Arche Aiakidae - Europa Barbarorum 2 Epeiros campaign

Wulfburk · Aug 28, 2018

Early History of the Arche Aiakidae, Empire of the Aeacides
(272 BC-170 BC)

That which is won by the spear, shall be lost by the spear

Pyrrhus quickly proceeded with war against Antigonos Gonatas, defeating him in a pitched battle, while his son Alexandros took Demetrias. Pyrrhus soon fell in a small cavalry skirmish however, against the forces aligned to Antigonos, and so his son Alexandros was made king.

He then made peace with the Koinon Hellenon, liberated Athens from its Macedonian garrison, and left Antigonos' sons with only Corinth as their realm.

They proceeded to ask for war, and once again invaded Athens, and so Alexandros of Epeiros intervened and destroyed them again, this time placing his own garrison in Athens. Meanwhile, a roman army had landed on Illyria, which was taken care of in a pitched battle, and routed.

In the next decade, once again Macedon attempted to expand from Corinth, this time besieging Sparta, and Alexandros assisted the greeks once more, and took control of Corinth and the last refuge of the sons of Antigonus Gonatas.

However, with that done, Sparta, who had Crete and was ally of Rhodes, invaded the ptolemaic empire, and soon had taken all of their possesions in the coast, including Alexandria. After much deliberations, the king of Epeiros decided to intervene: He led an army and besieged sparta, while the grandson of Pyrrhus, Pyrrichos, landed on egypt, and had several battles against the spartans, finally defeating them after a couple of years, and his army went so far as Cyrenaica: all cities but the one in that region were given back to the ptolemaic empire, and a firm alliance was made between their dynasty and the dynasty of Pyrrhus the Eagle. With the end of the campaign in egypt, most of the forces there while returning to greece had a detour and captured Creta, while Rhodes fell to the city of Pergamon, who was in a rapid expansion in Anatolia.

The siege of Sparta ended after several seasons, and they were defeated, though the king Alexandros died of illness.

Pyrrichos wasnt Basileus yet, but he had quickly risen through the ranks and become the best general in the court of Alexandros before, and now of Basileus Lamios, overshadowing Pyrrhus himself with his achievements. By this time, Syracuse was captured by Carthage, and Rome had captured Messina, the two nations fighting over the isle. Syracusians came forth to Ambrakia asking for aid, and Pyrrichos, ordered by Lamios, led an army there, landing near the city, and proceeding to defeat a roman army that was in the region that was two times his own forces. After a few years of campaign, all of sicily was taken, and Epeiros with a massive shipbuilding campaign had also naval superiority. Peace was then made with the romans and the carthaginians, them accepting epeirote rule over sicily.

Next, Pergamon invaded Crete, and war was begun between them and Epeiros. In the first war, Pyrrichos liberated Rhodes and made peace. But in the next, soon after, again starting with pergamese aggression, he and Lamios invaded Anatolia with two armies, and proceeded to liberate all the regions they had taken from the ptolemaic empire, placing Epeirote garrisons there. Shortly after pergamon requested for peace, and was left with three cities.

Peace in the epeirote kingdom was short lived however, as another member of the Epeirote dynasty, Polypeithes, was made Basileus instead of Pyrrichos, after Lamios passed away. Pyrrichos then led his army from Anatolia and invaded Hellas. The two standing armies that remained declared themselves to Plypeithes, and they met near Demetrias. As their forces were two times the size of Pyrrichos, the result went to the nick of it: Pyrrichos managed to kill much more of the enemy, but his line was soon broken, and he made a desperate attempt which proved succesful: an attack towards the enemy generals, they both were killed, and though Pyrrichos left the field to his battered enemies, he was proclaimed Basileus, and the Epeirote kingdom united once again.

The romans took advantage though, and decided to invade Sicily. In reply, Pyrrichos planned to enter a campaign in Italy in support of magna grecia. But grim news had arrived, Pyrrichos had died at sea as he was leading an army to sicily. He had defeated the spartans, the romans, the carthaginians, the pergamese, and the macedonians, and his kin as well.

Two full armies were mustered to invade Italy by the new king, Leontikos, while one was left in asia minor, to watch over those pergamese dogs, and check hayasdan aggression.

The invasion of Italy started well, garrisoning the greek colonies, and proceeding to siege capua. However, the siege was lifted as it was taking long, and Basileus Leontikos decided to move towards Rome. A pitched battle was met in the road between the capital and Capua. Both sides had over 4000, but the romans managed to manouver and surround one of the two epeirote forces.

The battle started reasonably well, but without Pyrrichos and low on rations, morale was very low. Soon the two epeirote armies routed and were defeated in the worst defeat of the dynasty of Pyrrhus. Soon all epeirote forces retreated from italy, leaving the greek garrisons to their fate, while Pergamon decided to start another war in Anatolia.

Pergamon was thus defeated for a third time, this time by Basileus Prax, but now their city itself was taken, and their king was left with one city to the north, and made official vassal to Epeiros.

Lastly, warbands of the getai started invading anatolia through the helespont: they were checked by a joint army of pergamese and epeirote soldiers. Though their transgressions continued, and Prax decided to put an end to it, and secure the northern borders of his kingdom: He mustered an army and sailed forth to Crimea, in assistance of the Bosphorus kingdom, whom had requested aid against the getai invaders, while other two forces were left in macedonia and thrace to invade the getic settlements from the south.

Prax came to his end in the Getic campaign. His army was destroyed in the crimea, with him fleeing back to Thrace. His generals had better luck, capturing three getae regions, and holding over the Danube river. Prax then decided to ford it with a quickly mustered force, and invade the Getae heartland. There he was defeated once again in a pitched battle, this time dying with a spear thrust to his chest. The campaign was succesfully finished by the Strategos of the kingdom, with the new Basileus, Timogenes, remaining in Ambrakia. Of much importance to the defeat of the getae tribe was the roman invasion of their lands to the west, which had forced the barbarians to move most of their armies towards the newly threatened regions.

