| |
The Battle of Erigon Valley or the Battle of
Lyncus Plain took place in 358 between the Dardanians under Bardyllis and the
Macedonians under Philip II. After forty years on continuous Dardanian
dominance and expansion under Bardyllis, Philip II after marrying Audata, an
Illyrian princess, marched into Illyria and confronted the Dardanian tribesmen.
The battle described by Diodorus and Frontinus shows the power and excellence
of both the Macedonian and Dardanian armies.
Opponents:
Macedon versus Kingdom of Dardania
Commanders and leaders:
Macedon Philip II of Macedon
Dardania - Bardyllis †
Strength:
Macedon 10,000 infantry, 600 cavalry
Dardania - 10,000 infantry, 500 cavalry
Casualties and losses:
Macedon 300-500 killed
Dardania - 5,000 killed 1,000 captured
Background:
Macedonian campaigns It seems that Bardyllis opposed the deal with Amyntas II
and Sirras and invaded Macedonia in 393 BC. Bardyllis used new warfare tactics
never before used by any of the Illyrians. He won a decisive battle against
Amyntas III, expelled him, and ruled Macedonia through a puppet king. In 392
BC, Amyntas III allied himself with the Thessalians and took Macedonia under
his rule from the Dardanians. However, the Illyrians were constantly raiding
and ruling over the northern frontiers of Macedonia. After continuous
invasions, Bardyllis forced the Macedon's to pay him an annual tribute in 372
BC. In 370 BC, the worthy Amyntas died full of years, having restored the
fortunes of his kingdom after the Illyrian disasters. His marriage to Eurydice
of the Illyrian Sirras produced three sons and a daughter. His eldest son was
Alexander II. In 369 BC, Bardyllis prevented Alexander II from eliminating the
Dardanians from Macedonia. After the battle, Bardyllis was said to have briefly
held Philip II, the youngest brother of Alexander II, as a hostage. In 365 BC,
Alexander II was succeeded by his brother Perdiccas III. The Paeonians began a
series of raids against the Macedonians in support of a Dardanian invasion from
the north. Perdiccas III, king of Macedonia, humiliated by the indignity of
having to pay tribute to the Dardanians, marched north in the spring of 358 BC
at the Macedonian army to resolve the issue by battle.[2] This was not the
first occasion in which he had fought against Bardyllis, but the Macedonians
lost the battle. The king himself was among the 4,000 Macedonian dead. The
remainder, panic-stricken after having become exceedingly afraid of the
Illyrian army, lost heart for continuing the war. This was the worst loss
suffered by the Macedonians in the range of their efforts to free themselves
from the Illyrians. The Dardanians followed up their victory by expanding their
control southward to Lake Lychnitis (Lake Ohrid) and westward into upper
Macedonia. By the actions of Bardyllis, the Dardanians had brought Macedonia
close to collapse.[3] When Philip II, the youngest of the three brothers
assumed the throne, he was determined to subdue the Illyians under Bardyllis
once and for all, destroying the Illyrian menace. Reign of Philip II
Reign of Philip II:
In 359, Macedonia could come back to the field of battle against the Illyrians,
after it had overcome the internal state of political chaos and removed the
risk of attack from other opponents. When Philip II assumed the Macedonian
throne, substantial areas of upper Macedonia remained in control of Bardyllis.
In order to concentrate on the internal struggle necessary to secure his crown,
Philip reaffirmed the treaty the Dardanians had imposed on Macedonia by force
of arms and sealed the alliance by his marriage of Audata, probably a niece or
daughter of Bardyllis. This action undoubtedly deterred a full-scale Dardanian
invasion of Macedonia at a time when the country was most vulnerable. By the
spring of 358 BC, Philip had at last secured his throne and was now able to
address the occupation of northwest Macedonia by Bardyllis. When word of the
mobilization of the Macedonian army came to Bardyllis' attention, he proposed
to Philip that they sign a treaty to maintain the status quo, provided that
both parties maintain the cities that were already in their possession at the
time. This was, of course, unacceptable to Philip because he was not prepared
to accept any terms other than a full Dardanian withdrawal from northwest
Macedonia. Bardyllis, however, was not inclined to give up his winnings without
a fight. Philip mobilized every able-bodied soldier in Macedonia for the
battle. Bardyllis, as before, was not likely to take any prisoners, so any
Macedonian defeat would result in crippling casualties.
Battle:
With his northern frontier safe for the time being, Philip turned westward that
summer to regain the territory lost by his brother. The Illyrians presented a
daunting challenge, able to match Philip's manpower with 10,000 infantry and
500 cavalry of their own against Philips slightly advantageous 10,000 infantry
and 600 cavalry.[5] Moreover, Bardyllis' infantry had a strong component of
shock fighters, possibly making up 7,000 of the total. The Illyrian warriors
used a heavy-headed sibyna spear and bossed shield. Philip had to have known
that they would put his as yet untried hypaspists and native phalangites to a
stern test of hand-to-hand combat. The Macedonians weren't facing a newly
enfranchised king like Philip, but rather a grizzled veteran of many wars, as
Bardyllis might have been 90 years old, yet was still sturdy enough to take the
field on horseback.[6] The Illyrians moved to offer battle on open ground.
Hammond suggests (1994, 26) that this was just west of Kirli Dirven pass on the
plain of Lyncus. Philip arrived and deployed his phalanx much as he had done in
its first action, with the phalangites at left and centre, hired hoplites and
hypaspites from the right in that order again and cavalry and light infantry
split off both wings. As for Bardyllis' arrangements, Diodorus' claim of a
square formation (16.4.6) is confused even in context of his own battle
description and, since such tactics are unattested elsewhere save in retreat
for either Illyrians or Greeks in this area, the version of Frontinus (2.3.2)
is to be preferred. This indicates that Bardyllis set up in a linear fashion,
his heavy infantry matching the phalanx's width with even deeper files and
having the best men fronting in the middle with cavalry and skirmishers
outboard. The formations had closed together, Illyrian at quick pace and
Macedonian slowly as to keep good order. When they finally met, a vicious melee
was set in motion from one end of the field to the other. All the elements of
the phalanx at this point moved in chorus to execute their deadly tasks. Left
through centre the pikemen held firm, their long weapons keeping Illyrian spear
points out of range as they wounded at least a few among those leading the
Illyrian effort. At the same time, Philip and his spearmen made progress on the
right striking into the Illyrians as momentum from the rear ranks pushed them
relentlessly ahead. The Illyrian front-fighters opposing them got much less
help from behind and were powerless to resist the intense, file-length pressure
coming at them. In the end, the Illyrians had no choice but to yield ground. As
the Illyrians left began edging back, it was the hetairoi and their skirmishers
that now excelled, easing the way for the hoplites and hypaspists by clearing
all Illyrian cavalry and light infantry from that flank. Exposed and put beyond
endurance, the Illyrian left now gave way completely and sent the rest of their
formation into a frantic flight under fierce pursuit.
Diodorus Siculus[7] (1st century BC) writes this of the event: And at first for
a long while the battle was evenly poised because of the exceeding gallantry
displayed on both sides, and as many were slain and still more wounded, the
fortune of battle vacillated first one way then the other, being constantly
swayed by the valorous deeds of the combatants; but later as the horsemen
pressed on from the flank and rear and Philip with the flower of his troops
fought with true heroism, the mass of the Illyrians was compelled to take
hastily to flight. When the pursuit had been kept up for a considerable
distance and many had been slain in their flight, Philip recalled the
Macedonians with the trumpet and erecting a trophy of victory buried his own
dead, while the Illyrians, having sent ambassadors and withdrawn from all the
Macedonian cities, obtained peace. But more than seven thousand Illyrians were
slain in this battle.
Diodorus' tally of 7,000 slain among the Illyrians in this action (16.4.7) is
clearly an exaggeration. It might be better seen as a reckoning of the heavy
infantry defeated than as an actual toll of the dead. At the same time
Dardanian casualties must have been very high ( several thousand per Justin
(7.6.7)), with a likely 20-30 percent killed. Philips' cost would have been
quite a bit lower, perhaps some 3-5 percent going down in the fight or dying
shortly thereafter. Bardyllis appreciated the scope of his defeat and lost no
time in suing for peace. The Illyrians later sent representatives and settled
terms for peace, releasing all the cities they had conquered from Macedonia. In
this battle, the troubling issue of Lynkestis was solved, changing the
situation in the western borders in favor of Macedonia. Philip secured
Macedonians northwest frontier by annexing Dardanian territory as far as
Lynkestis. This would form a defensive buffer against any future Illyrian raids
attempted through the Drilon Valley. The borders between the Illyrian and the
Macedonians remained around Lake Ohrid for a long time.[8]
|
|
