Battle of Sellasia

Battle of Sellasia
Part of the Cleomenean War
A map of depicting the South Peloponnese
Date 222 BC Location Sellasia, Laconia Result Decisive Macedonian-Achaean victory
Belligerents
Macedon Achaean League	Sparta
Commanders
Antigonus III Doson	Cleomenes III
Strength
28,000 infantry, 1,200 cavalry	About 20,000 infantry, 650 cavalry
Casualties and losses
Substantial	Heavy 5,800 Spartans dead

The Battle of Sellasia (Greek: Μάχη της Σελλασίας) took place in the summer 222 BC between the armies of Macedon and the Achaean League, lead by Antigonus III Doson, and Sparta under the command of King Cleomenes III. The battle was fought at Sellasia on the northern frontier of Laconia and ended in a Macedonian-Achaean victory.

Following the Spartan seizure

Background

In 229 BC, the Spartan King, Cleomenes III captured the strategically important Arcadian cities of Tegea, Mantinea, Caphyae and Orchomenus, which had aligned themselves with the powerful Aetolian League, a state in Central Greece. Historians Polybius and Sir William Smith claim that Cleomenes seized the cities by treachery; however, Richard Talbert, who translated Plutarch's account of Sparta, and historian N. G. L. Hammond say Cleomenes took them at their own request.^[1] Later in the year, at the behest of the ephors, Cleomenes captured the Athenaeum, which was close to Belbina. Belbina was one of the entry points in Laconia and was at the time disputed by Sparta and the city of Megalopolis.

The seizure of these cities, caused the Achaean League, a state that possess a large area of the Peloponnese, to declare war on Sparta. Attacks by the Achaean strategos, Aratus of Sicyon to take Tegea and Orchomenus by using night attacks failed and forced Aratus to retreat.^[1]a[›] The Spartan army of 5,000 under Cleomenes, marched into Arcadia and ravaged Achaean territory before forcing a much larger Achaean army to withdraw.^[2]

Meanwhile, Ptolemy III of Egypt, who had been subsidising the Achaean League in their struggle against Macedon, decided to shift his financial support to Sparta as he saw a resurgent Sparta as a bigger threat to Macedon than a failing Achaean League.^[2] In May 227 BC, Aratus attacked the city state of Elis, which appeal to Sparta for military support. As the Achaean army was returning from Elis, they were attacked and routed by Cleomenes.^[3]

Having bribed the ephors into allowing him to continue his campaign, Cleomenes invaded Megalopolitan territory, where he was confronted by an Achaean army. After a minor setback, the Spartans rallied and destroyed the Achaean army. The demoralised Achaean League made no further efforts to attack Sparta in that year. ^[4] Cleomenes was now confident enough of his strong position to start plotting against the ephors. After recruiting a few followers, he returned to Sparta with a group of mercenaries and killed all of the ephors except one, who managed to gain sanctuary in a temple.^[5] With the ephors vanquished, Cleomenes was able to initiate his social, economical and military reforms, which included land reforms, cancellation of debts and the conversion of the Spartan army into a Macedonian style.^[6]

In 226 BC, Mantinea, which had been captured by the Achaean appealed to Cleomenes for assistance in expelling the Achaean garrison. After he removed the Achaean garrison from the city, Cleomenes move his army into Achaea in hope of drawing the Achaean army into a pitched battle. At Dyme, the Spartan army met the entire Achaean army and routed the Achaean phalanx.^[7] This crushing defeat forced the Achaeans to negotiate and Cleomenes demanded that the League be surrendered to him. However, before terms could be reached, Cleomenes became stricken by an illness and was forced to return to Sparta.^[8]

Taking advantage of the lull in the negotiations, Aratus began to negotiate with King Antigonus III Doson of Macedon. However, the majority of the League was against negotiating with the Macedonians so Aratus plans were quashed for the time being.^[9] In a quick campaign, Cleomenes managed to capture the cities of Cleonae, Argos, Corinth, Hermione, Troezen and Epidaurus. This latest disaster forced the Achaeans to conclude an alliance with Antigonus, under which they were to give him the Acrocorinth as well as the cities of Orchomenus and Heraea in return for his assistance against Cleomenes.^[10]

Prelude

Antigonus marched towards the Peloponnese with a large army of 20,000 infantry and 1,300 via the island of Euboea. They resorted to this after having their passage blocked by the hostile Aetolian League, who threatened to block their march if they went further south.^[11] After reaching the Isthmus of Corinth they found the Macedonian army found their march halted by a series of fortification that Cleomenes had erected across the Isthmus. Several attempts to breach the fortification were repulsed with considerable losses.^[12]

However, Argos revolted against Sparta and expelled their garrison with the help of some Macedonian soldiers. This defeat forced Cleomenes to abandon his position on the Isthmus and to retreat back to Arcadia.^[13] Meanwhile, Antigonus revived the Hellenic League of Phillip II of Macedon under the name of the League of Leagues and managed to incorporate most of the Greek city states in this League.^[14][15]