Chapter 1: War agaisnt Hayasdan and the betrayal of the Ptolemaioi
(170 BC-169 BC)

Chapter 2: War against the Ptolemaioi part 2
(169 BC-160 BC)

Chapter 3: Second Babylonian War
(159 BC-148 BC)

Chapter 4: Battle of Babylon
(148 BC-144 BC)

Chapter 5: War in the four corners of the Empire
(144 BC-135 BC)

Chapter 6: Basileus Philon's campaign in Egypt
(135 BC-128 BC)

Chapter 7: The last refuge of the Ptolemaioi
(128 BC-122 BC)

Chapter 8: Peace and War
(122 BC-109 BC)

Chapter 9: Sixth Romani-Aiakidae War
(109 BC- 102 BC)

Chapter 10: Fortune Favours the Bold
(102 BC- 97 BC)

Chapter 11: On the Trails of Alexander
(96- 90 BC)

Chapter 12: THE END
(90- 65 BC)

Basileus of the Arche Aiakidae, also named the Pyrrhic Kingdom.

Pyrrhus Aetos (the Eagle) - 297-271 BC
Alexandros - 271-222 BC
Helenos - 222-221 BC
Lamios - 221-218 BC
Polypeithes -218-217 BC
Pyrrichos the Conqueror - 217-204 BC*
Leontikos 204-200 BC
Prax - 200-187 BC
Timogenes - 187-172 BC
Bouchetos - 172-169 BC
Bouchetios - 169-162 BC
Herakleias - 162-148 BC
Antiphas - 148-144 BC
Philon - 144-107 BC
Louparion - 107-98 BC**
Aspetos - 98-75 BC
Thrasymachos - 75-65 BC
---
*Pyrrichos was the leading general of the Kingdom since the early reign of Basileus Alexandros, in the 260s, to his death in 204 BC. His path to rulership was conquered with his defeat of Basileus Polypeithes in 217 BC at the Epeirote civil war.
** Louparion was the leading general of the Kingdom from 144 BC, to his death in 98 BC.

Wulfburk · Aug 28, 2018

War agaisnt Hayasdan and the betrayal of the Ptolemaioi
(170 BC-169 BC)

Years after the Getae were defeated, the king of Epeiros, Timogenes, move against Hayasdan, while paying an army worth of gold for Pontos to do the same.

Galatia and Sinope both fell with fierce resistance, though the Basileus died in the taking of the latter. One of the armies which still had its commander then proceeded to Amaseia to the east, in support of Pontos.

Meanwhile though, with the death of the Epeirote king, and the forces of the aiakides dynasty barely concentrated (with 2 armies in dacia, 1 in illyria, and 2 half strenght armies invading Hayasdan), the Basileus of the Ptolemaioi decided to betray the long lasting alliance of the two familes. Once Pyrrichos, the best general in the world since Pyrrhus and Alexander, led an army to recover, for the ptolemaics, all of the coastal cities in Egypt, from spartan occupation. Clearly gratitude is not something the ptolemaics are keen on.

The war started with plenty of naval action between Epeiros and Ptolemaioi, but the decisive naval battle was won soon enough, and the supremacy of the seas was conquered by Epeiros, while one of the armies in Dacia embarked in a fleet and proceeded to move towards the eastern mediterranean, to land near Tarkos.

An assault upon Amasea soon happened once Myrton, commander of the Epeirote forces in the theatre (as the new basileus, Bouchetos, remained in Ambrakia, attempting to increase his quite weak authority over the realm) arrived near the city.

The walls were attacked in three different sections. Through the course of the battle, in all three the forces of pontos and Epeiros were utterly destroyed.

However once the gate was broken, Kyros the Pontic commander sent all his forces ahead, and Hayasdan, being with their forces overstretched trying to defend the walls, could not keep the advance in check.

Epeirote forces move to attack the forces in the walls from behind.

Path inside the city is open to the allied attack.

Fighting in the center of the city.

A year later, Epeiros move their forces against the Ptolemaioi, as now Pontos is a buffer state between Hayasdan and the Epeirote territories (hayasdan having lost their three cities in center anatolia).

However! Hippokrates, whom was always loyal to the Basileus and to the Aiakides royal line, rebelled with all of his army in Dacia.

The Basileus then finally left Ambrakia with no forces of his own, then took command of the army in Illyria (much to the displeasement of their general), and marched forth to cull this rebellion.

Wulfburk · Aug 28, 2018

War against the Ptolemaioi part 2
(169 BC-160 BC)

As Myrton besieged Mazaka, the ptolemaioi mustered an army to lift the siege, and they met near the city.

Myrton managed to defeat the two armies separately, routing their cavalry first, and then surrounding their flanks.

As victory was won, and the armies of Epeiros entered the city, soon enough major uprisings happened against the occupiers. Myrton himself, unfortunately for the Epeirote kingdom, died in the street, as it seemed that all the population of the city rose against the tired soldiers.

In the northern borders of the kingdom, the Basileus met to face the traitor Hippokrates.

The veterans of the army that Hippokrates took with him

Battle was joined, the Basileus plan was to use his superior cavalry to rout the enemies' counterpart, and then proceed to roll the enemy line like a carpet from his right flank.

Clearly though, Hippokrates was well prepared with his own cavalry to face the advance.

In a stroke of destiny, Basileus Bouchetos fell during the cavalry combat.

Soon enough the news arrived to the troops, and many saw no point in fighting any further. Hippokrates had won, the Basileus being dead the battle was futile.

The troops that were engaged remained fighting however, and they were butchered. Hippokrates then rode with his gallic bodyguards into the field triumphantly.

