Battle of Gythium

Last updated
Battle of Gythium
Part of War against Nabis
SouthernPeloponessus.gif
A map of the southern Peloponnese.
Date195 BC
Location Gytheio in Mani, Greece.
Result Allied Victory
Belligerents
Sparta Roman Republic,
Achaean League,
Rhodes,
Pergamum,
Macedon
Commanders and leaders
Dexagoridas,  †
Gorgopas 		Titus Quinctius Flamininus,
Eumenes II of Pergamum
Strength
About 50,000 men

The Battle of Gythium was fought in 195 BC between Sparta and the coalition of Rome, Rhodes, the Achaean League and Pergamum. As the port of Gythium was an important Spartan base the allies decided to capture it before they advanced inland to Sparta. The Romans and the Achaeans were joined outside the city by the Pergamese and Rhodian fleets. The Spartans held out but one of the joint commanders, Dexagoridas, decided to surrender the city to the Roman legate. When Gorgopas, the other commander, found out, he killed Dexagoridas and took solo command of the city. After Dexagoridas' murder the Spartans held out more vigorously. However, Titus Quinctius Flamininus of the allied forces arrived with 4,000 more men and the Spartans decided to surrender the city on the condition that the garrison could leave unharmed. The result of this battle forced Nabis, the tyrant of Sparta, to abandon the surrounding land and withdraw to the city of Sparta. Later that year, Sparta capitulated to the allies.

Sparta city-state in ancient Greece

Sparta was a prominent city-state in ancient Greece. In antiquity the city-state was known as Lacedaemon, while the name Sparta referred to its main settlement on the banks of the Eurotas River in Laconia, in south-eastern Peloponnese. Around 650 BC, it rose to become the dominant military land-power in ancient Greece.

Rome Capital city and comune in Italy

Rome is the capital city and a special comune of Italy. Rome also serves as the capital of the Lazio region. With 2,872,800 residents in 1,285 km2 (496.1 sq mi), it is also the country's most populated comune. It is the fourth most populous city in the European Union by population within city limits. It is the centre of the Metropolitan City of Rome, which has a population of 4,355,725 residents, thus making it the most populous metropolitan city in Italy. Rome is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, within Lazio (Latium), along the shores of the Tiber. The Vatican City is an independent country inside the city boundaries of Rome, the only existing example of a country within a city: for this reason Rome has been often defined as capital of two states.

Rhodes Island and Municipality in South Aegean, Greece

Rhodes is the largest of the Dodecanese islands of Greece and is also the island group's historical capital. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within the Rhodes regional unit, which is part of the South Aegean administrative region. The principal town of the island and seat of the municipality is Rhodes. The city of Rhodes had 50,636 inhabitants in 2011. It is located northeast of Crete, southeast of Athens and just off the Anatolian coast of Turkey. Rhodes' nickname is The island of the Knights, named after the Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem, who once conquered the land.

Contents

Prelude

The Macedonians had been defeated in the Second Macedonian War in 197 BC which left the Spartans in control of Argos. This Spartan gain was a setback for the Achaean League who had been trying to incorporate Sparta into their league for many years. The Romans had won the Second Macedonian War and it left them in control of Greek affairs. However, they decided not to occupy Greece but to garrison some cities for five years. [1] The tyrant of Sparta, Nabis, who had declared himself king, was troubling the Achaean League and was also threatening to destroy the peace in Greece.

Second Macedonian War war

The Second Macedonian War was fought between Macedon, led by Philip V of Macedon, and Rome, allied with Pergamon and Rhodes. The result was the defeat of Philip who was forced to abandon all his possessions in southern Greece, Thrace and Asia Minor. During their intervention, and although the Romans declared the "freedom of the Greeks" against the rule from the Macedonian kingdom, the war marked a significant stage in increasing Roman intervention in the affairs of the eastern Mediterranean which would eventually lead to their conquest of the entire region.

Argos Place in Greece

Argos is a city in Argolis, the Peloponnese, Greece and is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It is the largest city in Argolis and a major center for the area.

In 195 BC, Flamininus summoned his army in Greece and that of his allies at Plataea in Boeotia. He then marched from Plataea to Argos where he was joined by 10,000 Achean infantry and 1,000 cavalry. [2] After a few brief skirmishes, the allies decided to abandon the siege and they pitched in Tegea. [3] They then advanced upon Caryae where they were joined by 1,500 Macedonians and 400 Thessalian cavalry. [3]

Plataea ancient city, located in Greece in southeastern Boeotia

Plataea or Plataia, also Plataeae or Plataiai, was an ancient city, located in Greece in southeastern Boeotia, south of Thebes. It was the location of the Battle of Plataea in 479 BC, in which an alliance of Greek city-states defeated the Persians.

Boeotia Regional unit in Central Greece, Greece

Boeotia, sometimes alternatively Latinised as Boiotia, or Beotia, is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Central Greece. Its capital is Livadeia, and its largest city is Thebes.

Tegea Place in Greece

Tegea was a settlement in ancient Arcadia, and it is also a former municipality in Arcadia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Tripoli, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 118.350 km2. Its seat was the village Stadio.