Antigonus proceeded to capture several cities in Arcadia that had sided with Cleomenes. He returned to Achaea before dismissing his Macedonian troops so that they could winter at home.^[16] Around this time, Ptolemy of Egypt stopped paying subsides to Cleomenes, which left Cleomenes without many with which to pay for his mercenaries. In order to obtain money, Cleomenes began to sell helots their freedom in exchange for a sum of money.^[17]

Cleomenes became aware of the fact that Antigonus had dismissed all of his Macedonian troops Cleomenes decided to launch a raid on the Achaean League. He have the impression that he was going to raid the territory of Argos but instead switched directions and attacked Megalopolis. The Spartans managed to overrun a weak section of the fortifications and begin to take over the city.^[17] The citizens of Megalopolis did not become aware that the Spartans were in the city until dawn after which a rearguard action by some of the citizens allowed most of the Megalopolitans to escape. Cleomenes sent the Megalopolitans message offering back their city if they joined this alliance but when this offer was refuse, Cleomenes ordered that the city be sacked and razed.^[18]

Battle

Initial Moves

The sack of Megalopolis came as a big shock for the Achaean League. Cleomenes followed this success up by raiding the territory of Argos, as he knew Antigonus could not resist him due to a lack of men. Cleomenes had also hoped that a raid on Argive territory would make the Argives loss faith in Antigonus because of his failure to protect their land.^[19] Walbank describes this raid as being 'an impressive demonsration, but it had no effect other than to make it even more clear that Cleomenes had to be defeated in a pitched battle.^[20]

The sack of Megalopolis and the subsequent invasion of Argos' territory, caused Antigonus to recall the Macedonian army, which arrived in the Peloponnese with several allied armies. The combined army was predominately an infantry force consisting of: 10,000 Macedonian phalangists, 3,000 peltasts, 1,000 Agrianians, 1,000 Galatians, 3,000 Achaeans, 1,000 Megalopolitans armed in Macedonian style, 4,000 Greek allies, 1,600 Illyrians under the command of Demetrius of Pharos and 3,000 mercenaries as well as 1,200 cavalry, making a total of 29,200 men.^[21] Walbank states that the mercenaries may have come in part from Crete, where Antigonus had recently made an alliance with the cities of Hierapynta and Eleutherna for the recruitment of Cretan troops.^[20]

Dispositions

Meanwhile, Cleomenes had been preparing for the Macedonian invasion of Laconia by fortifying several of the passes that lead into the region.

Aftermath

Notes

^ a: According to Plutarch, The position of the ephors was first introduced in Sparta in 700 BC by King Theopompus. The ephors were five men who were elected annually by the Spartan assembly and once they held the post once they could not do so again.^[22] The ephors looked after the day to day running of the state and were the arbiters of war and peace. The position was created to check and restrain the power of the King.^[23]

In the Achaean League, the position of strategos was the highest. A strategos was elected annually by the Achaean ekklesia or assembly and he was the lead general of the League for the year as well as the chief magistrate. No one could hold the position for more than one year.^[24]

Citations

References

Primary sources

• Plutarch (translated by Richard Talbert). Life of Cleomenes. New York: Penguin Classics, 1988. ISBN 0-14-044463-7
• Plutarch (translated by Richard Talbert). Plutarch on Sparta. New York: Penguin Classics, 1988. ISBN 0-14-044463-7
• Polybius (translated by Frank W. Walbank). The Rise of the Roman Empire. New York: Penguin Classics, 1979. ISBN 0-14-044362-2

Secondary Sources

• Delbrück, Hans. Warfare in Antiquity: History of the Art of War. Univeristy of Nebraska Press, 1990. ISBN 0-803-29199-X
• Green, Peter. Alexander to Actium: The Historical Evolution of the Hellenistic Age. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1990. ISBN 0-500-01485-X.
• Habicht, Christian. Athens from Alexander to Antony. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1997. ISBN 0-674-05111-4
• Hackett, John. Warfare in the Classical World. London: Sidgwick & Jackson, 1989. ISBN 0-283-99591-2.
• Hammond, Nicholas. The Macedonian State: Origins, Institutions and History. Clarendon Press, 1989. ISBN 0198148836
• Hammond, Nicholas. A History of Macedon Volume III: 336-167 B.C. Oxford University Press, reprinted 2001. ISBN 0-19-814815-1
• Lemprière, John. Lemprière's Bibliotheca Classica. London: Bracken Books, 1989. ISBN 1-88891-228-8
• Shipley, Graham. The Greek World After Alexander: 323-30 BC. London: Routledge, 2000. ISBN 0-415-04618-1
• Smith, William. Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. London: John Murray, 1873.
• F W Walbank. The Cambridge Ancient History, Volume 2. Cambridge University Press, 1989. ISBN 0-521-23446-8
• Warry, John (1995; edition 2006). Warfare in the Classical World London (UK), University of Oklahoma Press , Norman Publishing Division of the University by special arrangement with Salamander Books Ltd. ISBN 0-8061-2794-5
• Yonah, Michael Avi and Shatzman, Israel. Illustrated Encyclopaedia of the Classical World. Jerusalem: Jerusalem Publishing House, 1976. ISBN 9780562000373