Eucharon Horiatas, leading one of the three epeirote armies in Asia minor, marched forth to Edessa, while Tarsos remained under siege by one of the two remaining armies. (and the third army, now quite depleted, kept to Mazaka trying to cull the uprisings).

THere was word of a major ptolemaioi force arriving from Koile Syria. The new Basileus (whom pardoned Hippokrates and gave him command of one of the dacian provinces -hippokrates would die of old age, not fighting any more battles-) ordered reinforcements to Eucharon, but they would take a year or more to arrive. For now these depleted forces were on their own.

Before the walls of Edessa, the ptolemaioi attempted to keep the city from falling.

The city fell and Eucharion Horiatas would move to Samosata. In Mazaka, the Epeirote forces were defeated and forced to leave the city. In the outskirts though, they proceeded to besiege it.

Tarsos soon surrendered to the Epeirote forces, but a massive ptolemaioi army arrived near Edessa, while another was reported arriving near Antiocheia.

Eucharion lifted the siege, and proceeded to fight the enemy near Edessa, once again.

Both armies massed their infantry on the same side, right flank to Eucharion and left to the ptolemaioi.

The spartan contigent of the Epeirote forces break the enemy line

The Molosson Agema charge into the enemy

The phalanx, having routed the ptolemaioi center, move to assist the left flank, who was in dire need of assistance.

But the returning cavalry charged into the enemy's back, and the day was won.

The son of Eucharion moved then with the army to besiege Samosata, while he stayed in Edessa to keep the people from rebelling.
The other ptolemaioi force continued marching north from Antiocheia

And so Iounious, ruler of the province of Side, mustered what forces he could, took command of the depleted forces that occupied Tarsos, and attempted to pursue the enemy.

THe enemy was too far ahead though, and so Neikodamos, who took control of Myrton's forces after his death, retreated from the siege of Mazaka, in order to not be destroyed.

In Samosata, Hymenios Horiatas (son of Eucharion) was attacked by three different ptolemaioi forces.
He destroyed the one in his rear and kept the other two from fording the river

In the fighting, the ptolemaioi Basileus, who was until then inside the walls of Samosata, died.

The Ptolemaioi army that went north from Antiocheia marched forcedly to Samosata, in hope of saving their king. They were too late for that, but managed to attack the Epeirote army before they entered the city per say.

Finally, having left Ambrakia a year earlier, Menephylos disembarked with his forces near Tarsos, and proceeded to march south directly.

The World in Year 167 BC

Eucharion Horiatas, after pacifying Edessa, moved south to Damaskos

It seems that, ever since Pyrrichos, the great Epeirote general that ruled for twenty years, and was the leading general of the kingdom for over 50 years, whenever an epeirote commander starts showing his worth, he dies in a stroke of destiny. And so it was Eucharion's turn, he passed away days after entering Damaskos.

Akko fell to Menephylos, and peace was negotiated between the remaining Ptolemaioi and the kingdom of Epeiros. The negotiation was rather easy, as the Ptolemaioi had just lost Memphis to the Sabaean kingdom, and so their southern front was their priority.

In the meantime, the siege of Mazaka was finished and the city captured, with most of its population enslaved. But Unrest continued in the region. In akkos, Menephylos had troubles of his own, and decided to withdraw from the city for his own safety, then returned and besieged it in full.

The Basileus Bouchetios -not to be confused with the one that fell against Hippokrates, Bouchetos- died of old age.. Or so it is thought. Clearly a certain crisis in the Epeirote court is happening, as few can keep themselves alive for that many years once they become Basileus. One may think that it is because that none of them since the great Pyrrichos were of Aiakides blood: Thesprotos, molossos, and other tribes of the epeirote, but it has been decades since one of the Aiakides rules over Ambrakia and the great Pyrrhic Kingdom.

With peace between Epeiros and Ptolemaioi, they managed to recover Memphis.

Herakleias was proclaimed Basileus. Unlike his antecessor, he wanted to found his authority through the commanding of the main Epeirote forces: He travelled far and wide, took control of Menephylos army, and assaulted Akko.

Dystopian · Aug 28, 2018

I'm gonna try that mod since Rome 2 literally can't run on my computer. The campaign map looks like **** AND its laggy as ****, wtf happened?

Captured Joe · Aug 28, 2018

Very nice campaign! How did Pyrrhus die in your game by the way? No angry Spartan woman this time?

ＤＹＳＴＯＰＩＡＮ said:
The campaign map looks like **** AND its laggy as ****, wtf happened?

The campaign map became laggy as hell for me too. Guess it's the graphical "upgrade" from the Ancestral update.

ArnulfFloyd · Aug 28, 2018

Impressive campaign. Medieval 2 has stupid long sieges, in rest game is enough good, even if not seems medieval sometimes, idea of eliminating princessess was good because they not are so important for gameplay. I not have played EB 2 personally

Wulfburk · Aug 28, 2018

Pyrrhus died too soon in my game ( around 260 or so B.c) in a small skirmish with macedon after havng destroyed the main macedon army and captured demetrias. A cavalry fight saw him dead almost immediately.

And i like long sieges. That leaves room for the AI to respond to your actions. If i were assaulting the cities in the second turn it would be much easier for me, blitzing the AI. But i keep the siege until the last turn and then i assault it. Rather play a siege battle than the AI sallyforth, less fun imo.

ArnulfFloyd · Aug 28, 2018

I have liked Medieval 2 campaign so much, I hate unit spamming which ends all my campaigns but I have played many mods including DAC. I have loved custom battles much than campaigns

Wulfburk · Aug 31, 2018

Second Babylonian War
(159 BC-148 BC)

(the first being of Seleukos in 311 B.C)

The ptolemaioi proceeded to defeat the Sabaeans further to the south, recapturing Diospolis-Megale, and soon would occupy Petra as well.

The Epeirote Conquered Territories. Akko surrendered to the Basileus once they realized victory was unlikely.

