Battles of Heraclea Lyncestis, 219 BC and Emporiae, 218 BC (Med Campaign 9)

Reports are in of a battle in northern Macedon between the invading Illyrians and a force scrambled together to meet them:

The Illyrians invaded; the Macedonians placed gentle hills and Ralph added some rough going.  The Illyrian infantry proved surprisingly resilient even against pikes, and of course they had the numbers, but eventually their central command was worn down and broke.  A cavalry clash on the right saw casualties on both sides but the Macedonians had the edge, while on the left the Macedonians held up against vastly superior numbers. After the standard competition time (three and a quarter hours) we called the game at 6-4 to the Macedonians.  Either side could have won, given unlimited time, but Philip V had the edge.  So the Illyrian invasion has been repulsed after a very hard fight.

Macedonians to the left of this picture; Illyrians to the right.

The Illyrian centre on a gentle hill.

View from behind the Macedonian centre-right as the phalanx advances.

Macedonian right, with an Illyrian outflanking movement underway.

View from behind the Illyrian centre as the crisis approaches.

Hard fighting on the Illyrian left.

The phalanx under pressure in a fierce melee.

The Illyrian raid on Macedon is driven off, but the army has not been destroyed. 

Many thanks for John G-L and Ralph for fighting this one out and sending through the report and photographs! 

Furthermore, in Nearer Spain, Proconsul Aaronius Dubius Scipio Calvus, having landed a force near Emporiae, was engaged by an alliance of indomitable Iberian tribes under the command of one Simoniblis. 

The tribes fell upon the Roman force as it was making camp. Both forces were equal in strength. For the Romans, who deployed first, there were twelve units of average legionaries, two of levy light infantry, three of average heavy cavalry (Roman and allied) and one of levy light cavalry (Spanish allies). Scipio Calvus was classed as an unispired commander. The Roman key zone was in the centre.

The Iberians were comprised of fourteen units of average heavy infantry, one of levy light infantry, one of average light infantry, two average heavy cavalry, one average light cavalry, and one veteran heavy cavalry with average leader (Simoniblis). They had a hill to their right rear, and their key zone in the right centre.

View from the Iberian right rear.

In a cannily-fought battle the Iberians pushed forward in the centre and centre-right, later bringing Simoniblis and his veteran cavalry forward on the the right flank. The Romans were content to hold back their wings to avoid tangling with the cavalry and concentrate on the fight in the centre.

The centres engage.

Powerful Iberian attacks forced the Romans to pull back their left centre. The Romans push forward their left's cavalry to try to rescue the situation.

The Iberians have put a hole in the Roman line, but all is still in the balance.

Simoniblus defeats the cavalry opposing him. Under ever-increasing pressure, the Roman left commences to crumble. 

The Roman cavalry is defeated - Simoniblis advances.

The Romans are famously resilient, so the Iberian left now advances to engage the Roman right. The fighting is grim and bloody.

The Roman left is chewed up while on the other end of the line the forces finally meet. 

The Roman left is crushed; Simoniblis takes the camp. This plus eight units shattered means the Romans are at -3 to morale, and at the next setback the army flees. Dubius Scipio is unable to hold up the family reputation!

A famous win for SP (also giving him the Washbourn Trophy), who has overseen a good plan play out to near perfection, and pushes the Roman menace out of Nearer Spain. 

The campaign continues!

Many thanks again to John, Ralph, and SP for participating in this turn, to John, Russ, Martin and Peter for having played in the other battles so far, and to others who have also expressed interest in participating. It is wonderful to have had so many hands to the pump, as it were!

Campaign History