Nabis also made his own preparations. Nabis had always been on good terms with Cretan leaders and he requested 1,000 of their best soldiers who were hand picked to assist him. As well as the Cretans, he hired 3,000 mercenaries and 10,000 citizens. [4] The Romans and their allies then advanced upon Sellasia not far north of Sparta. The Romans were defeated in a small battle and they retreated. [4] The Romans then won another battle against the Spartans and forced them to retreat into the city. [5]

Sellasia Place in Greece

Sellasia is a village in Laconia, Greece. It was the seat of the former municipality Oinountas. Since 2011, it is part of the municipality of Sparta. Sellasia is situated on the edge of the Eurotas valley, 10 km north of Sparta. The Greek National Road 39 passes east of the village. Sellasia is known for the cultivation of olives.

Battle

Some coastal cities surrendered to the Romans which allowed them to have a base in the coastal regions of Laconia. [5] Gythium was a large city and had been made by the Spartans as their main port and naval arsenal. The Romans advanced upon the city and they were joined there by the combined Rhodian and Pergamese fleets. The sailors from the Roman, Pergamese and Rhodian fleets built siege engines which had devastating effects on the walls. [5] [5] One of the city's joint commanders, Dexagoridas, offered to surrender the city to the Roman legate in charge of the fleet while Flamininus was gone. [5] When the other commander Gorgopas found out he murdered Dexagoridas. [5]

Laconia Regional unit in Peloponnese, Greece

Laconia is a region of Greece in the southeastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. Its administrative capital is Sparta. The word laconic is derived from the name of the region by analogy—to speak in a concise way, as the Spartans were reputed by the Athenians to do.

Dexagoridas was the joint Spartan commander of the port of Gythium. During the Roman-Spartan War, the Romans and their allies besieged Gythium. After a few days of fighting, Dexagoridas sent word to a Roman legate saying he was willing to surrender the city. But when the other commander of the garrison, Gorgopas, found out, he slew Dexagoridas with his own hands. The garrison managed to hold out for a few days but when the Roman commander-in-chief, Titus Quinctius Flamininus, arrived with reinforcements, Gorgopas surrendered on the condition that he could returned with the garrison unharmed to Sparta.

<i>Legatus</i> general in the Roman army

A legatus was a high-ranking Roman military officer in the Roman Army, equivalent to a modern high-ranking general officer. Initially used to delegate power, the term became formalised under Augustus as the officer in command of a legion.

Macedonia and the Aegean world. Macedonia and the Aegean World c.200.png
Macedonia and the Aegean world.

Now with the city under Gorgopas' command the defenders became reinvigorated. The siege was proving more difficult until Flamininus arrived with 4,000 Roman soldiers. [6] With the arrival of the new soldiers, the allied soldiers were encouraged and began bombarding the city again with their siege engines while the Rhodian and Pergamese fleet continued to put pressure on the Spartans from the sea. The Spartans knew that they did not have much of a chance of withstanding the renewed allied assault and Gorgopas decided to surrender the city to the Romans under the condition that the garrison was allowed to leave the city unharmed. [6]

Aftermath

When Nabis found out that Gythium had fallen to the allies he decided to abandon the remaining Laconian countryside that he controlled. Nabis sent envoys to Flamininus who offered Nabis a parley. [6] The Romans attacked Sparta when the parley ended but the Spartans withstood the initial allied assaults. Nabis, however, seeing that the situation was hopeless agreed to surrender the city to the Romans. [7] The Romans forced Nabis to abandon Argos and most of the coastal cities of Laconia. [8] The Romans formed all the cities that had broken off from Sparta on the Laconian coast into the Union of Free Laconians. [9] However, the Romans didn't strip Nabis of his powers because they wanted a state in the Peloponnese to counter the growing Achaean League. [10] Nabis attacked Gythium two or three years later only to retreat after being unable to capture the city but in 192 BC he was assassinated by the Aetolians before he had a chance to attempt another attack on the city. In 189 BC, the Spartans, having been deprived of a port, attacked and captured the city of Las. The Acheans, threatened by the attack, demanded the surrender of those responsible for the attack and when that was refused they captured the city. [11] [10]

Notes

  1. ↑ Livy, Rome and the Mediterranean, 125
  2. ↑ Livy, Rome and the Mediterranean, 164
  3. 1 2 Livy, Rome and the Mediterranean, 165
  4. 1 2 Livy, Rome and the Mediterranean, 166
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Livy, Rome and the Mediterranean, 168
  6. 1 2 3 Livy, Rome and the Mediterranean, 169
  7. ↑ Livy, Rome and the Mediterranean, 175
  8. ↑ Livy, Rome and the Mediterranean, 176
  9. ↑ Greenhalgh and Eliopoulos. Deep into Mani:Journey to the southern tip of Greece., 21
  10. 1 2 Green. Alexander to Actium:The Historical Evolution of the Hellenistic Age.,423
  11. ↑ Livy, Rome and the Mediterranean, 365

Related Research Articles

This article concerns the period 209 BC – 200 BC.

