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| Siege of Bassania | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Location of Ancient Bassania | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Illyrian Kingdom | Roman Empire | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Algalsus Epicadus | |||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 15,000 | Unknown number of soldiers 80 ships | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||||
The Siege of Bassania is a battle that took place between King Gentius and the Roman allied city Bassania in the Third Illyrian War.
After the peace treaty between Gentius and Perdicass of Macedon, Gentius declared war on Rome. [1] [ full citation needed ] One of the main cities in Illyria allied to Rome was Bassania, which was said to be three times the size of ancient Shkodra, King Gentius' capital. [2] This significant size gave Bassania immense influence in the region. Because of its loyalty to Rome, Gentius was forced to act quickly to bring the city under his control. In early spring, Anicius arrived in Illyria to continue the war against Gentius. [3]
Little is known about the siege of Bassania. It is documented that Gentius led 15,000 of his men to Bassania. [4] The inhabitants chose to endure a siege rather than surrender to the Labeatae forces, despite Gentius offering them the opportunity to do so. As a result, the offensive prompted the Roman forces to take action. Two Roman generals, Algalsus and Epicadus, stationed in southern Illyria, planned to march on Gentius with their forces from the Parthini to region in order to lift the siege. [5] [ full citation needed ] However, the Romans abandoned this strategy when they learned that 80 ships were positioned to attack the coast. Gentius, on the advice of Pantauchus, sent these ships to ravage the fields of Apollonia and Dyrrhachium. [6]
With the need to prioritize coastal defense, the Romans were unable to respond to the siege. As a result, without the support of the Roman Republic, Bassania was defeated and eventually fell to Gentius. [7]
Year 168 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Macedonicus and Crassus. The denomination 168 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.
Philip V was king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon from 221 to 179 BC. Philip's reign was principally marked by the Social War in Greece and a struggle with the emerging power of the Roman Republic. He would lead Macedon against Rome in the First and Second Macedonian Wars. While he lost the latter, Philip later allied with Rome against Antiochus III in the Roman-Seleucid War. He died in 179 BC from illness after efforts to recover the military and economic condition of Macedonia and passed the throne onto his elder son, Perseus of Macedon.
The Third Macedonian War was a war fought between the Roman Republic and King Perseus of Macedon. In 179 BC, King Philip V of Macedon died and was succeeded by his ambitious son Perseus. He was anti-Roman and stirred anti-Roman feelings around Macedonia. In 172 BC, a Roman commission visited Perseus and required of him concessions which meant the extinction of his independence. Upon his refusal to comply with the demands they returned home and Rome declared war.
The Illyro-Roman Wars were a series of wars fought between the Roman Republic and the Illyrian kingdom under the Ardiaei and Labeatae. In the First Illyrian War, which lasted from 229 BC to 228 BC, Rome's concern was that the trade across the Adriatic Sea increased after the First Punic War at a time when Ardiaei power increased under queen Teuta. Attacks on trading vessels of Rome's Italic allies by Illyrian pirates and the death of a Roman envoy named Coruncanius on Teuta's orders, prompted the Roman senate to dispatch a Roman army under the command of the consuls Lucius Postumius Albinus and Gnaeus Fulvius Centumalus. Rome expelled Illyrian garrisons from a number of Greek cities including Epidamnus, Apollonia, Corcyra, Pharos and established a protectorate over these Greek towns. The Romans also set up Demetrius of Pharos as a power in Illyria to counterbalance the power of Teuta.
Pinnes was the son of Agron, king of the Ardiaei in Illyria, and Agron's first wife Triteuta. He officially succeeded his father as king in 230 BC, but the Ardiaean kingdom was ruled by Agron's second wife, Queen Teuta.
Demetrius of Pharos was a ruler of Pharos involved in the First Illyrian War, after which he ruled a portion of the Illyrian Adriatic coast on behalf of the Romans, as a client king.
