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261 BC. The battle of Syracuse and Capua.
261 BC
The battle of Syracuse
In the plain valley near Syracuse, the thirty four thousands Carthaginian army faced the twenty five thousands army of Massaliot League and Syracuse. After two days standing opposite from each other, the fight began one morning after a volley attack from the Greek mounted archers. The Carthage cavalry charged against them and followed them near the Greek camp. The close by, second Greek tagma charge them after a barrage of artillery. The Carthaginian cavalry was exposed in the flanks and the Greek cavalry started to charge them, making retreat and regroup difficult. Fearing to lose most of his cavalry, Hannibal commanded a full scale attack (feeling sure for his superior numbers). When the Carthage army was in artillery range, the Greek cavalry withdraw to the rears, trapping the Carthage cavalry between the tagmata and their infantry. What followed was a massacre. The Carthaginian army center was under heavy artillery attack and the rears under charges from the Greek cavalry and mounted archers. The Carthage army fought ferociously to break the tagmata but after some hours, with the help of heavy artillery rain, the Carthage lines start to root. The battle was over.The highly trained,better equipped,compined arms and professional Massaliot League army was no match for the Carthaginian army. Nineteen thousands Carthage warriors and twenty elephants(mostly by ballistas) where dead and four thousands where sold as slaves. The Greeks had more than four thousands dead and injured. After this devastate loss the Carthage army went back to Agrigentum. The Massaliot League army followed and laid a siege to Agrigentum with the fleet controlling the sea.
The battle of Capua.
The fifty five thousands(Epirus/allies, Spartan and Ptolemaic forces) Pyrrhus army meet with the fifty thousands Roman army south of Capua. For two months, the two enemies were stationed close together outside the city without any direct conflict but after some small skirmishes the battle started. The battle was fought over two days. On the first day, the Greek cavalry and elephants went largely unused as they were blocked from the Roman advances by woodland and hills in the vicinity of the battleground, although the Ptolemaic soldiers in the phalanxes engaged the Romans very effectively. Pyrrhus's Macedonians broke the Roman first legion and Rome's Gaul allies on their left wing but the Roman second and third legions overcame the Epirotes in Pyrrhus' centre. To counter this, Pyrrhus deployed the elephants against the second and third legions, who proceeded to take refuge in heavily wooded areas on high ground while remaining under constant fire from the archers and slingers escorting the elephants. Pyrrhus sent the Spartan infantry to drive the Romans out of the woods, but those forces were intercepted by Roman cavalry. Both sides withdrew at the evening, neither having gained a significant advantage. At dawn, Pyrrhus sent the Spartans to occupy the treacherous high ground which had proven to be the cause of stalemate the previous day, thereby forcing the Romans to fight in the open or flee. As at Asculum several years ago, the infantry and cavalry engaged in a massive line collision, until the elephants, supported by light infantry, broke through the Roman line. As a result, the specialised anti-elephant Roman devices were quickly deployed by Roman commanders and officers, though briefly proving effective, the small force was eventually overwhelmed by Greek light infantry . The Romans succumbed to the combined pressure of the phalanx and elephants, which Pyrrhus ordered to advance. Pyrrhus simultaneously ordered his personal cavalry to charge, beginning and quickly completing a rout. The defeated Roman force made a coordinate retreat. It was a bloodbath on both sides. Twenty five thousands Romans and twenty one thousands Greek were dead. After that Pyrrhus laid siege in Capua.
The battle of Syracuse
In the plain valley near Syracuse, the thirty four thousands Carthaginian army faced the twenty five thousands army of Massaliot League and Syracuse. After two days standing opposite from each other, the fight began one morning after a volley attack from the Greek mounted archers. The Carthage cavalry charged against them and followed them near the Greek camp. The close by, second Greek tagma charge them after a barrage of artillery. The Carthaginian cavalry was exposed in the flanks and the Greek cavalry started to charge them, making retreat and regroup difficult. Fearing to lose most of his cavalry, Hannibal commanded a full scale attack (feeling sure for his superior numbers). When the Carthage army was in artillery range, the Greek cavalry withdraw to the rears, trapping the Carthage cavalry between the tagmata and their infantry. What followed was a massacre. The Carthaginian army center was under heavy artillery attack and the rears under charges from the Greek cavalry and mounted archers. The Carthage army fought ferociously to break the tagmata but after some hours, with the help of heavy artillery rain, the Carthage lines start to root. The battle was over.The highly trained,better equipped,compined arms and professional Massaliot League army was no match for the Carthaginian army. Nineteen thousands Carthage warriors and twenty elephants(mostly by ballistas) where dead and four thousands where sold as slaves. The Greeks had more than four thousands dead and injured. After this devastate loss the Carthage army went back to Agrigentum. The Massaliot League army followed and laid a siege to Agrigentum with the fleet controlling the sea.
The battle of Capua.
The fifty five thousands(Epirus/allies, Spartan and Ptolemaic forces) Pyrrhus army meet with the fifty thousands Roman army south of Capua. For two months, the two enemies were stationed close together outside the city without any direct conflict but after some small skirmishes the battle started. The battle was fought over two days. On the first day, the Greek cavalry and elephants went largely unused as they were blocked from the Roman advances by woodland and hills in the vicinity of the battleground, although the Ptolemaic soldiers in the phalanxes engaged the Romans very effectively. Pyrrhus's Macedonians broke the Roman first legion and Rome's Gaul allies on their left wing but the Roman second and third legions overcame the Epirotes in Pyrrhus' centre. To counter this, Pyrrhus deployed the elephants against the second and third legions, who proceeded to take refuge in heavily wooded areas on high ground while remaining under constant fire from the archers and slingers escorting the elephants. Pyrrhus sent the Spartan infantry to drive the Romans out of the woods, but those forces were intercepted by Roman cavalry. Both sides withdrew at the evening, neither having gained a significant advantage. At dawn, Pyrrhus sent the Spartans to occupy the treacherous high ground which had proven to be the cause of stalemate the previous day, thereby forcing the Romans to fight in the open or flee. As at Asculum several years ago, the infantry and cavalry engaged in a massive line collision, until the elephants, supported by light infantry, broke through the Roman line. As a result, the specialised anti-elephant Roman devices were quickly deployed by Roman commanders and officers, though briefly proving effective, the small force was eventually overwhelmed by Greek light infantry . The Romans succumbed to the combined pressure of the phalanx and elephants, which Pyrrhus ordered to advance. Pyrrhus simultaneously ordered his personal cavalry to charge, beginning and quickly completing a rout. The defeated Roman force made a coordinate retreat. It was a bloodbath on both sides. Twenty five thousands Romans and twenty one thousands Greek were dead. After that Pyrrhus laid siege in Capua.
- The Massaliot tagma under Kallias after Corsica conquered Sardinia.
- Sersor
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