Menephylos was then sent back to Ambrakia with the tired and spent forces that had fought against the Hayasdan and the Ptolemaioi repeatedly. Someone had to lead the men back, however the fact that it was Menophylos surely meant that Basileus Herakleias was keen on getting him out of a position of command of the armies in Asia.

The World in Year 155 BC

For now relations between the Romani and Epeiros were cool: Technically, they were allies, for them both invaded the Getae territories together, and indirectly assisted each other greatly. During that campaign, the then Basileus Prax suffered two major defeats, with him dying in the last one, which freed the Getae to recover two regions which they had lost to the Pyrrhic kingdom, however the roman invasion from the west diverted their resources, and allowed Epeiros to muster again and proceed with their campaign.

Now, however, complete roman domination of the northern Epeirote border is not desired. An undercover campaign with spies, saboteurs, bribery, and assassins started to work in the roman occupied settlements, with great effect.

Roman cities rebelling back to the Getae

Meanwhile, the Sauromatae lost their last village, and rode south. They would soon manage to conquer most of the Bosphoran kingdom territories.

The Basileus had much desire to see his name proclaimed in glory, as the household names of Pyrrhus, Pyrrichos, Megas Alexandros, Antigonos and Demetrius. His opportunity for war came when the Parthians captured the great city of Seleukeia. Clearly the sons of Seleukos I Nikator were no longer capable of defending their realm, nor were they worthy enough.

Herakleias then named himself Lord of Asia, as the Diadochi of Alexandros had done centuries back, and prepared for war. Dreams of empire was his main thought.

Ionious was to keep his army in Syria Koile and Phoenike, while the Basileus and his Diadokhos, Antiphas, were to invade the territories of the Seleucids and the Parthians. The plan was for Antiphas to protect the flanks and the line of supplies of the Basileus, while he was to fight the decisive battles. The two men were not keen on each other, and the reason that Antiphas was there as his second in command was in effect to take out his influence over Greece, Epeiros and Macedonia proper: he was replaced as Strategos of Europe by an officer much more to the liking of the Basileus.

The other powers thus replied quickly to this emerging hemegon:

An alliance had been made. Like that against Antigonos One-Eyed and Demetrius Poliorcetes, different powers, that had been enemies themselves (as in the case of seleucids and ptolemaioi), allied to stop the Pyrrhic Kingdom: Seleucids, Ptolemaioi and Bosphoran kingdoms, as well as the Romani and the Parthians. The only ally of the Epeirotes was Pontos, though they were mostly tied in their own war against Hayasdan.

The Bosphoran siege of Sinope was defeated quickly enough with a small assistance coming from Pontos. Nevertheless, they had other worries, as the Sauromatae had taken all of their cities but their capital.

Against the Romani, the Epeirote fleet and the uprisings in the balkans were in charge of keeping them from entering the war effectively. Both achieved quite major successes, as the Getae were kept troubling them, and the roman fleets were utterly destroyed.

And so, Antiphas marched towards Arbela, while the Basileus went forth to Seleukeia.

Wulfburk · Sep 1, 2018

Battle of Babylon
(148 BC-144 BC)

Upon getting reports of the Parthian forces garrison Seleukeia, Herakleias was in doubt. He needed Antiphas army, but they were tied in the siege of Arbela, that was taking longer than expected.

He turned his army back, and as the Parthians did not follow, for they had troubles in their own territory of Media, from Taksashila, the Basileus then decided to move against Babylon. He marched up the euphrates, the west and south, meanwhile destroying a seleucid garrison in Tadmur.

The Battle of Arbela, as Antiphas started his assault once the king had moved on his own.

The battle

Arbela was occupied and a puppet ruler put in place. Antiphas was quick to exit the city with his army once more, marching south to attack Seleukeia in the same time as the Basileus assaulted upon Babylon. However his march was slower, and the Basileus arrived near Babylon quickly enough, only to meet with a superior Seleucid force, and them attempting to flank him. He could not retreat in the face of an army once again, ere his men would ditch him. Thus started the Battle of Babylon.

Seleucid Agema Phalangitai move across the field

The Epeirote force deploys in a V formation, all the cavalry under personal command of the Basileus to the right flank, plus the Hypaspistai.

The cavalry combat starts. With some of the seleucids retreating in face of the superior epeirote force

The Hypaspistai then move from right to the center of the line, behind the Seleucid lines, and charge into the fray.

The cavalry could not follow the hypaspistai immediately, as the Seleucid cavalry from the other force arrived and attacked in masse the Epeirote left flank. Herakleias and his second in command for the battle, Louparion rode to meet them, eventually slaying the Seleucid commander.

The Epeirote line is breached in the center, where the two lines met in the V formation.

The Hypaspistai and the phalangitai managed to rout some of the seleucid infantry attacking the right flank line.

In the left flank, few Epeirote Hoplitai managed to hold the enemy in bay, with Herakleias and Louparion's assistance, with their Molosson Agema charging into the enemy repeatedly.

In one of these charges, a Seleucid hoplite thrust his spear deep into the flesh of Herakleias horse. The Basileus fell to the ground, and soon was killed in a swift stroke.

The battle was far from won, two seleucid phalangitai units were arriving into the fray. The Epeirote men looked around clueless on what to do, and their heart started to lose faith. The Basileus was dead!

But Louparion mustered his cavalry, and as some of the Somatophylakes of the Basileus started to think of withdrawing, he led them about, cried out to his men, and charged into the enemy, himself leading the attack at the vanguard.

The Seleucid Agema Phalangitai are still held in check by inferior Epeirote troops.

With the defeat of all the seleucid cavalry, Louparion moved from one end of the battle to the other, giving support to the infantry. He was always there where the battle looked to go ill, and his presence kept the men from faultering.

The Seleucid units one by one started their withdraw. With no cavalry to support them, their men retreated.