Gentius was an Illyrian king who belonged to the Labeatan dynasty. He ruled in 181–168 BC, being the last attested Illyrian king. He was the son of Pleuratus III, a king who kept positive relations with Rome. The capital city of the Illyrian kingdom under Gentius was Scodra.
Scerdilaidas or Skerdilaid was an Illyrian ruler of the Illyrian kingdom under the Labeatan dynasty. Before taking the throne, Scerdilaidas was commander of the Illyrian armies and played a major role in the Illyrian Wars against the Romans.
Etuta was an Illyrian queen of the Ardiaean Kingdom, married to Gentius. Etuta was a Dardanian princess, the daughter of Monunius II of Dardania.
Bassania was an Illyrian city that came under Roman control during the Illyrian Wars. It was located close to the ancient city of Lissus in southern Illyria, modern Albania. The inhabitants of the city were called Bassanitae. The time when the Bassanitae became socii of the Romans is still unknown.
The Illyrian Kingdom was an Illyrian political entity that existed on the western part of the Balkan Peninsula in ancient times. Regardless of the number of the alternately ruling dynasties, of their tribal affiliation, and of the actual extension of their kingdom, it represented an alliance of Illyrian tribes that united under the rulership of a single leader, expressly referred to as "King of the Illyrians" in ancient historical records. The monarchic superstructure of the Illyrian state coexisted with the Illyrian tribal communities and the republican system of the Illyrian koina.
The history of the Illyrians spans from the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC up to the 1st century AD in the region of Illyria and in southern Italy where the Iapygian civilization flourished.
The Labeatae, Labeatai or Labeates were an Illyrian people that lived on the Adriatic coast of southern Illyria, between modern Albania and Montenegro, around Lake Scodra.
Monunius was an Illyrian king of the Dardanian State who lived in the late 3rd century BC and early 2nd century BC. Monunius attested first in 176 BC was the son of Longarus, a Dardanian king who caused much trouble to Macedonia from 230 BC onwards. He succeeded his brother Bato to the Dardanian throne. Monunius was known for his victory he inflicted on the Bastarnae during the Bastarnae Invasion of Dardania.
Pleuratus III was a ruler of the Illyrian kingdom under the Labeatan dynasty. He was the son of Scerdilaidas. Pleuratus continued his father's pro-Roman policy even more decidedly, so much that his loyalty to Rome was well known, even to other dynasts. He managed to extend the boundaries of the Illyrian State in the south when he was rewarded land annexed by Philip V of Macedon. He became one of the most prominent Illyrian kings of the time all because of his loyalty to the Romans. Pleuratus was succeeded by his son Gentius, who was the last Illyrian king.
The Roman–Dalmatian wars were a series of conflicts between the Dalmatae (Delmatae) and the Romans. After the fall of the Ardiaei in southern Illyria, the Dalmatae were to pose the greatest force against the Romans in their conquest of Illyria.
The siege of Medion was a siege carried out by the Aetolian League in 231 BC against the Ancient Greek city of Medion in Acarnania. The siege triggered an invasion by an Illyrian relief force and ended in the Battle of Medion with an Aetolian defeat.
The Penestae were an Illyrian tribe dwelling in southeastern Illyria, in an inland region that was called Penestia, which was located around the Black Drin valley north of Lake Ohrid, between present-day eastern Albania and western North Macedonia. They are firstly mentioned by ancient Roman historian Livy. They appear several times in Livy's accounts of the events concerning the Third Macedonian War, which was fought between the Roman Republic and the Kingdom of Macedonia under Perseus. Their chief city was Uscana, most likely located in the valley of the Black Drin in the region of Dibra.
The Cavii were an Illyrian tribe. They lived close to Lake Shkodër. Their main settlement was Epicaria, which is thought to be probably located around modern-day Pukë. They are occasionally mentioned by ancient writers.
This is a list of Illyrian rulers from the Ardiean-Labeatan dynasty: