Battle of Magnesia 190 BC – refight

Battle of Magnesia – 190 BC

A re-fight at St Helens Wargames Society in 2014.

The legion of Scipio Asiaticus. This Legion skilfully managed to avoid most of the fighting!

The Romans:

2 Roman Legions each of 4 Hastati, 4 Principes, 2 Triari, 2 Velites.

2 Italian Legions each of 4 Hastati, 4 Principes, 2 Triari, 2 Velites.

1 Pergamene Command of 3 Xystophoroi (Heavy Lancers), 2 Light Cavalry (Javelins), 4 Thureophoroi (Medium Spearmen), 4 Asiatic Light Infantry archers.

1 ‘Roman’ Cavalry command of 2 Roman Equites (Heavy Cavalry), 2 Allied Equites (Heavy Cav), 2 Tarantine Light Cavalry (Javs)

The Seleucids:

Right Van: 2 Agema Cataphracts, 4 Cataphracts, 2 Xystophoroi, 2 Tarantine Cavalry.

Right Flank: 3 Thureophoroi (medium infantry Spear), 3 Thorakitai (Heavy infantry Spear), 2 Thracian infantry, 1 Elephant unit, 1 Mysian medium infantry bow, 4 Light infantry (mix of Javelins, bow and sling).

Right Centre: 3 Argyraspides, 2 Phalangites, 2 LI sling, 2 Cretan LI bow.

Centre: 5 Phalangites, 2 Li sling, 2 Asiatic LI bow.

Left Centre: 2 Elephants, 3 Galatian Tribesman, 3 Asiatic tribesman, 3 Mysian Archers, 1 LI sling, 1 LI bow

Left Flank: 1 Companion Hcav, 2 Cataphracts, 2 Xystophoroi, 4 Galatian Cavalry

Left Van: 4 Scythed Chariots, 3 Militia Light Cavalry, 3 Saka Horse Archers

Argyraspides and Phalangites are double depth pike units.

The Deployment:  Both side deployed in a semi historical fashion.

Key:  Seleucids: IE = Italian Equites (Heavy Cav),  RE = Roman Equites (Heavy Cav), TR= Triarii , Pr= Principes, HA= Hastati, SC = Scythed Chariots, SA= Saka Horse Archers, MC= Militia Light Horse, TA=Tarantine Light horse, GA= Galatian Cavalry, XY= Xystophoroi Lancers, CA = Cataphracts, CO= Companions,  SL= Slingers, EL=Elephants, AH= Asiatic Hillmen, GL= Galatian warriors, MB= Mysian Archers (Medium Foot), LJ= Light foot Javelins, PH= Line Phalangites, LB= Light Foot Bows, AG= Agyraspides Pike, Cb = Cretan Bows (light foot),  TR= Thracian Foot (medium Foot), TH= Thureophoroi (medium Foot spear), TK = Thorakitai (Heavy foot Spear), AG= Agema Cataphracts.

Roman Left Flank. From Left to Right, Italian Legion (Aemilius), Roman Legian (Graccus)

Roman Centre, Pergamene Thureophoroi can be seen in the bottom right.

Roman right Centre. Pergamene Thureophoroi in foreground, Seleucid Phalanx in the distance

Looking from the Seleucid Right flank. Antiochus and the Agema Cavalry bringing up the rear.

On the Seleucid left the Scythed Chariots career over the hill in pursuit of the retreating Roman Cavalry

Roman Hastati get stuck in to the Seleucid Thureophoroi and give them a good kicking.

Domitius’s Italians are performing pretty manoeuvres in front of the Seleucid Phalanx, maybe not a good idea?

The Argyraspides double up on a Hastai unit and drive it back. The Romans are being picked off peace meal at this point.

Antigonus finally finds his courage and orders his cavalry forward… will it be too late for the right flank?

Galatian infantry advance to support the Mysian archers.

The Scythed Chariots having still not fought, wheel to their right to avoid the rough terrain and threaten the Roman right flank. They are supported by 16 units of fresh cavalry…

The objective for the Seleucid Left is in sight … a giant water tower! Meanwhile the left flank Elephants are thundering towards the cowering Pergamene cavalry. This could/will get nasty.

Just when caution would be the order of the day, the Pergamenes under Eumenes II become aggressive and their cavalry move out to meet the Elephant threat…. ooops!

This proved to be a very hard fought and balanced fight.  The Seleucids won but it was very much a Pyrrhic victory.  The Roman deployment put too much weight on their left flank and as a result their right was swept away by the Seleucids.  The Centre was initially going the way of the Seleucids but the number of replacement Roman/Italian units were beginning to out manoeuvre and wear down the Seleucid Phalanx.  On the Roman left Graccus’s Romans crushed the Thureophoroi and drove them from the field.  Only the constantly manoeuvring cavalry of Antiouchus held up the Roman left from wheeling right onto the Phalanx’s flank.

I would like to try fighting Magnesia again with a free deployment for both sides.