The gifted orator spoke of this threat in a fiery series of speeches called the “Philippics.” It was he who realized the need for securing an ally, namely Thebes. By 346 BC, the Athenians were war-weary, unable to match Philip's strength, and had begun to He offered a peace treaty, which Athens and Thebes refused, and the cities prepared for one final battle. credit by exam that is accepted by over 1,500 colleges and universities. Polyaenus collected many snippets of information on warfare in his Strategems; some are known from other sources to be reliable, while others are demonstrably false. Sulla took advantage of the favourable ground and arrayed his forces before the plain on the hill, with a tactically advantageous view into the camp. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms. Omissions? Cite This Work The forces of Athens and Thebes were destroyed, and continued resistance was impossible; the war therefore came to an abrupt end. [34] Since the Greeks could remain on the defensive, having only to prevent Philip's advance, their position was therefore strategically and tactically very strong. Did you know… We have over 200 college In 88 BC, inspired by King Mithridates VI of Pontus' victories over the Roman Republic in Anatolia, the anti-Roman party in Athens took power in the form of Ariston, who was elected Strategos. Only 10,000 Pontians escaped by sea, but Archelaus received 80,000 reinforcements, and Mithridates continued to control the seas. Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams. The battle has been described as one of the most decisive of the ancient world. The Athenians drew up their army, leaving one part to the Boeotians, and leading the rest themselves. Chris has a master's degree in history and teaches at the University of Northern Colorado.
[38] This latter anecdote also appears in the earlier Stratagems of Frontinus. Amongst the Macedonians to be captured was a young prince named Philip. Written by Donald L. Wasson, published on 02 September 2009 under the following license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. Way up in the northern section of what is now Greece was another kingdom that was relatively unconcerned with all of this, called Macedon or Macedonia. [23] Philip's patience finally ran out when the Athenians formed an alliance with Byzantium, which Philip was at that time besieging, and he wrote the Athenians declaring war. The Athenians may have fought bravely, but the Battle of Chaeronea is viewed by many to be a turning point in history, after which the Greeks were no longer a military or political threat. [47] Philip's motives are not entirely clear, but one likely explanation is that he hoped to use the Athenian navy in his campaign against Persia, since Macedon did not possess a substantial fleet; he therefore needed to remain on good terms with the Athenians. After the battle, Athens was forced into an alliance, while Thebes lost rich agricultural lands in Boeotia. Funerary relief for Athenian footman Pancahres, likely fell at the battle of Chaeronea. The Battle of Chaeronea was a military encounter between the forces of Philip II of Macedon and an allied army of Athens and Thebes. Moreover, the Greek line seems to have slanted north-eastwards across the plain in between, so that it did not face the direction of Macedonian advance full-square. Eventually they were, but this unification did not come without tensions.
XVI, Ch. What we call the civilization of Ancient Greece wasn't actually a single civilization at all. Create your account, Already registered? [35], This brief account can be filled out, if Polyaenus's account of the battle is to be believed. [35] Plutarch suggests that all 300 of the Sacred Band were killed at the battle, having previously been seen as invincible. After several months of stalemate, Philip finally advanced into Boeotia in an attempt to march on Thebes and Athens. Archelaus' camp was in a rocky region near a broad plain at the bottom of a slope. These assaults on their food supply caused Athens to seek an ally, eventually turning to their neighbors to the north, Thebes. Eventually they … | Casualties and losses | In that description, the veteran Macedonians simply overpowered the Greeks, in part because of the Macedonians’ use of the sarissa, a 13- to 21-foot (4- to 6.5-metre) spear that was roughly twice the length of the pikes used by the Greeks. An advance Macedonian force was sent to Persia in early 336 BC, with Philip due to follow later in the year. After the general engagement had been in progress for some time, Philip had his army perform a wheeling manoeuver, with the right wing withdrawing, and the whole line pivoting around its centre. The Battle of Chaeronea was fought in 338 BCE between an Athenian-Theban alliance and the kingdom of Macedon. When news first arrived that Philip was in Elatea, just three days march away, there was panic in Athens. Athens and Thebes started closely guarding the mountain passes around the Gulf of Corinth, and Philip was unable to get through. Athens brought roughly 10,000 foot soldiers, Thebes brought another 12,000 and each had several hundred cavalry units. The infantry then engaged each other in the center. [40] At the same time, wheeling forward, the Macedonian left wing attacked the Thebans on the Greek right and punched a hole in the Greek line. This was going to be a substantial battle. Visit the HSC Ancient History: Exam Prep & Syllabus page to learn more. Appian and Plutarch claim that only 10,000 of the enemy forces survived and escaped to the nearby town. It continued long with fearful slaughter, but victory was uncertain, until Alexander, anxious to give his father proof of his valor … was the first to break through the main body of the enemy, directly opposing him, slaying many; and bore down all before him -- and his men, pressing on closely, cut to pieces the lines of the enemy; and after the ground had been piled with the dead, put the wing resisting him in flight. In this lesson, we'll look at this battle and the impact the aftermath had on the world. [40], Cawkwell suggests that this was one of the most decisive battles in ancient history. [46] He also ordered that the Boeotian cities of Plataea and Thespiae, which Thebes had destroyed in previous conflicts, be re-founded. He says that "once joined, the battle was hotly contested for a long time and many fell on both sides, so that for a while the struggle permitted hopes of victory to both. 18 Oct 2020. [10] However, Philip did not intervene further in the Sacred War until 346 BC. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. He would prove this new military might at the Battle of Chaeronea; the Macedonian victory at Chaeronea would put Greece into what historian G. Maclean Rogers describes as a 'deep sleep', both politically and militarily. [43] This, together with the improbability that a head-on cavalry charge against the spear-armed Thebans could have succeeded (because horses will generally shy from such a barrier), has led Gaebel and others to suggest that Alexander must have been commanding a portion of the Macedonian phalanx at Chaeronea.
