First Battle of Lamia: Difference between revisions

First Battle of Lamia
	Part of First Macedonian War
	Lamia First Battle of Lamia (Greece)
Date	Spring 209 BC
Location	Lamia, Greece
Result	Macedonian victory
Belligerents
Macedonia	Aetolia; Roman Republic; Pergamum
Commanders and leaders
Philip V of Macedon	Pyrrhias
Casualties and losses
Unknown	1,000

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The First Battle of Lamia was fought in 209 BC between the forces of Philip V of Macedon and the Aetolians led by Pyrrhias. The Aetolians were aided by a small Roman force and a force from the kingdom of Pergamon. The Macedonians were victorious. Another battle was fought at Lamia within the year.

In the First Battle of Lamia the Aetolian league suffered almost 1,000 casualties.

Background

In the spring of 210 BC, Laevinus again sailed from Corcyra with his fleet, and with the Aetolians, captured Phocian Anticyra. Rome enslaved the inhabitants and Aetolia took possession of the town.^[1]

Although there was some fear of Rome and concern with her methods,^[2] the coalition arrayed against Philip continued to grow. As allowed for by the treaty, Pergamon, Elis and Messenia, followed by Sparta, all agreed to join the alliance against Macedon.^[3] The Roman fleet, together with the Pergamene fleet, controlled the sea, and Macedon and her allies were threatened on land by the rest of the coalition. The Roman strategy of encumbering Philip with a war among Greeks in Greece was succeeding, so much so that when Laevinus went to Rome to take up his consulship, he was able to report that the legion deployed against Philip could be safely withdrawn.^[4]

However, the Eleans, Messenians and Spartans remained passive throughout 210 BC, and Philip continued to make advances. He invested and took Echinus, using extensive siege works, having beaten back an attempt to relieve the town by the Aetolian strategos Dorimachus and the Roman fleet, now commanded by the proconsul Publius Sulpicius Galba.^[5] Moving west Philip probably also took Phalara the port city of Lamia, in the Maliac Gulf. Sulpicius and Dorimachus took Aegina, an island in the Saronic Gulf, which the Aetolians sold to Attalus, the Pergamene king, for thirty talents, and which he was to use as his base of operations against Macedon in the Aegean Sea.

In the spring of 209 BC, Philip received requests for help from his ally the Achaean League in the Peloponnesus who were being attacked by Sparta and the Aetolians. He also heard that Attalus had been elected one of the two supreme commanders of the Aetolian League, and rumours that he intended to crossover the Aegean from Asia Minor.^[6] It was due to this that King Philip decided to march south into Greece.

References

^ Livy, 26.26; Polybius, 9.39. Livy says that Anticyra was Locrian, but modern scholars disagree, see Walbank, p. 87, note 2.
^ Polybius, 9.37–39, 10.15.
^ Polybius, 9,30.
^ Livy, 26.28.
^ Polybius, 9.41–42.
^ Livy, 27.29.

Bibliography

Livy, From the Founding of the City, Rev. Canon Roberts (translator), Ernest Rhys (Ed.); (1905) London: J. M. Dent & Sons, Ltd.
Polybius, Histories, Evelyn S. Shuckburgh (translator); London, New York. Macmillan (1889); Reprint Bloomington (1962).

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[1] Livy, 26.26; Polybius, 9.39. Livy says that Anticyra was Locrian, but modern scholars disagree, see Walbank, p. 87, note 2.

[2] Polybius, 9.37–39, 10.15.

[3] Polybius, 9,30.

[4] Livy, 26.28.

[5] Polybius, 9.41–42.

