Termopylae 191 b.C.

"MULTI TEMERE SUBEUNTES VALLUM TRANSFIXI SUNT; ET AUT INCEPTO IRRITO RECESSISSENT AUT PLURES CECIDISSENT, NI M. PORCIUS AB IUGO CALLIDROMI DEIECTIS INDE AETOLIS ET MAGNA EX PARTE CAESIS-INCAUTOS ENIM ET PLEROSQUE SOPITOS OPPRESSERAT- SUPER IMMINENTEM CASTRIS COLLEM APPARUISSET." 

"Many who rashly drew near the rampart were run through; and either they would have withdrawn with their task unaccomplished or more would have perished had not Marcus Porcius, having dislodged the Aetolians from the heights of the Callidromum and killed a part of them- for he had caught them offguard and many of them asleep- shown himself on the hill that overlooked the camp"

TITIUS LIVIUS, AB URBE CONDITA, XXXVI,XVIII,VIII

 Playing ancients again after a looong time. This battle sees consul Acilius confronting the seleucid king, Antigonos III,  at the Termopylae pass for control of Greece. The romans want to foster small leagues (easy to control as client states) while the seleucids just want more land and have taken the chance that the divided greeks offer.

The battle was played with the Basic Impetus rules, my romans vs my friend Oriol's hellenistic army.

The seleucids are defending the pass and the mountain range while the romans must force a breach.

We were listening to the Gladiator soundtrack for added dramatic effect.

Continuing with our "minicampaign" policy this game is the first one of the Romano-Syrian war set of scenarios, which combines both land and sea battles until the final showdown at Magnesia.

 The opposing commanders: king Antiochus and his hetairoi deployed in the rear

 The roman consul: Manius Acilius Glabrio also kept back

 The romans advanced against the pass with the legions while their cavalry and some legionnaries had to deal with the opposing cav and lights

 The seleucids barred the pass with pezetairoi, hipaspists and pletasts

THIS IS... Seleucia?

 While their lights took the Callidromum mount and the rest of the cavalry the heights, with the probable plan of sweeping anyone that entered the plain

 The romans began by moving head onto the defenders

 The exposed velites were charged by the phalangites

 The equites suffered loss from the seleucid skirmishers

 First blood to the seleucids after killing some velites

 The phalanx keeps going and clashes with the following heavy infantry

 That  proved a nut too tough to crack, beating the pikemen, a bloody retreat

 The other velites died soon afterwards

 And the phalanx pushed on

 On the mountains the cavalry starts to flood into the plain

 PERGO! principes rout the first phalanx

 But the cavalry is killed by arrows and spears

 The second phalanx is shortly destroyed by hastati

 Now the roman steamroller crashes against the seleucid elite, the hipaspists of the guard

 Morale loss fairly even romans 5, seleucids 4

 Light cavalry charges recklessly fresh hastati

 Heavy cavalry rushing to get to grips

 The hetairoi are close to breaking, and have just caused one casualty to the principes

 The light cav is pushed back

 The pass is ours! ROMA VICTRIX!

 Light cav can't get enough of it

 The peltasts begin to retreat before the legions

 Antiochus is concerned, will he arrive in time with his riders to save his army?

  The cretan archers are killed by vengeful equites

 The light cavary dies, and with them the seleucids reach their morale breaking point and rout

 Photo finnish at the end of the battle: the legions have opened the pass and have a free way into Greece, Antiochus retreats to Asia.

 The victorious Acilius

And an impotent Antiochus III