Parmenion marches along the coast towards Pellene With winter curtailing all operations close to the Istros the only remaining conflict was in the northern Peloponnese. Parmenion had been left in the region and had been reinforced by a further influx of veteran phalangites. Some of these were dispatched to Corinth and the rest marched with him towards Pellene. The Achaean League had continued to harass Sicyon over the summer and was now to be taught a lesson. Parmenion's goal was not to destroy the league entirely, rather he would seek to further secure Sicyon and if possible take Patra. Achaea attempts to break the siege of Pellene With the city invested the Achaean League decides to march in an effort to lift the siege. They came along the coastal road from Aigeira with a force far stronger than Parmenion's small army and it briefly looked grim - until Demetrius appeared with reinforcements. Thanks to them Parmenion was able to wheel about and defeat Pellene's garrison and the relief column.
Achaea is now under Macedonian control Having defeated the Achaean League along the coast Parmenion's scouts informed him that Achaea itself was unprepared for a forced strategic march. Though he had initially planned to march along the coast to Patra the movement of men towards Sicyon had continued apace and this route now looked to be blocked. Therefore he moved southwest to the interior. The remaining oligarchs in the city panicked and wisely allowed Parmenion into the city, much to his surprise. The region of Sicyon was known as a centre of art and culture This left three states still warring against Macedon. Antigenes made a valiant attempt to take Patras with only a small force of phalangites and some ill-trained spearmen from Naupactus. Lacking any sort of a siege train he was unable to make much headway. With winter beginning he was forced to remove himself and his independent command to Sicyon. Still the combined shock of losing Pellene and Achaea was enough to force the remaining three city-states of the Achaean League to recognize Philip as hegemon. Parmenion was able to sign a peace treaty outside of Aigion. The deal was similar to that of the Argolid city-states - a small yearly indemnity which encouraged the resumption of good relations. With this accomplished Parmenion could turn his eye inland towards the growing threat of Sparta.
The Balkan tribes in early 345 B.C.E. Philip was largely aware of Parmenion's campaign in the Peloponnese. By the start of 345 a centralized road network spreading outwards from Pella allowed messages to be carried from Sicyon all the way to Philippopolis in only a few weeks. Things had not gone well over the winter in this region. First the Moesi had rebelled, aided by the Triballi. Philip had been injured in the leg and had seen his allies from the Bessi turned ignominiously from the field. In the last few weeks of winter he had recuperated just in time to turn back a second large offensive aimed at Bessi. For a second time that winter the allied Bessi had fled after only a short fight but this time Philip was able to destroy the cavalry army which had been sent against him. Perdiccas and Cleitus leave Beroe at the head of a mighty army Further reinforcements streamed north to Philippopolis as spring began. By now Philip was keen to teach the Moesi and Triballi a lesson and would temporarily divert himself from the conquest of the Scythians. He would, however, send Perdiccas and Cleitus the Black to start that campaign. It was one of the largest forces yet assembled by Macedon. It included three brigades of veteran infantry and included the fearsome hypaspists. Until Philip could arrive the force had only a smaller detachment of Thessalian cavalry - though this was by now considered inadequate. The only real pressing issue was that of time and space. From their starting location the army would need to march several weeks before crossing the Istros and would then need to move around a smaller branch of the river before arriving in the heartland of the Getae. Philip's plan to provision the army was characteristically bold. He sent word to Byzantium for a fleet to be outfitted and sent up the Istros into the interior laden with food. Such a grandiose plan had never been attempted before.
The Peloponnese in early 345 B.C.E. Parmenion had been content to maintain his position in Achaea throughout the winter and early spring. At least he was until presented with an opportunity to strike a blow at Sparta while acting as a protector of Greek liberty. Ever since the Battle of Leuctra in 371 Sparta had been attempting to reassert its traditional dominance of the Peloponnese. The general Epaminondas had helped to found Megalopolis and aided the nascent Arcadian League. For some time Theban hegemony had kept Sparta from dealing with her weaker neighbours, but with the Sacred War over Theban influence has waned. King Cleomenes II is now actively attempting to destroy the Arcadian League. Tegea and Mantinea are already in dire straights when appeals are made to Philip to intervene. Word of this reached Philip as he was preparing to march against the Moesi for the second time. It was clear that intervention would bring open warfare with Sparta but there was much to recommend the plan and so Parmenion was told to march for Megalopolis and Messene. After this was accomplished Parmenion was to take the further step of freeing the helots to shatter Spartan power forever. Antipater skirmishes with Tegean forces Antipater led the first force of Macedonians into Arcadia to find a vast force of Spartans retreating back into Laconia. Within two weeks Mantinea offered their allegiance. An attempt to move south to Tegea was called off when scouts reported that the city had already been installed with a pro-Spartan oligarchy. Thereafter a bitter fight began south of Mantinea. Fighting was particularly bloody and while the walls of Tegea were too sturdy to consider assaulting Antipater did order the nearby fields to be burned. Fields burn With summer fast approaching both sides were becoming exhausted. Early victory had been expected and when it didn't arrive Parmenion found his forces unsuited for the campaign. Too much emphasis had been placed on heavy infantry and for now the supply lines into the interior were ill equipped to feed the vast number of men needed to reach Megalopolis. Worse it was found that both Kaphyai and Arcadia had been subverted by Sparta even before Parmenion marched south from Achaea. Though a campaign of raiding fields and burning crops eventually developed it would be months before any Macedonian troops could approach Megalopolis.
Perdiccas' army camps above the Istros Things were going much more sedately along the Istros. For almost three months now the vast field army which had set out from Beroe had been encamped around the only suitable crossing in the region. They had encamped and sent out foragers in an effort to keep supplied throughout the spring and into the summer. In June fresh reinforcements began moving from Beroe. These men moved with several large flocks of sheep which were to keep the huge force supplied until the relief fleet could arrive. The Macedonian grain fleet as it nears the mouth of the Istros By now the grain fleet nearing the halfway point of its journey. For several weeks it had been hugging the coast after leaving Byzantium and Salmydessos. Besides carrying grain the five triremes which had been assembled were also serving a secondary purpose by showing Athens that its Black Sea allies could be attacked at any time. The colonies of Deultum, Mesembria, Odessus, and Callatis were all visited in turn. The fleet sails past Scythia
Relief arrives Perdiccas and the rest of the vast Macedonian army could not wait for the fleet forever. Their salvation was due to the foresight of Philip, who had gathered large herds of sheep from the Strymon river valley in the previous year. It had taken months but these animals had been urged north over the Rhodopes. They wintered around Philippopolis before crossing the Upper Hebros in the spring. At last they arrived at the Istros to the relief of the assembled army. Antipater surrounds Kaphyai As the sheep were slaughtered and new rations were handed out another siege was ongoing in the Peloponnese. Parmenion had been injured after an ambitious strike towards Arcadia. For the foreseeable future he would need to rest and recoup back in Macedon and as such power in the region devolved to Antipater and Demetrius. These two men decided to take a much more methodical approach. Parmenion was attempting to reach Megalopolis without dealing with either Arcadia or Kaphyai. Antipater abandoned that idea and moved to take Kaphyai. From there the Macedonians would be able to easily access a critical series of passes which would bypass Arcadia and Tegea. The importance of the city was evidenced by the size of the force which was sent against it - three full brigades of phalangites. Though it was strongly held the town fell within days and Antipater set off to Megalopolis. The Peloponnese in the summer of 345 B.C.E. Antipater arrived north of Megalopolis and found the garrison ready for a fight, though it was clear who would win. As the Macedonians were surrounding the walls and cutting off supplies from Tryphilia the garrison emerged to attack. Antipater was bloodied and found his small group of skirmishers thrown back. In time the phalangites ground down their hoplite opposites and the city fell. Nicanor was then tasked with establishing a number of watchtowers to the south to warn of any Spartan advance. Additionally the remaining members of the Arcadian League were brought to task and accepted Philip's hegemony. Though Sparta remained a potential problem it was now clear that the Peloponnese was firmly under Macedonian control. Cementing the fact further was the signing of another treaty with the Elian League.
The lands of the Getae In the weeks while Antipater was campaigning in the Peloponnese there was still another larger campaign unfolding north of the Istros. Food had finally reached the army and it now marched further still to come upon the lands of the Getae. It was a region rich in farmland. It was equally as rich in horses and as Perdiccas came close to the main settlement of the Getae he was shown how wise it was to march with such a huge force. Though he had left men at the original camp to guard the Istros crossing he had still marched with an immense army but these men were now confronted by a force of cavalry larger than anything seen before and once again his food supply was running out. Help from Byzantium and the other seaports of the Black Sea had finally arrived though having made a four month journey up the coast and into the great river. The battle begins When the first catapult shots hit the city the Getae charged out. They came with the force of a high pressure hose to crash into the forward line of hypaspists and phalangites. Behind them archers from Stobi dueled with their counterparts. The Thessalian cavalry which had accompanied the army at this point managed to rout and destroy half of the Getae skirmishers having emerged from thick forests to the north of the battlefield. Before they could be overwhelmed by advancing tribal cavalry they beat a quick retreat to circle back around the Macedonian army. The line holds against endless numbers Hypaspists and phalangites hold back the first charge without many casualties and everything looks to be going well. Splendidly an additional brigade of troops had just arrived off a forced march but found themselves hastily ordered from the southern flank up to the north as a second, even larger, wave of Getae emerged from their settlement. The hypaspists could be certain to hold their ground, but the men of Aegeae who held the northern end of the line seemed to be buckling and were now on the very of being flanked. Though the Thessalians were ready to be thrown into the battle there was little they could do against such numbers. The Macedonian line is bent backwards As expected the hypaspists are able to hold their own before marching forward in victory, but north of them the situation is far graver. The newly arrived brigade - the first raised from Philippopolis - had made the shift north too late and as a result more than half the Aegeaens lay dead or dying. It was only a smart charge by the Thessalians which help the entire line from buckling. The archers from Stobi were likewise saved. The phalangites eventually came up and allowed the Thessalians to break off, leaving half their number dead on the field. The Getae charge one last time The valour of the men from Aegeae and the cavalry from Olooson allowed Perdiccas and his army to survive, but it was a close run thing. Aided by the arrival of more infantry on the northern flank the Getae were ground up by Paeonian archers and the tips of Macedonian sarissas. Thousands of Getae already lay dead on the field when a third desultory charge composed of tribal elders and the few remaining warriors was launched against a reforming Macedonian line. They failed.
Thebes attacks! With the Getae defeated and summer coming to a close Philip was ready to abandon his campaign north of the Istros. Having seen how much effort it had required of him and his armed forces to defeat one of the strongest tribal kingdoms north of the river he was evidently satisfied with installing a large garrison. Boarding the nearby triremes he left for Byzantium with his hypaspists in tow. Along with them comes the greatest prize - another wife. Princess Meda will accompany Philip back to Pella to become his final wife. But as he sails momentous events occur in the Gulf of Corinth. Sensing weakness, however brief, the Thebans have declared war and sailed to take Naupactus. Naupactus is threatened In the several years since the conquest of Acarnania and Naupactus the region had been denuded of troops to sustain the Peloponnesian campaign. This and the tear down of the city-walls now allowed the Thebans to gamble on an ambitious plan to take the port and sever all ties with the Peloponnese. Since they had timed it so close to the end of summer it was clear that they intended to starve out the garrison Sicyon and render Macedonian positions weak enough for Sparta to intervene directly. The timely intervention by the Macedonian garrison at Stratos and Thessalian cavalry from Tricca was enough to secure Naupactus from the swift Theban raid. Having done away with the raiders they rebuilt the walls and the local garrison was enlarged to make sure the episode did not repeat. It was now clear that Thebes and Sparta were in collusion and Philip quickly realized that both would need to be destroyed.
Coenus moves south out of Cardia to conquer the Chersonese Before winter began in earnest the Athenians threw in with Thebes and Sparta. They made their intentions clear during an autumn raid against Maronia - the first Athenian attack in almost five years. Since it came from the island of Lemnos there was little that the Macedonian navy could do to respond, but on land Coenus and Eumenes were ready to move down the Chersonese. Unlike many operations there would be little in the way of a direct Macedonian contribution. Coenus would proceed with only a single brigade of phalangites. The rest of the force was made up of local Greeks who had by now supported Philip for years, along with a strong contingent of Thracian peltasts. The Persians strike Coenus and his Greek counterpart Eumenes moved forward only to find themselves badly outnumbered by the garrisons of Drabos and Sestos. Worse yet these Athenian allies were receiving overt support from the Persians across the straights at Abydos. When Coenus moved forward to Drabos under siege the Persians fell upon the much smaller Macedonian force. Almost the entire force was routed and destroyed with only the Thracian peltasts managing to make their way back to Cardia.
Persians and Greeks turn to fighting Cooperation between the Greeks and their temporary rescuers doesn't last long. Soon after Coenus is sent fleeing from the battlefield the Persians are attacked from two sides by the Greeks in Sestos and Drabos. By now what was considered a terrible defeat was turning into something less worse and sensing weakness Perdiccas began to move south from Kypsela with a further draft of reinforcements. This time any advance would be made mainly by Macedonian infantry backed by foreign skirmishers. Perdiccas uses the narrow valley leading to Sestos to his considerable advantage When Perdiccas began to advance out of Cardia he went with a much smaller force than that which had marched with Coenus. He found the Persians defeated after superior Greek discipline squeezed the Persians out of existence. Perdiccas did find some elements of the Persians retreating towards Cardia, only to defeat those in detail before moving back towards Sestos. By now the Greeks had sustained heavy losses but were even now greatly superior to the Macedonian force which was bearing down on them. Heavy skirmishes turned into a general engagement that briefly favoured Perdiccas until his levy from Amphipolis was forced to retreat. The timely arrival of a second brigade of troops and some elite Agrianian skirmishers prevented the battle from deteriorating any further. Indeed, Perdiccas was now able to whole defeat the remaining Greek field army in detail. The Persians reappear At this critical junction of the campaign - with Perdiccas ready to begin siege operations - the Persians choose to exploit the weakness of the Greek states. Another vast army crossed into Europe in an effort to take Sestos only to find Perdiccas waiting in a defensible position. The Persian force had by now been somewhat weakened in an effort to defeat the last vestiges of hoplite army from Sestos and thereafter were quickly dispersed by Perdiccas. The Chersonese falls under Macedonian control Having eliminated all opposition in the area Perdiccas was able to conduct a lightning campaign of sieges taking Drabos and Sestos right after the arrival of spring. The walls of Drabos were torn down and a small Thessalian garrison was installed. Sestos faired better, retaining its walls, largely due to the local threat posed by the Persians in Abydos. When Perdiccas finally ventured south to take Elaious he did it just soon enough to forestall a planned Athenian landing. Macedon had now secured the Chersonese and dealt the Athenians another well timed blow, though the cost was potentially dangerous. Cardia, though a stiff ally, had paid dearly. Throughout eastern Thrace strength from the Macedonian garrisons at Kypsela and Briantike had also been largely used up and it would take time before Philip could reinforce the region.