[6] Livy, 27.29.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|Battle of the First Macedonian War}}
-{{Unreferenced|date=July 2008}}
+{{Multiple issues|
-{{Infobox military conflict|
+{{Refimprove|date=February 2015}}
-conflict=First Battle of Lamia|
+{{Primary sources|date=July 2024}}
-image=|
+}}
-caption=|
+{{Infobox military conflict
-partof=[[First Macedonian War]]|
+|conflict=First Battle of Lamia
-date=Spring 209 BC|
+|partof=[[First Macedonian War]]
-place=[[Lamia (city)|Lamia]], Greece|
+|image={{Location map many |Greece
-result= Macedonian victory|
+| width = 300
-combatant1=[[Macedon]]|
+| float = center
-combatant2=[[Aetolia]],<br>[[Roman Republic]],<br>[[Pergamum]]|
+| label = Lamia
-commander1=[[Philip V of Macedon]]|
+| pos = right
-commander2=[[Pyrrhias of Aetolia|Pyrrhias]]|
+| marksize = 8
-strength1=|
+| lat_deg = 38.9
-strength2=|
+| lon_deg = 22.433333
-casualties1=|
+}}
-casualties2=Heavy|
+|caption=
+|date=Spring 209 BC
+|place=[[Lamia (city)|Lamia]], [[Greece]]
+|result= Macedonian victory
+|combatant1=[[Macedon|Macedonia]]
+|combatant2=[[Aetolia]]<br>[[Roman Republic]]<br>[[Kingdom of Pergamum|Pergamum]]
+|commander1=[[Philip V of Macedon]]
+|commander2=[[Pyrrhias of Aetolia|Pyrrhias]]
+|strength1=
+|strength2=
+|casualties1=Unknown
+|casualties2=1,000
 }}
-{{Campaignbox Macedonian Wars}}
 {{Campaignbox First Macedonian War Battles}}
-The '''First Battle of Lamia''' ({{lang-el|Πρώτη Μάχη της Λαμίας}}) was fought in 209 BC between the forces of [[Philip V of Macedon]] and the Aetolians led by [[Pyrrhias of Aetolia|Pyrrhias]].  Phyrrhias was aided by a small Roman and [[Pergamum]] force. The Macedonians were victorious.  [[Second Battle of Lamia|Another battle]] was fought at Lamia within the year.
+The '''First Battle of Lamia''' was fought in 209 BC between the forces of [[Philip V of Macedon]] and the Aetolians led by [[Pyrrhias of Aetolia|Pyrrhias]]. The Aetolians were aided by a small Roman force and a force from the kingdom of [[Pergamon]]. The Macedonians were victorious. [[Second Battle of Lamia|Another battle]] was fought at Lamia within the year.
-{{coord missing|Greece}}
+In the First Battle of Lamia the Aetolian league suffered almost 1,000 casualties.
+==Background==
+In the spring of 210 BC, Laevinus again sailed from Corcyra with his fleet, and with the Aetolians, captured [[Phocis|Phocian]] [[Anticyra]]. Rome enslaved the inhabitants and Aetolia took possession of the town.<ref>Livy, [[s:From the Founding of the City/Book 26#26|26.26]]; Polybius, [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Plb.+9.39 9.39]. Livy says that Anticyra was Locrian, but modern scholars disagree, see Walbank, p. 87, note 2.</ref>
+Although there was some fear of Rome and concern with her methods,<ref>Polybius, [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Plb.+9.37 9.37–39], [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Plb.+10.15 10.15].</ref> the coalition arrayed against Philip continued to grow. As allowed for by the treaty, Pergamon, Elis and Messenia, followed by Sparta, all agreed to join the alliance against Macedon.<ref>Polybius, [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Plb.+9.30 9,30].</ref> The Roman fleet, together with the Pergamene fleet, controlled the sea, and Macedon and her allies were threatened on land by the rest of the coalition. The Roman strategy of encumbering Philip with a war among Greeks in Greece was succeeding, so much so that when Laevinus went to Rome to take up his [[Roman consul|consul]]ship, he was able to report that the legion deployed against Philip could be safely withdrawn.<ref>Livy, [[s:From the Founding of the City/Book 26#28|26.28]].</ref>
+However, the Eleans, Messenians and Spartans remained passive throughout 210 BC, and Philip continued to make advances. He invested and took Echinus, using extensive siege works, having beaten back an attempt to relieve the town by the Aetolian ''[[strategos]]'' [[Dorimachus]] and the Roman fleet, now commanded by the proconsul [[Publius Sulpicius Galba Maximus|Publius Sulpicius Galba]].<ref>Polybius, [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Plb.+9.41 9.41–42].</ref> Moving west Philip probably also took [[Phalara]] the port city of [[Lamia (city)|Lamia]], in the [[Maliac Gulf]]. Sulpicius and Dorimachus took [[Aegina]], an island in the [[Saronic Gulf]], which the Aetolians sold to Attalus, the Pergamene king, for thirty [[Talent (weight)|talent]]s, and which he was to use as his base of operations against Macedon in the [[Aegean Sea]].
+In the spring of 209 BC, Philip received requests for help from his ally the [[Achaean League]] in the [[Peloponnesus]] who were being attacked by [[Sparta]] and the Aetolians. He also heard that Attalus had been elected one of the two supreme commanders of the Aetolian League, and rumours that he intended to crossover the Aegean from [[Asia Minor]].<ref>Livy, [[s:From the Founding of the City/Book 27#29|27.29]].</ref> It was due to this that King Philip decided to march south into [[Greece]].
+==References==
+{{Reflist}}
+==Bibliography==
+*[[Livy]], [[s:From the Founding of the City|''From the Founding of the City'']], Rev. Canon Roberts (translator), Ernest Rhys (Ed.); (1905) London: J. M. Dent & Sons, Ltd.
+*[[Polybius]], [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Plb.+1.1 ''Histories''], [[Evelyn S. Shuckburgh]] (translator); London, New York. Macmillan (1889); Reprint Bloomington (1962).
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Lamia 01}}
-[[Category:Conflicts in 209 BC]]
+[[Category:200s BC conflicts]]
+[[Category:209 BC]]
 [[Category:Battles of Philip V of Macedon]]
-[[Category:Battles involving Pergamon]]
+[[Category:Battles involving the Kingdom of Pergamon]]
 [[Category:First Macedonian War]]
-[[Category:History of Lamia]]
+[[Category:Military history of Lamia (city)]]
+[[Category:Battles involving the Aetolian League|Lamia]]
+[[Category:Battles involving the Roman Republic|Lamia]]
 {{AncientGreece-battle-stub}}