At the end of the battle the Basileus was dead. But the men were more confident then ever, for they had found the rightful heir of Pyrrhus the Eagle, and Pyrrichos the Conqueror.

As news of the death of Herakleias spread through the land, Antiphas took claim of the throne, that was rightfully his indeed. He then proceeded to besiege Seleukeia, and ordered Ionious, so far quiet with his army in Syria, to besiege Bostra, the last Seleucid garrisoned city in the region.

With the defeat of the seleucids, and the diminished parthian forces (because of their war against Taksashila), Antiphas sent the army now under Louparion home, to Greece, for they needed replenishment. They would not be separated from Louparion though, and the Basileus was forced to send him back with them. Much to, indeed, his pleasing, for Antiphas was one of the Aiakides, and he did not enjoy the thought of one foreign to his lineage taking claim of the brilliance of Pyrrhus and Pyrrichos.

Wulfburk · Sep 8, 2018

War in the four corners of the Empire
(144 BC-135 BC)

Antiphas continued the siege of Seleukeia, while Iounios besieged Bostra. The Basileus was forced to a pitched battle against the Parthians though, as they sallied out to attempt to break the siege. Meanwhile, reports arrived of a massive migration coming from the north, the Nabateans were on the move: They had been forced out of Petra decades earlier, and moved from Arabia to the coast of the Caspian Sea. But once again were they forced out, this time by Taksashila.

The siege of the two last garrisons against Epeiros in the war.

Battle of Seleukeia

Parthian kataphracts move and fire into the Epeirote line

Basileus Antiphas moves his molosson agema and his own kataphracts as he charges into the enemy cavalry.

The rest of the Battle

Epeirote kataphracts charge into the enemy archers, as the battle is at the end, with the death of the two Parthian commanders, including their king.

The Nabatean Horde marches deep into Mesopotamia

As the Basileus prepared the defences of his newly conquered city, he died suddenly, no one knowing if it was of natural causes or murder. Once the news arrived in europe and the seat of the king, Ambrakia, the son of Antiphas was made Basileus, one called Philon. In order to increase his acceptance, he took under his wing the most popular general in the army, Louparion Pouratas, the one who won the great battle of Babylon.

As it turned out however, the Nabateans did not attack the walls of Seleukeia, the Epeirote army there was enough to make them choose another path, but that did not stop them plundering the outskirts of the region. The horde started marching west, and Neikodamos and Iouios took the job of stopping them, as their army moved north from Bostra.

By now, with the complete defeat of the Seleucids in mesopotamia and arabia (they still had two garrisons across Persia), and of the Parthians, the Romans accepted peace. After all, their efforts to break the Epeirote naval superiority had all but failed, and a truce was negotiated between the two states.

In contrast, despite major naval defeats, the blockade of Alexandria, and the on going war against the Sabaeans, the Ptolemaioi took an aggressive stance, besieging Kyrene.

Battle of Kyrene

The Battle

The Ptolemaioi went into retreat, and gave up any other such efforts of theirs into Cyrenaica. In Dacia, as the new Basileus, Philon, and his trusted general Louparion, mustered an army to reinforce Asia, the commander of the Epeirote army in Dacia uprose against their new king, besieging Kabyle.

The rebel commander was slain by an assassin under command of Philon, while the Basileus sailed from Ambrakia with his army, towards Thrace, and the army in Illyria marched through land across Macedonia, both seeking to lift the siege of the city. The King thought that the rebellion had been the choice of Diozotos, and that once he had died the army would accept to enter back into his service. This did not come to happen, supposedly as the army was under the influence of the commander of the Spartan contingent, and they kept the siege.

Battle of Kybele

Aristolas, commander of the Epeirote garrison, deployed a few of his units into the wall section the enemy made their assault, while keeping most of his forces to the sides of the gate. As they breached, he pinned them in the street.

The garrison of the city failed to see that a part of the enemy attacked an undefended section of the walls.

The rebels, seeing their predicament, started a retreat that turned into a rout. Only the spartiatai hoplitai remained, but soon they faced the whole Epeirote garrison, while Aristolas' cavalry pursued the retreating forces.

The rebels were defeated and scattered. The illyrian epeirote army returned to that province, while the Basileus instead reembarked into his fleet, and sailed towards the eastern mediterranean. In Mesopotamia, the Nabateans kept their march west for months, until arriving by Damaskos. By then, Neikodamos and Iounios had come to face the migrating horde. Conflict brewl between the nabateans themselves, a split happening in their forces, and one of them was bought off by Neikodamos.

Battle of Damaskos

The Nabateans were weak on infantry, and their horse archers were no match to the experienced Molosson Agema. They were utterly defeated, and not allowed to settle in Epeirote lands.

By 136 B.C all the newly conquered cities, regions and satrapies were secure. Back in europe, great construction works started, with massive temples honoring the Olympian gods, greek colonies being founded in the Dacian heartlands and in the coast of the black sea, and other such grandiose enterprises. The Basileus then moved to defeat the last state that remained at war with him, the Ptolemaioi. He marched across Gaza towards the Nile, while Iounios and Neikodamos protected their flank, marching to destroy the Ptolemaioi garrison in Petra and beyond in Arabia.

Wulfburk · Sep 10, 2018

Basileus Philon's campaign in Egypt
(135 BC-128 BC)

The World in 135 BC

The march towards upper egypt and the settlement of Petra were both without major obstacles, as the Ptolemaioi had most of their forces fighting the Sabaeans. The Basileus kept Louparion as his second in command, and sent his Diadokhos, his successor, back to Babylon to organize the defences of Mesopotamia, the eastern border of the empire. Being excluded of the campaign of conquest was not to the liking of the heir, and he attempted to convince the veteran army in Seleukeia to assist him in an overthrown of the Basileus. Such talks failed miserably, and he was slain as a traitor, with only his bodyguards by his side. Thus Louparion was proclaimed as the rightful Diadokhos, once news of the rebellion of Hymenios arrived to Philon.