Macedon in early 344 B.C.E. At the start of 344 the Kingdom of Macedon was near its zenith. In the fifteen years that had passed since Philip had gained power Macedonia had seen all of its ethnic lands returned. Then one foreign power after another had been defeated - Paeonians, Illyrians, the Chalcidian League, the Thracians, the Tyrants of Pherae, the Phocians. Philip had campaigned far and wide. Tribute now arrived from dozens of defeated tribes in Illyria, the Balkans, and throughout all of Thrace. In Greece he had made fast friends in Thessaly and earned the gratitude of the defeated Phocians. Naturally this drew the ire of the leading Greek city-states - Thebes, Sparta, and Athens. Now they had set aside past differences in order to get rid of Philip. Though he was potentially outnumbered Philip would not allow himself to lose the initiative. He intended to strike first and against Sparta. Megalopolis, Messene, and Sparta Throughout the winter Antipater, Nicanor, and Demetrius had remained in Megalopolis with a substantial army. Other, smaller, detachments under Philotas and Alcetas guarded the approaches to Megalopolis in case of a Spartan movement to cut that city off from Sicyon and Argos. The rapid expansion of Macedonian strength had done much to convince the Elian League into joining with Philip and as such Sparta's only strong ally remaining in the Peloponnese was Messene. It was a tenuous alliance though, for Messene was the home of the helots. Philip intended to start his war in the Peloponnese by freeing them in an effort to permanently weaken his Spartan opponents.
Antipater moves towards Messene When Antipater eventually began to move against the oligarchs in Messene he was unprepared for the amount of forces which sent aid. Vast hoplite forces moved from Korone, Pylos, Mothone, and Aesine. The Macedonians were gravely outnumbered and over extended before the campaign had really begun. In an attempt to even out the odds and to try and disperse such a large army Thessalian cavalry was landed on the coast between Pylos and Epreon. They began to burn the freshly planted crops. For the moment Antipater looked only towards taking the nearby fort at Ampheia in an effort to recruit helots to his cause. The Messenians come out to fight Due to the rampant raiding ongoing in their rear and the rapidly growing forces in front of Messene the enemy move against Antipater near the end of spring. Since food supplies had begun to run low without the addition of the yearly crop it was easily the only option available to Messene. Antipater had wisely kept himself at the opening of the pass to Megalopolis and as such had largely negated his weakness in numbers. Furthermore he had positioned several groups of Thessalian cavalry to the north and south so that when the Messenians advanced their peltasts were routed before the battle was even joined. The Messenians retreat Though the Thessalians are battered along the northern side of the battle their appearance is enough to keep the enemy hoplites from advancing into contact with the main Macedonian line. It is only in the center where hoplites from Messene are able to briefly attack - only to fall back soon after. In the south the Thessalians draw three units of hoplites towards them, allowing the garrison at Ampheia to strike out and surprise the enemy. Having been savaged so severely the Messenians now turn tail and retreat back into their own fortifications leaving Antipater alone on the field. While the victory is masterful the Messenians still remain strong and it seems more and more likely that it will be food issues which force a conclusion to the issue.
The Messenians are defeated It isn't long before the food situation requires the defenders of Messene to come out for a second battle. This time things don't go as smoothly. Once again the allied cavalry is able to brush aside most of the peltasts, but they they are only barely able to keep a brigade of phalangites from routing. The Thessalians give them just enough time to retreat into the fort while Antipater and the other wing of the army move forward by stages going through several pitched battles with hoplite brigades as they exit Messene. Destroying the enemy peltasts becomes key at this point as the allied skirmishers from Argos are able to conduct their operations without any opposition. Though casualties are moderate the entire Messenian force is destroyed. The only potential relief for the city is from Korone where a large body of mercenary hoplites - partially raised by the Spartans - are assembling. Sparta now stands alone In the end the rest of Messene's allies don't intervene. Kept at bay by the remaining Macedonian force they sit in Korone as Antipater gradually destroys the walls and enters the city with Alcman at his side. With his arrival the helots are freed and the city becomes an important Macedonian ally. The remaining five city-states in the region of Messenia are given the same deal as the Elians and Achaeans before them. The Peloponnese is now firmly under the control of the Kingdom of Macedon. Since Sicyon first fell Philip has taken a lighter hand than he has elsewhere and the result is that the region is rather lightly held. Argos, Corinth, and Messene contribute a vast proportion of the military force. Together with an experienced core of Macedonians there should be enough here to defeat Sparta once and for all.
Philip advances into Boeotia It would take several weeks, if not months, before Sparta could be subdued. In the meantime Philip himself would campaign against the might of Thebes and Athens. With summer beginning there was enough forces assembled at Locris, Elatea, and Ambrossos to consider moving against Thebes. Initially Philip moved against the town of Orchomenus. Since it lay along the shore of Lake Copais it was easily cut off from the rest of the Boeotian League. The Coroneans anticipated just such a movement only to find the pass north blocked by Philip and a band of phalangites. A brief, but deadly, battle emerged only for the Boeotians to fall back after taking heavy losses. Lake Copais The campaign in Boeotia was largely influenced by Lake Copais. Already it had helped the Macedonians to take Orchomenus and it now allowed Philip to defend the town easily. Thebes only action in the following weeks was to send the Sacred Band forth, in conjunction with a second Coronean assault. Though the Macedonians took heavy losses Philip was able to directly influence victory against both forces. Having done this he was thereafter able to march on the now isolated city-state of Opus. Thebes was already becoming isolated from its remaining allies which remained around Lake Copais, and by now they had yielded the initiative.