This article concerns the period 199 BC – 190 BC.

Year 205 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Africanus and Dives. The denomination 205 BC for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Year 195 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Flaccus and Cato. The denomination 195 BC for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Year 192 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Flamininus and Ahenobarbus. The denomination 192 BC for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Titus Quinctius Flamininus Roman consul and general

Titus Quinctius Flamininus was a Roman politician and general instrumental in the Roman conquest of Greece.

Nabis King of Sparta

Nabis was ruler of Sparta from 207 BC to 192 BC, during the years of the First and Second Macedonian Wars and the eponymous "War against Nabis", i.e. against him. After taking the throne by executing two claimants, he began rebuilding Sparta's power. During the Second Macedonian War, he sided with King Philip V of Macedon and in return he received the city of Argos. However, when the war began to turn against the Macedonians, he defected to Rome. After the war, the Romans, urged by the Achaean League, attacked Nabis and defeated him. He then was assassinated in 192 BC by the Aetolian League and was Sparta's last independent ruler. He represented the last phase of Sparta's reformist period.

Gytheio Place in Greece

Gytheio or Gythio, also the ancient Gythium or Gytheion, is a town on the eastern shore of the Mani Peninsula, and a former municipality in Laconia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality East Mani, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 197.313 km2. It was the seaport of Sparta, some 40 kilometres north. Gytheio is the site of ancient Cranae, a tiny island where according to legend Paris of Troy and Helen from Sparta spent their first night together before departing for Troy, thus igniting the Trojan War.

Philopoemen Ancient Greek general

Philopoemen was a skilled Greek general and statesman, who was Achaean strategos on eight occasions.

The Maniots or Maniates are the inhabitants of the Mani Peninsula, Laconia, in the southern Peloponnese, Greece. They were also formerly known as Mainotes and the peninsula as Maina. Maniots are described as descendants of the ancient Dorian population of the Peloponnese and as such related to the ancient Spartans. The terrain is mountainous and inaccessible, and the regional name "Mani" is thought to have meant originally "dry" or "barren". The name "Maniot" is a derivative meaning "of Mani". In the early modern period, Maniots had a reputation as fierce and proudly independent warriors, who practiced piracy and fierce blood feuds. For the most part, the Maniots lived in fortified villages where they defended their lands against the armies of William II Villehardouin and later against those of the Ottomans.

Lucius Quinctius Flamininus was a Roman politician and general who served as consul in 192 BC alongside Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus. He was eventually expelled from the Senate by Cato the Elder.

Cretan War (205–200 BC)

The Cretan War was fought by King Philip V of Macedon, the Aetolian League, many Cretan cities and Spartan pirates against the forces of Rhodes and later Attalus I of Pergamum, Byzantium, Cyzicus, Athens, and Knossos.

Aetolian War

The Aetolian War was fought between the Romans and their Achaean and Macedonian allies and the Aetolian League and their allies, the kingdom of Athamania. The Aetolians had invited Antiochus III the Great to Greece, who after his defeat by the Romans had returned to Asia. This left the Aetolians and the Athamanians without any allies. With Antiochus out of Europe the Romans and their allies attacked the Aetolians. After a year of fighting the Aetolians were defeated and forced to pay 1,000 talents of silver to the Romans.

War against Nabis war in 195 BC fought between the Greek city-state of Sparta and a coalition composed of Rome, the Achaean League, Pergamum, Rhodes, and Macedon

The War against Nabis, or the Laconian War, of 195 BC was fought between the Greek city-state of Sparta and a coalition composed of Rome, the Achaean League, Pergamum, Rhodes, and Macedon.

League of Free Laconians

The League of Free Laconians was established in southern Greece in 21 BC by the Emperor Augustus, giving formal structure to a group of cities that had been associated for almost two centuries.

Roman–Seleucid War war 192–188 BC between the Roman Republic and the Seleucid Empire

The Seleucid War, also known as the War of Antiochos or the Syrian War, was a military conflict between two coalitions led by the Roman Republic and the Seleucid Empire. The fighting took place in Greece, the Aegean Sea and Asia Minor.

Gorgopas was one of the joint Spartan garrison commanders at Gythium. During the Roman-Spartan War, the Romans and their allies started besieging Gythium. After a few days of fighting, Gorgopas' joint commander, Dexagoridas, told a Roman legate that he was willing to surrender the city. When Gorgopas found out, he slew Dexagoridas with his own hands. Gorgopas continued to command the city but when the Roman commander-in-chief Titus Quinctius Flaminius arrived with reinforcements, Gorgopas surrendered on the condition that he and the garrison could returned to Sparta unharmed. Nothing more is heard of him.

Social War (220–217 BC) Ancient Greek war from 220 to 217 BC

The Social War, also War of the Allies and the Aetolian War, was fought from 220 BC to 217 BC between the Hellenic League under Philip V of Macedon and the Aetolian League, Sparta and Elis. It was ended with the Peace of Naupactus.

References

Primary Sources

Secondary Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.