Near Alexandria, the first Ptolemaioi army mustered to face the invading Epeirotes.

The battle of Alexandria

Fighting in the rearguard

The two main armies screen each other

The left flank as the fighting starts. Soon enough the Ptolemaioi attempted to outflank Philon's forces, trying to surround the Epeirotes

On the right flank, the ptolemaioi cavalry retreats in face of the superior epeirote cavalry. In the center of the two infantry line, both forces fight in a stalemate, until Philon and Louparion charge from the right, across the enemy rear.

The epeirote infantry and phalangitai pinned the ptolemaioi until the cavalry flanked them. Once the enemy saw that it was hopeless, a rout started and the field was won.

Alexandria was captured without any fighting, and the population mostly spared, no sacking occurring. Philon at once started to prepare his forces to move against Memphis, while sending Louparion with just the cavalry, plus any mercenaries he could afford, to capture the ptolemaioi garrison in Ammon.

There Louparion was met with further enemy forces, bigger than he expected.

Battle of Ammon

Louparion made great use of his cavalry and of his mercenary phalangitai, managing to destroy the ptolemaioi forces in detail.

The new Diadokhos then, captured the garrison of the oasis. He awarded his mercenaries and his cavalry with many talents, but did not allow them to harm the oasis in any way. Later he consulted the oracle, leaving it with a determined look on his face and a steady gait, as he ordered his men to prepare to march back east, to Memphis.

Meanwhile, Iounios had no trouble capturing Petra, as it was mostly undefended. Thus he continued south, to Dedan, the last ptolemaioi garrison in Arabia, and assaulted its walls.

Siege of Dedan

The Epeirote army assaulted the walls in four different sections, while another force broke through the gates. However, all of them met great resistance.

The 2 sections left of the gate were completely cleared by the Ptolemaioi, them either capturing or routing the epeirote hoplitai and other units. In the gate, the epeirote phalangitai were massacred by the enemy. Only the section assaulted farthest to the right was won by Iounios' forces. Once he realized such, he then sent all his reserves to scale the wall in that part, the mighty Hypaspistai and the other phalangitai unit. Meanwhile, the wall section near the gate kept being contested.

The reserves Iounios deployed managed to completely clear the right part of the walls of the city, and then moved to the streets, attacking the gates from inside. In that combat the leader of the garrisson fell, and most of the ptolemaioi men in the walls lost heart. The hypaspistai then moved to clear the walls fully, while the phalangitai moved to the center of the settlement.

Lastly, Iounios sent his cavalry across the city in a flanking manouver through the streets. The enemy soon capitulated.

Though a victory, the Epeirote army was heavily battered, with most of the infantry units severily depleted. Iounios allowed them rest for a few days, before placing a small garrison in the city and marching back north, then west towards the upper nile. There, Philon was already besieging Memphis, while Louparion marched to his assistance.

The Diadokhos was too late, and Philon faced fearful odds.

Battle of Memphis

Philon made the usual outflanking manouver through the right with his cavalry, while the enemy reinforcement pounded his left with all their strenght. He then moved his cavalry to face the enemy counterpart. Once they were routed, he was clear to move in the rear of the ptolemaioi, routing them one by one.

Memphis was entered by the Basileus. He remained there a year, gathering further strenght to march down the nile, as he waited for Iounios to arrive. Once he did, the three, Basileus Philon, Diadokhos Louparion and Strategos Iounios, marched south with their forces. The epeirote replenishment was mostly of local, hellenistic or galatian men that were offering their services in exchange of gold and the prospect of further plunder. The fact that the Epeirote army had great victories already in the region helped the Basileus to hire these mercenaries, as they could have just the same offered themselves to the remaining ptolemaioi.

Near Diospolis Megale, they faced once more a ptolemaioi army.

Battle of Diospolis Megale

Fighting happened on both banks of the nile, as the forces of both sides were split across it.

The ptolemaioi elephants were, unlike the expectation, easily handled. Once that was done and the nile secured by Philon, the enemy was defeated.

And so, by 128 BC all of upper egypt was conquered by the Basileus. He then made arrangements towards the organization of the captured territory, leaving Alexandria and Memphis under a supervised hellenistic government, directly under his authority, while the oasis of Ammon, the two settlements in arabia, and any other settlements south of Memphis, would be governed by local men. Obviously, in all places an independent (to the local governor) garrison was placed, of hellenistic or galatian soldiers. Philon then embarked in his royal fleet in Alexandria, and sailed back to Ambrakia, leaving Louparion and Iounios to complete the defeat of the Ptolemaioi.

Though a great honour, the two men were left with too few and quite battered soldiers, with no prospect of reinforcements. The sons of Ptolemy I Soter, would go on fighting to the end, with their many treasures paying for what looked like, to the Epeirotes at least, an endless supply of mercenaries.

ArnulfFloyd · Sep 10, 2018

Wonderful job, Wulf

I am interested if you like Medieval 2 or recent Total War games as Rome 2, also you're a hardcore fan of Ancient Times or not

Wulfburk · Sep 10, 2018

The last historical total war game i played was Shogun 2. I got zero interest in trying their new games, Rome 2 included. Europa Barbarorum 2 quenches all my ancient history needs.

And ive always been interested in this time period, but only now im starting to go deep into it, as i am on quite a ancient history vibe nowadays, and starting to find the wars of the diadochi specifically as the most interesting period for me. This past month ive read Alexander's the great biography by Peter Green, a book on the wars of the diadochi (Dividing the Spoils - Waterfield), and am now reading Antigonos One Eyed and the Creation of the Hellenistic State. Amazing book too. Antigonos and Demetrius should have won the battle of Ipsus godamnit!

ArnulfFloyd · Sep 10, 2018

I have zero interest in playing recent Total War games but you not know as I am a fan of middle ages especially late medieval period because I like plate armours, halberds and gunpowder, a era full of cool wars and conflicts which shape world ever, open way to Renaissance(I not like post-medieval age) Ancient times comes second in my tastes

Wulfburk · Sep 15, 2018

The last refuge of the Ptolemaioi
(128 BC-122 BC)

Louparion and Iounios marched as one towards the settlement of Hibis. The Basileus of the Ptolemaioi himself set forth to meet them, just a few miles off from Hibis, to the south.

Battle of Hibis

The Diadokhos Louparion moved ahead with his men, while Iounios protected the baggage train, and was slightly delayed to the field of battle. Once Iounios arrived, the ptolemaic forces were greatly overwhelmed.

The enemy Basileus tried to ride out of the battle, to save his life as most of his cavalry was dead or had left him. The Thessalian contingent of Louparion's army were able to slay him and his few somatophylakes by his side. Once that was done, the field was won.

A few ptolemaic survivors managed to enter Hibis, and with the garrison already there, resisted Louparion for one month, until they surrendered. Unfortunately, as the two epeirote armies besieged the city, Iounios passed away in his sleep. His death was a marking point in the Pyrrhic Kingdom: after the death of Basileus Pyrrichos the Conqueror, for many years no good leader of men rode ahead of the Epeirote forces, until a new batch of noble young men arrived, as the seasons passed. They were no Megas Alexandros or Pyrrhus the Eagle, but reliable generals, loyal to the many different Basileus that took to the throne in their lives.

Iounios was the last of these veterans, those that had fought in the second war with Rome, around 190 B.C, or in the last campaign against Pergamon, that saw the city itself conquered about 185 B.C, or in the invasion of Getae lands by 180 B.C. Others worthy of note are Neikodamos, who died of old age as he held command over the Epeirote army in Dacia, Menephylos, who died to unknown causes in Seleukeia a few years after the Nabatean migration, Eucharon Horiatas, who also died to unknown causes, after several victorious campaigns, and Myrton, the general who had complete command over Epeirote forces in the war against Hayasdan, and was also many times victorious against the Ptolemaioi in the first war between the two dynasties, and died due to an uprising in the very city he had conquered in Asia Minor.

Louparion thus took complete command of the Epeirote forces in Egypt. Months later, with a small reinforcement from Alexandria having bolstered his army, he marched south, threatening Pselki.

Meanwhile in Mesopotamia, another migrating horde marched towards Seleukeia, this time the Parthians, that fled from the Taksashila conquest of their homeland. The epeirote army in the region followed their steps closely.

Back in Egypt, a Ptolemaic force went north in haste, managing to cross the nile before Louparion could block their path, and moved in the direction of Diospolis-Megale. Louparion was keen to destroy them before the epeirote garrison was besieged, and he attempted to ford the river. Ironically, the enemy was there now to stop him doing such, and he faced them.

Battle of the Nile

In the fighting, a small breach was found in the ptolemaic left flank, and Louparion poured his reserves there, managing to exit the enemy encirclement. Once that was done, his own forces flanked the enemy, and soon the tide turned.

The result of the battle:

With the enemy completely destroyed, as they had nowhere to retreat to in the north, Louparion forced a march to the south, and besieged Pselkis before the season was over, to the suprise of the Ptolemaic commanders.

Reports arrived from further down the south, of the situation in Meroe. The ptolemaic garrison there was now besieged by an army of the Sabaean kingdom, with the new ptolemaic Basileus trapped inside the city. His heir was in Pselkis, watching the epeirote camp, cursing Louparion and the epeirotes to his gods. The siege continued for months, and the next message that arrived from Meroe was of the capture of the garrison and the death of the Basileus.

That meant that Pselkis was the last garrison loyal to the Ptolemaic dynasty, plus some warbands in the outskirts of the city. These were mustered to a single army by one of the ptolemaioi nobles, and a combined effort was made with the commander of the garrison, now a Basileus, to rout Louparion once and for all.

The Battle of Pselkis

Ptolemaic forces sally forth out of the city, while Louparion formed his army for battle.

The army outside the city was slightly too late however, to attack the epeirotes together with the garrison. As the Basileus' forces were engaged and overwhelmed, the reinforcements ran to their aid desperately.

Epeirote hoplitai are charged by the enemy cavalry, one of the soldiers soon killing the ptolemaioi Basileus.

Louparion sends his cavalry in a flanking manouver.

Thus the city itself was entered by the Epeirote forces, and a hoplitai unit was posted in the gate directed to where the reinforcements were near, not allowing them enter the city as they had no siege equipment.

The reinforcements then met Louparion's army outside the walls, both of them lined for battle.

To the left flank, Louparion fought the enemy cavalry with all of his. In his right flank, his iranian spear archers were sent forth to attack from the sides, once their ammo was over.

The enemy cavalry still held their ground, and many of Louparion's riders were dead. He then ordered his last infantry reserves to join on that fighting, to assist the cavalry. The thirty three Hypaspistai and over a hundred Thorakitai thus ran to their assistance and would decide the engagement. Across the field of battle, both sides had major losses but no side was broken. Louparion's second in command died in a charge, and his few remaining riders retreated from the field.

As the left flank was won by Louparion with the defeat of the enemy cavalry, his own center broke, his phalangitai native to asia minor retreating. These were men trained by the Seleucids, not much loyal to any Epeirote, only to their purse.

Louparion then showed to his men that fortune was on his side, and rose to the occasion. As in the battle of babylon, he seemed to be everywhere, encouraging his soldiers, keeping them from retreating even when the pressure of the enemy was the greatest. And with his greatly depleted cavalry, he charged into the backs of the enemy. Half of his riders would die in each of his charges, but he kept attacking the ptolemaic infantry, and by the end of the battle only nine of his loyal companions would still be there by his side. Meanwhile, his thirty three Hypaspistai all fell during the fighting, though their sacrifice routed the enemy cavalry and won the left flank.