Epirus, Acarnania, and the Ionian Sea in 344 B.C.E. Throughout the spring and summer of 344 B.C.E. the Athenians began to flex their muscles on the high seas - well at least the shallow coastal waters - by repeatedly raiding coastal Macedonian positions. For the most part these attempts were fruitless. The region of Pieria had long ago been strengthened and the Thracian coastal settlements had recently had their walls replaced. It was along the Acarnanian coast that Athens had success. Perhaps emboldened by Theban raids in the previous year there were attempts to take Acarnania, Kassopia, and Eliatis by sea. In the first two instances these movements were met by abject failure. Sadly though the town of Eliatis, the former refuge of Arybbas, is taken. For now Philip is unable to respond effectively as both Corcyra and Ithaca are effectively outside the striking range of his Ionian coastal forces. Athens attempts to foment revolt in Thessaly Being so focused on the campaign in Boeotia another serious blow is dealt to the Macedonian position in Thessaly when a force of Athenians liberates Pegasae in the early summer. If the Athenians were attempting to resurrect Pherae they were to be sadly disappointed as Thessalian reinforcements from Larissa were to quickly reassert Macedonian control of the region.
Coronea and Thisbe Philip could now claim that the Boeotian League had been his most intractable enemy. Though his latest campaign in the Balkans had taken up more troops it was clear that Thebes and her allies would be the ultimate test of his generalship. His early successes along the northern shore of Lake Copais had been an illusion as Thebes shuttled an increasingly large number of troops to the strategically important passes near Coronea. Since the eastern reaches of the lake were controlled by Thebes directly and the Macedonian navy was continually preoccupied by the Athenians Philip was forced, for once, to take the direct land route. The problem was that Coronea was increasingly garrisoned by Theban hoplites. Thankfully these city-states were linked only by a series of small passes. When Philip blockaded these and sent another force from Ambrossos via the coastal road the Thebans could do nothing but watch as Philip took another of their member states under his thrall.
Athenian allies in the northern Aegean By autumn it was clear that the war in Boeotia was entering a temporary stalemate. Philip had not brought enough men along with him to defeat Thebes in a single campaigning season and he was now paying the price. Likewise his improper garrisoning of coastal areas had resulted in a summer of frustration along the coasts of Acarnania and near Pherae. To rectify these problems he ordered the recruitment of more Paeonian skirmishers and the resumption of amphibious warfare throughout the Aegean. Due to the ample coffers of the Macedonian state it was relatively easy to recruit more skirmishers. It was rather harder to take Athenian allied islands. The Sporades island chain Throughout his reign Philip had managed to take only two islands - Thasos and the much smaller island of Skiathos. Capturing these had done little to protect the coast of a rapidly expanding Macedonian state as raids continued unabated from Lemnos and the rest of the Sporades islands. For over a decades these problems have been allowed to fester. No longer. Though most of Macedon's resources have been allocated to other ends enough has been left over to begin a limited campaign in the Sporades and as autumn begins Antiochus has been told to take the Sporades. At the beginning of September he initiated his first siege by attempting to take Peparethos. Spies had already noted that Athenian raids originated from the island of Ikos and this would be the halfway point towards removing that threat. It succeeded without much effort. Evidently Athens had placed move emphasis elsewhere - or had simply recognized years ago that Philip was likely to take the island whenever he wanted.
Demetrius takes the war into Attica With the harvest being collected it was clear to everyone that the war between Macedon and the coalition of Greek states would continue on into 343 B.C.E. Though Philip had conducted an excellent campaign in Boeotia it was only in the Peloponnese that he had secured any of his strategic objectives - by prying Messene away from the Spartans. News that the region was suffering a minor famine was enough to justify the movement of further forces north to Corinth from where Demetrius had begun to march towards Megara. Megara is surrounded The Macedonians found the garrison unprepared for their arrival. Only a few hastily assembled hoplites awaited them and so Demetrius surrounded the city and sent a portion of his forces to block the pass towards Eleusis. An attempt at relieving the city was quickly made, only to find itself blocked by the capable phalangites. Having cut off the city there was nothing that the Athenians could do. Since the Athenian assembly had dispatched most of their triremes to raid throughout the length and breadth of Macedon there was nothing left when the war came so close. Even now it seems that Demosthenes has successfully argued for an expedition into the upper reaches of Illyria and therefore leaving Attica bereft of its wooden walls.
Aigosthena has some of the best preserved fortifications from the Hellenistic age Athens was not the only major power stunned by the taking of Megara. Thebes was now left in a precarious situation as their last remaining port on the Gulf of Corinth was ripe for the taking. Aigosthena was small and within a days ride from Megara. Before Thebes had gained control of the region it had served as a defensive bulwark for Megara and Athens. Though they had spent lavishly on local fortifications by late 344 they had fallen into disrepair and the garrison was largely non-existent. Full mask helmet of the Sacred Band Thebes, unlike Athens, had kept its forces centrally located to defend against Philip and his Macedons. Throughout summer they had rested at Coronea but with this new threat to their rear it was abandoned in an effort to force a march before Demetrius could master the last independent port in the region. Philip, who had removed himself to Heraclea Trachis for the winter, could hardly believe his good luck and began to organize his own counter-march on Coronea. Barring disaster the Thebans would need a miracle if they were to keep Thebes from being directly threatened from either the south or west.
Demetrius secures Aigosthena just in time Haste was to save Demetrius and his small army - at least initially - from the brunt of the Theban army. They had marched with all their strength only to find the garrison had surrendered. Still Demetrius was outnumbered by almost three-to-one and the walls of Aigosthena were particularly weak. Urgent appeals were sent to the Macedonians at Megara and the Greek allies of Corinth and Argos. Then deciding that the port could not be held and help was unlikely to arrive in time Demetrius went out to fight unawares that Philip was even then moving towards Thebes. Philip moves to save his embattled army at Aigosthena Caution was put to the wind as only a small force was left to continue the siege of Coronea. Parmenion, Cleitus, and Amyntas would take three separate routes to converge on the plains outside Thebes where it was hoped that the Thebans would march to meet them. The Theban army is trapped In the end Aigosthena is saved at the cost of half of Demetrius' men. The Thebans suffer much worse as reinforcements from Megara and Philip himself bottle up his opponents in the narrow pass leading to the port. Located as they are the Thebans are unable to contest the sudden appearance of the vast Macedonian army in central Boeotia.
The island of Imbros Keeping the Athenians from interfering in Boeotia had been relatively easy. Philip had merely given word to doggedly attack any port offering aid to Athenian triremes and throughout the autumn these orders were carried out with gusto in the Aegean. The first island to fall was Imbros. Naturally poor in resources it was strategically located near the Hellespont and could be reached from Elaious in a matter of hours. More importantly all vessels sailing from Lemnos would need to pass nearby before conducting their raids along the coast of Thrace. It was hoped that after the port fell it would be relatively easy to keep the Athenians from conducting any more operations in the region. Macedonians land near Oreos Before affairs on Imbros were fully settled a second amphibious operation began on Euboea. All of the various city-states there were allied with Athens and for years the triremes from Oreos had threatened Pegasae and other Macedonian garrisons in the area. Antiochus was sent to take the port right as autumn was ending. He landed with a small force between Oreos and Kerinthos, which lay further down the coast. Almost immediately he was attacked by what amount to a rabble of old style cavalry, peltasts, and ill-trained spearmen. His phalangites were easily victorious.
Theban hopes lay in ruins as the city is besieged by Philip and his army Theban hopes died outside Aigosthena. Shorn of their skirmishers and then confronted with Macedonian phalangites to their front and rear the last great power in Boeotia was destroyed in a single day. Philip had already moved north, back into Boeotia, to begin burning crops. First Plataea, and then Thebes itself, were put under siege as more and more Macedonian infantry moved forward from their garrison stations in the Phocian border towns and from as far south as Corinth. Boeotia and Attica in late 344 B.C.E. Shorn of both its food and soldiers the mighty Thebes was broken and its walls lent it little safety against an opponent as dangerous as Philip. Plataea was the first to fall, followed in November by Thebes itself. The remaining independent members of the Boeotian League were offered a lenient peace provided they did not consort with either Athens or Sparta. With the year nearly over Philip was eager to begin planning his final campaigns in Greece. They would be against Sparta. Athens, still unbowed, was clearly not a march for the Kingdom of Macedon and needing her navy for any war against Persia it would be spared. Not so for her overseas empire which was even now crumbling. In Euboea the rich city-state of Chalcis had even invited Philip in to relieve themselves of burdensome Athenian taxes. It would not be long before Philip stood unchallenged as hegemon of all Greece.
