast by his fellow Spartans, an old friend and strategos of the Massaliot league, in the successful war against Voconti tribe back in 296 BC, asked the Massaliot League to attack Sparta together with Pyrrhus, king of Macedonia and Epirus, and place him in power. The assembly heard with respect, but voices were raised for the denial of this offer. At this moment there was led into the assembly the aged highly respected Strategos Orestes, who made a fighting speech in favour of his friend Cleonymus. He convinced them. The messenger was sent back to report that the Massaliot League will help the old friend and new ally. Strategos Orestes was happy that had the opportunity to see his old friend Cleonymus and lead the Massaliot army for one last time. Besides that, part of the deal was that Massalia will build a trade/military stronghold in the Lakonikos gulf to improve her trade with Ptolemaic Egypt. Under strategos Orestes, the tagma from Massalia and five thousands hellenized volcae sailed from Massalia with the escort of ten cataphract octeres and forty quinquereme, to Epirus to meet with Pyrrhus army.
In Italy the city of Taranto is conquered by the Romans. Thirty thousand of the Greek inhabitants were sold as slaves and many works of art were carried off to Rome. The Greeks of Magna Graecia shocked from this news. The city of Elea, a Phocaeans colony( same as Massalia) fearing the same fate as Taranto, was almost abandon with the help of the passing by Massaliot fleet. Twelve thousands people sailed with the escort of ten Massaliot League quinqemeres and resetled in the low populated Aquetani area given land and second tier citizenship. Elea falls in Romans some months later. Following the example of Elea and fearing of the Romans revenge another thirty thousands Greeks from Manga Grecia resettle in Massaliot League given second tier citizenship and lands. Almost fifty thousands Greeks in total, resettled in Massaliot League lands during 273-271 BC
The population of Massaliot League is now more than three hundred fifty thousands people( more than one hundred fifty thousands hellenized Gauls in ex Gaul/Aquetani territories) and Massalia is a thriving metropolis of one hundred fifty thousands people. Emporion and Tolosa have more than twenty thousands population each.
The Massaliot adventures in Greece.
As a large part of the Spartan army led by king Areus I is in Crete at the time, Pyrrhus and Orestes have great hopes of taking the city easily, but the citizens organise stout resistance, allowing one of Antigonus II’s commanders, Aminias the Phocian, to reach the city with a force of mercenaries from Corith. The siege engineers of Massaliot League tagma, gave the solution with the construction of massive siege engines and Sparta conquered shortly after. Soon after this, the Spartan king, Areus, returns from Crete with 2,000 men and unites with Antigonus army near the allied town of Argos. The Epirote- Massaliot League forces* marched against them. Antigonus fearing starvation in the case of a long siege of Argos, made a fatal mistake. He marched his army as well, taking up a strong position on some high ground near the city of Argos. When Pyrrhus learned this, he encamped opposite of Antigonus forces and the next day dispatched a herald to him, calling him a coward and challenging him to come down and fight on the plain. Antigonus replied that he would choose his own moment to fight and that if Pyrrhus was weary of life, he could find many ways to die. The next days with the use of the tagma mounted archers and lithovolos catapults Antigonus forced to leave the high ground and vastly outnumbered, crushed from the combine arms forces of Epirus and Massalia. Antigonus II died in battle.
*Pyrrhus army: twenty-five thousand foot, two thousand horse, and twenty-four elephants. Massillot League army: One tagma and five thousand Hellenized Gauls.
