Attack on Sinope 216 BC (Med Campaign 11)

Jim Webster and friends have enlightened us on the reasons for the sudden appearance of the Kingdom of Pontus as an active player in our campaign. Here is the story:

Campaign Battle

We know from Polybius book 4 that Mithridates II of Pontus had got designs on Sinope.

56 1 Such was the state of affairs in Crete. At the same period Mithridates too went to war with Sinope, and this proved as it were the beginning and first occasion of the misfortunes which finally befell this city. 2 The Sinopeans sent an embassy to Rhodes begging for assistance towards this war and the Rhodians passed a decree to appoint three commissioners and to place in their hands a sum of 140,000 drachmae on receiving which they were to supply the requirements of the Sinopeans. 3 The commissioners got ready ten thousand jars of wine, three hundred talents of prepared hair, a hundred talents of prepared bow-string, a thousand complete suits of armour, three thousand gold pieces, and four catapults with their artillerymen, 4 on receiving which the Sinopean envoys returned home. These things were sent because the Sinopeans were in great dread of Mithridates undertaking the siege of the city by land and sea, and they therefore were making all their preparations with this view. 5 Sinope lies  p435 on the southern shore of the Pontus on the route to the Phasis and is situated on a peninsula running out to the open sea. The neck of this peninsula connecting it with Asia is not more than two stades in width and is absolutely closed by the city which is situated upon it; 6 the rest of the peninsula runs out to the open sea and is flat and affords an easy approach to the town, but on its sea face it is very steep, difficult to anchor off, and with very few approaches from the sea. 7 The Sinopeans were fearful lest Mithridates should lay siege to them by throwing up works on the side of the city next Asia, while at the same time effecting a disembarkation on the opposite side and occupying the flat ground over­looking the city; 8 and consequently they busied themselves with strengthening all round that part of the peninsula which was washed by the sea, blocking up the approaches from the sea by means of stakes and stockades and pla­cing soldiers and stores of missiles at suitable spots, the whole peninsula being of no great size but quite easily defensible by a moderate force.

So the game worked on the following.

It was obvious that landing on the plateau was possible. (Looking at google maps, it wasn’t going to be easy)

Mithridates obviously had access to ships to do it. Pontus controlled the city of Amastris (Its tyrant Eumenes presented the city of Amastris to Ariobarzanes of Pontus in c. 265–260 BC rather than submit it to domination by Heraclea.)

This time Mithridates decided to attack more rapidly before Sinope had started doing defensive works.

I had two maps, one was a plan from ‘Development of the city plan of ancient Sinope: Infrastructure as ideology.’ By Owen Doonan. The plan is credited to Bryer, A. and Winfield, D. 1985: The Byzantine Monuments and Topography of the Pontos.

Bryer, A. and Winfield, D. 1985: The Byzantine Monuments and Topography of the Pontos.

The other is a screen shot from google maps.

Over the last few months, at our club we’ve introduced people to DBA. They’re not ‘ancient’ players but are enjoying the rules. So I would do this battle as a multiplayer DBA game with each player having a DBA army. Actually some had more than one.

The defenders were divided into three watches.

1) Miscellaneous Anatolian Mercenaries. 4 Sp, 6 Auxilia, 1 Cv, 1 Ps

2) The Greek mercenaries. 8 Sp, 1 Cav, 1 LH, 2 Ps

3) The citizens. 8 Sp, 2 Cav, 1 LH, 1 Ps.

I counted Mercenary Thureophoroi as Sp in this game as I think it better represented what was going on.

The attackers were divided into three landing sites.

1) North landing. The Galatian mercenaries. 11 warband, 1 Ps

2) East landing. The Greek Mercenaries. 6 Sp, 2 Ax, 3 Bw, 1 Ps

3) South Landing. The other mercenaries. 4Sp, 3Ax, 3Bw, 2 Ps

The Bow were because Pontus always seems to have had them. The Ax were probably dismounted cavalry.

The game started with one base for each landing party appear on the table edge. The Watch on duty was rolled for at random, and this one was queuing at the city gate.

The Sinopean forces were to drive the enemy back into the sea. The Pontic forces wanted to get into the city.

Each move each Pontic player rolled a d6, that was the number of bases who’d scrambled up onto the plateau that move. Each move the Sinopean player rolled a d6 for each watch unmustered to see how many bases arrived at the muster point (the main gate). When a watch left the gate it could move up to 6” in column. But once it deployed, it used Pip dice as normal.

The battle lasted a couple of hours. The first action happened when the troops from the South landing came into contact with the Miscellaneous Anatolian mercenaries. 

The Galatians advancing: three Sinopean commands have the centre ground; the third Pontic command is still plodding towards the fighting.

Mainly due to dice luck, the Pontic forces triumphed comparatively quickly. But we used the rule where you can use pips to hold the demoralised remnants. So whilst the mercenaries broke, they managed to hold the line and slow pursuit. 

Then the Galatians hit the Greek mercenaries whilst on the Sinopean side, the Citizens deployed to face the South landing force. The fighting was tougher but the arrival of the Greek mercenaries from the East Landing meant the Sinopean Greek mercenaries broke.

All three Pontic commands are closing in. One Sinopean command has just broken and the Sinopean citizens are being turned round to cover that flank

Finally the Citizens, trying to withdraw to the city gate were hit by Galatians. Whilst they managed to fend them off, it meant that the troops from the South Landing finally hit them from the other side. The Citizen’s general was pulled from his horse by Pontic psiloi in the city gateway and the now demoralised Citizen contingent surrendered. The city had fallen. 

Many thanks to Jim for this account of how Mithridates II made a name for himself by conquering Sinope and turning his kingdom into a regional power!

The campaign continues.

Campaign history