Northern Euboea in early 343 B.C.E. Throughout the winter Antiochus waged war against the Athenian allied city-states of Oreos and Kerinthos. With only a small band of men he conquered both towns and destroyed forces many times his number. Fruitlessly the defenders of both towns were unable to do more than destroy his accompanying cavalry. As winter ended he began to recruit local mercenaries in an effort to march south towards Chalcis. The Kingdom of Macedon's Greek possessions in early 343 B.C.E. Events soon overtook the campaign in Euboea to the chagrin of Antiochus for in the Peloponnese the arrival of spring heralded Philip's campaign against Sparta. He had assembled a mighty army and though it was widely spread for winter quarters it was clear that the Spartans would be hard pressed to maintain themselves in the field with no allies to speak of. Sparta Approaching Sparta was easy as famine still gripped the region. Philip marched with his largest army yet assembled - an obvious sign of respect. Having allowed the Macedonians to amass in front of the city the Spartans attacked. Philip's army engages the Spartan hoplites The two forces had roughly the same amount of infantry, though in this battle Philip was to leave some as a reserve. Critically the Spartans attacked without the aid of any skirmishers and paid a heavy price. On either flank large numbers of peltasts from Argos and Messene aided the phalangites who were by now all veterans of the Peloponnesian campaigns. Philip gets behind the Spartan line Briefly the two sides were locked in mortal combat and while it was clear from the outset that the Spartans would be hard pressed to hold their positions they were quickly flanked by Philip and his Thessalian allies. They crashed into the left wing of the Spartan army. Already hard pressed by phalangites and peltasts it crumpled and the entire battleline was gradually rolled up before any sort of relief force from the south could arrive. The Macedonians retreat back to Megalopolis to recover Then at the moment of utmost victory the Spartans were given a lifeline as reinforcements from three directions streamed forward. Kynouria, Gythion, and Kardamyle all sent large groups of hoplites to assist Sparta. Gradually this forced Philip to divide his forces in order to deal with a growing number of problems. In the heavy fighting that followed Nicanor and his entire brigade of troops were killed. Both Antipater and Alcetas' brigades were also decimated. It was only the arrival of much needed reinforcements which allowed Philip and what remained of his army to retreat back towards Megalopolis. Only a smaller force of men under the command of Philotas and Cassander are left near Sparta. They watch from afar as the city is garrisoned once again.
Philotas is surprised by a sudden Spartan attack Philip's choice of leaders comes back to bite him when the Spartans launch a rapid attack on Philotas. Before he can react three large units of hoplites attack his force. Many of the peltasts from Argos are sent backwards. Desperately the few phalangites left hold on and manage to defeat a third of the Spartan force before Philip and Parmenion can march south to lend them aid. Philip retreats for a second time When reinforcements arrive Philotas is rescued, but only just. Half of the peltasts are routed or killed. Cassander, who is in command of the only Paeonian mercenaries in the region, is barely able to get away as well. For now it seems as though Sparta will not be conquered.
Philip tries for a third time It takes until the middle of summer to recruit enough men to challenge Sparta for a third and final time. Again the battle takes place right outside the town. Once again the Spartans put up a tremendous defense but they are now gravely outnumbered. Their allies have suffered heavy losses in the first two battles and all Spartan males have been pressed into service. Even worse for them is news that Philip has come to an agreement with the Athenians. In the end Sparta is without allies and cannot resist Philip for a third time. The last rival power in all of Greece is defeated. Sparta is conquered Throughout the rest of the summer and well into the autumn, after Philip departed, the remaining men in the Peloponnese began a limited campaign to conquer the remaining city-states who professed loyalty to the Spartan exiles. Warfare turned into a marching affair as sieges were begun and abandoned half a dozen times. By now a small band of homeless hoplites had begun to contest the area around Kyphanta and down to Limera. It was only after much chasing that these diehards were run down. Finally there was peace in the Peloponnese.
Isocrates, the famous rhetorician With Athens subordinated and the Thebans and Spartans destroyed as independent powers there was little left for Philip to do in 343. He was to retire back to Pella to engage in a series of drunken orgies and to finally consummate his next marriage to the Getaen princess. Throughout the fall and into winter he was to receive homage from more than a dozen Greek embassies. Philip was to greet them as equals at every occasion so that after years of conquest he was seen as merely a first among equals. Adroitly it seemed as though Philip had conquered all before him, but without looking like a tyrant. It was now that Philip took the advice of Isocrates to begin a campaign against Persia to liberate the Greek colonies of Asia Minor. Macedonia in early 342 B.C.E. Since this was to be the longest and most involved campaign which he would undertake Philip spent almost an entire year in Pella working to prepare his army. New forces were raised and garrisons were redistributed based on the certain hegemony which Macedon now enjoyed. Large swaths of Greece could therefore be left to local representatives. In the Peloponnese for instance there was enough trust that Argos, Corinth, Messene, and Achaea would take care of most security concerns. Elsewhere Thessaly, Epirus, and Attica were to be administered by the local leagues which Philip had merely co-opted in the name of common security. Perdiccas would be responsible for the initial invasion of Persia The result of all this diplomacy allowed Philip to turn his undivided attention towards Persia. It was expected that the campaign would last at least five years and that this would merely result in the liberation of the Ionian coast. Still within this region were the important city-states of Halicarnassus, Miletus, Ephesus, and Smyrna. Campaigning would start as soon as spring arrived, long before Philip himself could take command, and as such Perdiccas and Cleitus the Black would lead the advanced forces into Asia. At their command were half a dozen brigades of experienced infantry along with Agrianian, Paeonian, Thessalian, and Thracian auxiliaries.