By place
Seleucid Empire
Cleonymus, a Spartan of royal blood who has been outcast by his fellow Spartans, an old friend and strategos of the Massaliot league, in the successful war against Voconti tribe back in 296 BC, asked the Massaliot League to attack Sparta together with Pyrrhus, king of Macedonia and Epirus, and place him in power. The assembly heard with respect, but voices were raised for the denial of this offer. At this moment there was led into the assembly the aged highly respected Strategos Orestes, who made a fighting speech in favour of his friend Cleonymus. He convinced them. The messenger was sent back to report that the Massaliot League will help the old friend and new ally. Strategos Orestes was happy that had the opportunity to see his old friend Cleonymus and lead the Massaliot army for one last time. Besides that, part of the deal was that Massalia will build a trade/military stronghold in the Lakonikos gulf to improve her trade with Ptolemaic Egypt. Under strategos Orestes, the tagma from Massalia and five thousands hellenized volcae sailed from Massalia with the escort of ten cataphract octeres and forty quinquereme, to Epirus to meet with Pyrrhus army.
In Italy the city of Taranto is conquered by the Romans. Thirty thousand of the Greek inhabitants were sold as slaves and many works of art were carried off to Rome. The Greeks of Magna Graecia shocked from this news. The city of Elea, a Phocaeans colony( same as Massalia) fearing the same fate as Taranto, was almost abandon with the help of the passing by Massaliot fleet. Twelve thousands people sailed with the escort of ten Massaliot League quinqemeres and resetled in the low populated Aquetani area given land and second tier citizenship. Elea falls in Romans some months later. Following the example of Elea and fearing of the Romans revenge another thirty thousands Greeks from Manga Grecia resettle in Massaliot League given second tier citizenship and lands. Almost fifty thousands Greeks in total, resettled in Massaliot League lands during 273-271 BC
The population of Massaliot League is now more than three hundred fifty thousands people( more than one hundred fifty thousands hellenized Gauls in ex Gaul/Aquetani territories) and Massalia is a thriving metropolis of one hundred fifty thousands people. Emporion and Tolosa have more than twenty thousands population each.
The Massaliot adventures in Greece.
As a large part of the Spartan army led by king Areus I is in Crete at the time, Pyrrhus and Orestes have great hopes of taking the city easily, but the citizens organise stout resistance, allowing one of Antigonus II’s commanders, Aminias the Phocian, to reach the city with a force of mercenaries from Corith. The siege engineers of Massaliot League tagma, gave the solution with the construction of massive siege engines and Sparta conquered shortly after. Soon after this, the Spartan king, Areus, returns from Crete with 2,000 men and unites with Antigonus army near the allied town of Argos. The Epirote- Massaliot League forces* marched against them. Antigonus fearing starvation in the case of a long siege of Argos, made a fatal mistake. He marched his army as well, taking up a strong position on some high ground near the city of Argos. When Pyrrhus learned this, he encamped opposite of Antigonus forces and the next day dispatched a herald to him, calling him a coward and challenging him to come down and fight on the plain. Antigonus replied that he would choose his own moment to fight and that if Pyrrhus was weary of life, he could find many ways to die. The next days with the use of the tagma mounted archers and lithovolos catapults Antigonus forced to leave the high ground and vastly outnumbered, crushed from the combine arms forces of Epirus and Massalia. Antigonus II died in battle.
*Pyrrhus army: twenty-five thousand foot, two thousand horse, and twenty-four elephants. Massillot League army: One tagma and five thousand Hellenized Gauls.
- The Venetii - Pictones war end in stalemate.
By place
Seleucid Empire
- The Seleucid king Antiochus I Soter is defeated by Egypt's Ptolemy II during the First Syrian War. Ptolemy II annexes Miletus,Phoenicia and western Cilicia from Antiochus. As a result, Ptolemy II extends Egyptian rule as far as Caria and into most of Cilicia.
- Egypt's victories solidify the kingdom's position as the undisputed naval power of the eastern Mediterranean; the Ptolemaic sphere of power now extends over the Cyclades to Samothrace, and the harbours and coastal towns of Cilicia Trachea, Pamphylia, Lyciaand Caria.
- Pyrrhus' departure from southern Italy three years earlier leads to the Samnites finally being conquered by the Romans. With the surrender of Tarentum, the cities of Magna Graecia in southern Italy come under Roman influence and become Roman allies. Rome now effectively dominates all of the Italian peninsula.
- Sersor
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