Post by diades on May 24, 2020 12:16:57 GMT
190 BC. Antiochus III the Great of the Seleucid empire faces up to the Romans under Lucius Cornelius Scipio (aka me!).
Antiochus chose the battlefield, deploying largely to the right of a central hamlet. The Romans deployed well away with a large wood on their left. Inevitably both battle lines wheeled to fight with, from the Roman perspective, the woods on the left and the hamlet on the right.
The Seleucid phalanx was anchored by the hamlet, with theurophoroi and Galatians occupying the hamlet. From the Roman point of view, to the left of the phalanx were elephants and cataphracts, with archers in scrub behind and further to the left. Scythed chariots, more archers and Antiochus , also in reserve, commanded from behind the phalanx.
The Roman left was triarii, backed by velites, slightly back from a central main line of hastati and principes, partially in two ranks, with equites on the right.
Antiochus’ command was superb throughout, whilst Scipio struggled to distribute orders most of the time. The engagement began on the Roman left. A classic refused flank from the Seleucids saw their mounted hit the Roman left flank first. Elephants broke through the Roman line pushing velite-backed hastati before them, whilst the cataphracts bounced off the triarii and the scythed chariots were destroyed. Archers in the woods were countered by stand-off from redeployed principes and velites.
The elephants continued to push until forced to back off. Both lines redressed. The phalanx charged in with elephants and cataphracts. The exposed flank of the phalanx on the Roman right was covered by the theurophoroi and Galatians emerging from the hamlet. Antiochus raced through the gap between phalanx and Galatians and ended outside the Roman right. The Hastati pushed the phalanx back and the cataphracts retreated once more from the triarii, whilst principes and equites squared up to the theurophoroi and Galatian threat. Scipio raced right to intercept Antiochus sending more principes wide right ahead of him.
Suddenly almost everyone was engaged and there was much pushing and shoving without casualty. Ultimately the elephants paused in their pushing, leaving space for the Roman velites to rush through their exhausted comrades to tackle the pachyderms, where several bounds later the velites proved their worth and opened the account in the Roman favour. Whilst the Seleucid archers regularly fled and returned in support of their unsuccessful cataphracts on the Roman left, Antiochus charged the principes on the other side of the battlefield and destroyed them. Scipio supported his equites and destroyed the theurophoroi, just in time to see the phalanx finally win in the centre destroying a unit of hastati. Scores now even.
Antiochus pirouetted and charged the Roman equites, Scipio closed in on his flank, thrice and thrice Antiochus won through. Meanwhile principes continued to push the Galatians back into the hamlet and velites plugged the gap against the phalanx. Finally Scipio’s commands got through and the phalanx’s exposed flank where the elephant had been was hit by hastati and his other velites attacked the Seleucid archers in the woods. With another chance to destroy Antiochus and two ranks of phalanx sandwiched, Scipio entered the round of combat full of high hopes for victory.
Why had he advanced his light troops in the wood? They were duly destroyed. The phalanx proved equal to their challenge and the Galatians finally destroyed the principes, leaving it all down to the mounted fight between Scipio, his equites and Antiochus…Antioochus won again and Scipio resigned to a 2-4 defeat.
I don’t know why I am always so impressed that the DBA rules, even at just 12 elements a side can simulate such a huge engagement as Magnesia so well. If you look it up, you will see our re-enactment was effectively a mirror image of the actual battle, where the Seleucid mounted were on their left and whilst phalanx and legions fought in the middle, Antiochus broke through to the right of his phalanx and threatened to force the win, until Scipio raced around the back to counter him…the only difference for us being that Antiochus held out and the Seleucids won!
For some reason, after the mammoth Rus-Byzantine affair last week, we thought this would be a fast game, what with scythed chariots, knights, warband and with pikes and blades pushing each other all over. It was still a good 1.5 hours! Again , fun!