The ptolemaic forces started their retreat towards the city. The gates were now open though, as the Epeirote hoplitai had left them to join the battle. Louparion hunted them inside, and conquered Egypt.

Result of the battle:

Pyrrhic Egypt

A year after the end of the Ptolemaioi, Louparion sailed home with his veterans, to a glorious reception in Ambrakia, hosted by his closest of friends, Basileus Philon.

The World in Year 122 B.C

ArnulfFloyd · Sep 15, 2018

I not have good internet for downloading Europa Barbarorum 2

Anarion · Sep 15, 2018

Arnulf Floyd said:
I not have good internet for downloading Europa Barbarorum 2

I think they put out a torrent. Download and install utorrent and then click the download link where it says "magnet" on the EB website.

Wulfburk · Sep 16, 2018

Peace and War
(122 BC-109 BC)

In Asia, the Parthians kept plundering Mesopotamia and Syria. Satrap of Seleukeia, Aiakides Elaiousios followed them closely, protecting the main important cities, while waiting for Menoitas, who was commanding an army near Gaza, to join him. Unfortunately, the Parthians managed to sack Damaskos, before the two Pyrrhic armies combined their forces.

The plundering of Damaskos took its time however, and Menoitas and Aiakides joined with each other, and fought the Parthians as they left the destroyed city.

Battle of Damaskos

Epeirote Kataphracts fight the enemy counterpart

The better infantry in the hellenistic army allowed them to rout the Parthians quickly, while their cavalry was picked one by one, resulting in the death of their leaders.

Result of the battle:

Days later Damaskos was resettled by veterans of the Arche Aiakidae.

The two cores of Arche Aiakidae, Empire of the Aeacides, by Year 120 B.C
-Greece, Epeiros, Makedonia and western Asia Minor

-Mesopotamia and Osroene. The settlement of Edessa, founded centuries earlier by Seleucus I Nikator, became the main center of the Empire in Asia, due to the great many hellenistic colonists that migrated to the city. As Seleukeia quickly overshadowed Babylon once it was built, due to the many sacks of the latter, the same happened between Edessa and Seleukeia once the Aiakidae arrived so far in the east. The parthian conquest of Seleukeia, even if for a small period, destroyed most of the foundations of that city, and the greek colonists were either killed or fled. And even during the Epeirote reign, the outskirts of Seleukeia did not see peace, being plundered repeatedly by the Nabateans and the Parthians. Edessa, in contrast, prospered, and soon rivalled Ambrakia itself in its splendour.

The reign of Philon was of peace for several years. He remained in Ambrakia looking over the Empire, while he delegated control of Mesopotamia, Cappadocia, Syria, Phrygia and Galatia to Louparion. Though long lived, peace was halted when the Sauromatae tribes, having conquered Crimea from the greek colonists, raided Epeirote lands in the coast of the black sea.

Basileus Philon dispatched Kephalos to break the siege of Sinope with his army that was positioned in Pamphylia, Side, while he embarked with a veteran army in Ambrakia, towards the Crimean peninsula.

Kephalos was slightly too late, and the garrison of Sinope had to deal with the raiders by themselves.
Siege of Sinope

The walls were succesfully defended by the garrison, and the only path open to the Sauromatae was through the gate.

The enemy failed there as well, and the garrison pursued them as they fled.

In the same season, the Basileus landed on Crimea, and besieged the few troops of the Sauromatae in Khersonesos. A year later, with no apparent support from the outside, they surrendered. An alliance was also made with the Bosphoran Kingdom. In exchange of the restoration of their capital of Pantikapaion, they would assist Arche Aiakidae in their wars, if such was demanded.

The Basileus then moved towards that city, but was met by the main Sauromatae force as he marched.

Battle near Pantikapaion

The enemy cavalry attempted to flank the Basileus. He then moved with his own riders, and fought them.

Though most of the sauromatae cavalry was engaged, one of their units managed to attack the rear of the Epeirote infantry line. The ranged units and a hoplitai formation in reserve kept them from charging at the engaged phalangitai. Soon though, the Basileus returned with his cavalry and charged at the backs of the enemy infantry.

Result of the battle:

Pantikapaion did not hold for long, and the remaining Sauromatae took to flee the region, escaping to the east.

The city was returned to the Bosphoran Kingdom, and Philon pursued the Sauromatae to the north.

The World in Year 110 B.C
Incomplete and confused reports were arriving from the East, of a great war between the Taksashila and the Saka Rauka nomad tribes in the north. What Philon knew, through his spies, was that clearly the indians had withdrawed most of their armies from their western borders.

The sauromatae evaded the Basileus, and were moving too quickly for him, with his heavier army, to follow.

But soon events made him quit that chase. The romans had invaded Illyria, and their navies blockaded many epeirote ports and challenged Philon's naval supremacy of the mediterranean sea. Rome had waited all these years for an opportunity, and that had come when they heard that the Basileus was in Crimea, and Louparion in Mesopotamia.

Philon sent word to Louparion, once the news of the war came to his ears, and ordered him to sail west, while the Basileus embarked on his royal fleet, and sailed back to Ambrakia. He was intent on carrying this war to a successful end. The commander of the Epeirote army in Dacia was dispatched to rescue illyria, while another army started being mustered in Ambrakia by his Regent. Rome had not yet realized the challenge they would face.

ArnulfFloyd · Sep 16, 2018

I want sometimes to have your skills in Total War because I love this series so much(I have downloaded EB2 but I am undecided for which faction to choose between Carthage, Baktria, Epiros and Makedonia)

Arche Aiakidae - Europa Barbarorum 2 Epeiros campaign

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