The battle was the culmination of Philip's campaign in Greece (339–338 BC) and resulted in a decisive victory for the Macedonians. The remaining Athenians panicked, Demosthenes included, and escaped. | Macedon There are two dominating interpretations of the events at Chaeronea. Philip was able to impose a settlement upon Greece, which all states accepted, with the exception of Sparta. Macedon had defeated the most powerful city-states of Greece. [48] He then turned to deal with Sparta, which had not taken part in the conflict, but was likely to take advantage of the weakened state of the other Greek cities to try to attack its neighbours in the Peloponnese. This battle is described in three ancient texts, although the accounts differ slightly. Even when nearly all of the cities came together in alliance against Persian invaders, the Macedonians kept to themselves. Armies of Ancient Greece Circa 500 to 338 BC: History, Organization... Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. Generally, Philip treated the Thebans severely, making them pay for the return of their prisoners, and even to bury their dead; he did not, however, dissolve the Boeotian Confederacy.[46]. Battle of Chaeronea. [31] Finally, in August 338 BC, Philip's army marched straight down the main road from Phocis to Boeotia, to assault the main allied army defending the road at Chaeronea.[31]. [52] Alexander therefore became King of Macedon, and in a series of campaigns lasting from 334 to 323 BC, he conquered the whole Persian Empire. Ancient History Encyclopedia Limited is a non-profit company registered in the United Kingdom. Demosthenes believed the new cities should put aside their differences and fight as one against the Macedonian barbarians. This battle represented the end of independent Greek city-states, and led to the formation of the Macedonian Empire. He then moved further west, capturing the city of Naupaetus. The Pontic right flank attempted to take the mountain from the Roman left, but the Pontic attack failed with 3,000 losses. Our latest articles delivered to your inbox, once a week: Numerous educational institutions recommend us, including Oxford University and Michigan State University and University of Missouri. Philip marched his troops southward to confront the enemy on a small plain outside the town of Chaeronea. Moving his army out of the camp onto the rocks would have disordered their formations, and prevented their horses and chariots from being effective. Coordinates: 38°30′04″N 22°51′50″E / 38.501°N 22.864°E / 38.501; 22.864, List of ranks in the fire, police, jail, and corrections services of the Philippines, People of the American Civil War by state, Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia, https://military.wikia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Chaeronea_(86_BC)?oldid=2579374. Whether or not he disgraced himself in this way, it was Demosthenes whom the people chose to deliver the funeral oration over the bodies of those slain…. Across from Athenians were the Macedonians, with Philip on the far right, totalling 30,000 infantry and 3,000 cavalry. Philip's much expanded kingdom, powerful army and plentiful resources now made him the de facto leader of Greece. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. contemplate the necessity of making peace. [22] Towards the end of the decade however, the "war party" gained the ascendancy, and began to openly goad Philip; in 341 BC for instance, the Athenian general Diopithes ravaged the territory of Philip's ally Cardia, even though Philip demanded that they desist. It did not take long for him to reveal to the rest of Greece the might of the Macedonian army, attacking and defeating the Thracians to the north, proving to the people of Athens that Philip was a viable threat. Finally, he redesigned the antiquated shield and helmet. Surrounded and unwilling to surrender, the Sacred Band fought nobly, but they were cut down by the Macedonians. Historica Wiki is a FANDOM Games Community. His decisive victories announced to all of the Greek city-states that Macedon was no longer a passive bystander. In 340 BC Demosthenes convinced the Athenian assembly to sanction action against Philip's territories and to ally with Byzantium, which Philip was besieging. The Battle of Chaeronea was the last real resistance Philip II faced in his goal of unifying all of Greece under his authority.
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