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The Ptolemaic army was the army
of the Ptolemaic Macedonian kings that ruled Egypt from 305. Like most of the
other armies of the Diadochi, it was very much Macedonian in style, with the
use of the long pike (sarissa) in a deep phalanx formation. Despite the
strength of the Ptolemaic army, evinced in 217 with the victory over the
Seleucids at the Battle of Raphia, the
Ptolemaic kingdom itself fell into decline and by the time of Julius Caesar, it
was but a mere client-kingdom of the Roman Republic. The army by the time of
Caesar’s campaigns in the eastern Mediterranean was a mere shadow of its
former self: generally, a highly disorganized assemblage of mercenaries and
other foreign troops.
The army of Ptolemy I:
Ptolemy I was a general in the army of Alexander the Great and after
Alexander’s death had taken over the province of Egypt as a satrap (local
governor). Along with the other successors to Alexander he did not hold the
title of king until 305, but was still an important player in the affairs of
the Macedonian Empire in the east. In 312 at Gaza, Ptolemy, who was assisting
the fugitive satrap of Babylonia, Seleucus I, came up against the forces of
Antigonus I who was seen as a major threat to the stability of the empire due
to his strength and power. Ptolemy had a force of 18,000 infantry and 4,000
cavalry, these being a mixture of Macedonians, mercenaries, and native
Egyptians. His forces were larger than those of Antigonus and his son,
Demetrius Poliorketes. In the battle for Gaza, Antigonus’ cavalry,
commanded by Demetrius, were initially successful but forced to retreat after
Ptolemy out-flanked them. The battle was a victory for Ptolemy who soon secured
Syria for himself and placed Seleucus in Babylonia to govern the eastern
provinces of the empire. By 305 Ptolemy had taken the title of king, along with
the other most powerful generals, including Cassander, Seleucus, and Antigonus.
In 30, the threat of Antigonus was finally ended with his death at the Battle
of Ipsus. But despite this, the rivalry between the Ptolemies and the Seleucids
for Syria would cause numerous wars in the future. The army under Ptolemy I was
most likely composed of small Macedonian and mercenary garrisons left in Egypt
by Alexander.
The manpower problem:
In the Ptolemaic era a small population of Greeks provided the main cadre of
the army. These men provided manpower for the elite guards units and the
phalanx that lay at its core. However, the distance of Egypt from Greece caused
considerable difficulties as the population of Greeks in Egypt was and remained
small. To remedy this problem, the Ptolemies set up military colonies and
encouraged settlers to settle in them. In return for these plots of land, the
kleruchoi, as they were known, would be obligated to provide military service.
Mercenaries were also employed by the Ptolemies, who could afford it due to
their wealth. For example, Ptolemy IV paid 1,000 drachmas a day for one
distinguished Aetolian officer to serve in his armies. This system gave the
Ptolemies more manpower, however they still suffered severe shortages. Despite
this lack of manpower, they would not allow native Egyptians to fight in the
army proper. The natives would only serve in the navy or as auxiliaries. This
changed by the time of Raphia in 217 when the situation became especially dire
for the Ptolemies. Their army was far too small to counter the far superior
Seleucid force led by the formidable Antiochus III. To counter the larger
Seleucid force, the general Sosibius assembled a large army which he trained
for the fight to come, and in which he also enrolled 30,000 native Egyptians to
serve in the phalanx. These 30,000 picked Egyptians, known as the Machimoi
Epilektoi, fought well in the battle, but caused problems later on. The
increased status of these Egyptian troops enabled and encouraged them to
revolt, which led to a further crippling of the kingdom in the years following
Raphia.
Later years and Roman influence:
Reforms in the late Seleucid and Ptolemaic armies re-organised them and tried
to add some Roman aspects to formations. Stelae from Hermopolis show a
Ptolemaic unit having a standard-bearer and other staff attached. This unit was
like a Roman Maniple, being composed of two smaller units led by a Hekatontarch
(i.e. a Centurion). The title of Hekatontarch appeared around the 250s in the
Septuagint (Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible) which uses hekatontarchos
pl. to refer to 'captains of hundreds' (eg 2Chr25:5). As well as this,
Asclepiodotus describes in his 'Tactica' a new institution, the Syntagma, which
had a standard-bearer, other staff and was composed of two smaller units led by
Hekatontarchs. The Phalangarkhia, also described by Asclepiodotus, was about
the size of a Roman Legion in strength. The potential Roman influence would
have been great. In Ptolemaic Egypt, Roman adventurers and veterans are found
commonly serving under the Ptolemies. Romans are found in Ptolemaic service as
early as 252/1. The Ptolemaic army was odd in that, out of all the Hellenistic
armies, it was the only army where you could find Romans in Greek service. As
Sekunda suggests 'such individuals would have spread knowledge of Roman
military systems within the Ptolemaic military and political establishment'
However, the continuous struggles for power between Ptolemaic kings and the
decline of the kingdom itself soon turned the army into a mere shadow of its
former self: generally, a highly disorganized assemblage of mercenaries and
other foreign troops.
In 61, Aulus Gabinius, the Roman proconsul of Roman Syria, restored the king to
the throne after a short campaign. Then he left a part of his army, called
after him the Gabiniani, in Egypt for the king's protection. These Roman troops
also included Gallic and German horsemen. They married Egyptian women and had
already fathered children with them before the arrival of Caesar in Egypt in
48. Over time, they lost their connection with Rome and became a loyal
protecting power of Ptolemy XII, who used them in fights against rebellious
subjects. When Julius Caesar arrived in Egypt and supported Cleopatra in the
struggle between her and her brother. Pothinus organized military opposition
against Caesar. In the Alexandrinian war that followed, the Gabiniani played an
important role: they were the core divisions of Achillas' army that comprised
20,000 infantrymen and 2000 cavalrymen. After the successful conclusion of the
Alexandrinian war, Caesar replaced the Gabiniani with three reliable legions,
the XXVII, XXVIII and XXIX. These served as the Roman occupying army of Egypt
and were tasked with protecting Cleopatra but also to ensure the queen's
loyalty to Rome.
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