Persians attempt to forestall the invasion Spring came and the campaign began. The first strike would come in two prongs as Perdiccas attacked directly across the Hellespont towards Abydos. At the same time a smaller force would depart Elaious by sea to land near Assos. Further south this would keep the Persians from gathering to defeat the Macedonians with their superior numbers. Somehow the Persians were informed of the movements and attempted to stop the invasion before Perdiccas had even left Sestos. The Persian force was strung out and easily destroyed. Perdiccas conducts a quick siege of Abydos Having destroyed the local Persian force with few losses it was easy for Perdiccas to cross the Hellespont. His siege engines made quick work of the city walls. Around the town a line of double circumvention was established. The outer line was guarded by the hypaspists and a band of Greek hoplites from Cardia. The only response came from a band of mercenary hoplites from Troas, further down the coast towards Assos. The Macedonians find their landings contested Assos was surrounded by open beaches and this made the landings particularly easy. Except for the fact that another band of mercenaries was to meet Ptolemy and his phalangites as soon as they left the boats. These were soon put down only for a second wave of Persian cavalry to come charging down from Troas. Ptolemy had no problem wheeling about to meet them and was ably backed up by a large group of Thracian peltasts who had almost made the journey. Still resistance was stiffening so much that a second group of phalangites were dispatched to reinforce the beachhead. Cleitus with his hypaspists also began to move down the coast to try and take Troas by storm.
Assos is besieged It was now the middle of spring and the campaign to conquer the Ionian coast was well underway. Abydos had fallen easily and now the strong Macedonian forces had begun to fan out towards Troas and Assos. Ptolemy had been relieved and as he had diverted a large force from coming towards Abydos his mission had been successful - though at some cost to his infantry. He was quickly reinforced by men from the north and an additional landing closer to Troas. Once again the Persians were subject to a quick siege after the local mercenaries were defeated in detail. The Troad is conquered It only took three months for Perdiccas and his fellow generals to conquer the entirety of the Troad. Without much concerted effort an ample bridgehead into Asia had been established. Massive amounts of new lands now beckoned. Rich in farmland the Persian provinces of Aeolis and Mysia could be taken in just a few more months and the massively wealthy city-state of Pergamum awaited conquering. It was not to be. Philip had been murdered. The Great Tumulus Philip had been at Aegae, where his path to glory had all begun so many years before. He and the court had gathered for the wedding of Alexander of Epirus to his daughter Cleopatra. Assembled there were a large number of Greek diplomats who were to be wooed one last time before the campaign in Asia. Shunning his bodyguard to appear more approachable he entered the theatre with a flowing white cloak hanging from his neck. It was then that one of his seven hypaspists rushed forward to stab Philip in the chest. According to Diodorus he was laid "prostrate and lifeless." It had only been a few months since he had consulted the Delphic Oracle on whether he would "conquer the king of the Persians." The response seemed good. "Garlanded is the bull. Fulfillment is here. One there is who will strike the victim." Philip could not have known that the Oracle was talking about his son - Alexander the Great.
No. After completing all of the Hegemony objectives (such as capture Sparta and hold it for a year, destroy the Getae, etc) you will unlock the ending cinematic which tells you how Philip founded the League of Corinth and was killed by Pausanias. It then dumps you back into the game and tells you that you can complete the rest of the objectives as Alexander. Historically it took Philip about another 10 years to conquer what I did and he never directly took out Sparta - but it was an objective here for some reason. There are also scads more objectives to be done. For instance there are objectives to campaign into Crete and the Cyclades, move into Rhodes, defeat the rest of the Danube River tribes, etc. The problem is that after conquering Thessaly and Amphipolis there wasn't a really big challenge out there. My problems in the Peloponnese were largely to do with hubris and a lack of food supplies. In contrast my campaign against Thebes was over as soon as their army was drawn out. Overall the AI didn't seem to challenge me as much as it could. In areas the designers simply didn't give certain factions enough options for constructing armies. Sparta for example can only recruit its larger and better hoplites, workers, catapults, and triremes. They cannot hire peltasts. So they basically have no skirmishers and they can't hire mercenaries since no AI power ever takes another AI's towns. Repeatedly I would march into a new area to find two sides engaged in an all out war but it would always be a stalemate. Furthermore only Sparta and the Persians used catapults and in those cases they were used as ranged units, not to attack towns. Similarly when the AI would attempt to besiege a place they would do so ineptly. Multiple times my possessions around the Danube were assaulted by huge horse armies only for my large garrisons to sit pat while the city walls killed enough to send them into a rout. I'm hoping that most of those problems are ironed out for Hegemony: Rome.
Just a heads up that this game is on sale for a mere $5 on Steam for the rest of the Thanksgiving sale. So why not pick it up?
I finally have the time to get into this game. Thanks for reminding me it existed way back when :) My ineptitude, however, has proven catastrophic. How did you manage to split your attention in fifteen different ways, CSL?
Remember that you can issue orders while paused. Besides that try to bribe some of the northern barbarians if at all possible. They have huge cavalry units which can chew up isolated phalangites. Ideally you'll also want to push the Illyrians back so that your native Macedonian towns aren't under constant threat.
Wait, there's diplomacy in this game? I was just bumbling around killing things. I'll go check out the manual and see what I need to do to get that done...
You have Hegemony: Gold right? The regular version of the game has no diplomacy and a terrible unit population cap.
Damn it. I had no idea there was a difference! However, IT'S ON SALE!!! WOOO!!! Ten dollars well spent.
