Battle of Magnesia ad Sipylum
The Battle of Magnesia ad Sipylum, fought in 190 BCE, was a pivotal conflict between the Roman Republic and the Seleucid Empire led by Antiochus the Great. This battle occurred as Antiochus, seeking to expand his influence in the eastern Mediterranean, had previously invaded Greece, prompting a military response from Rome. The confrontation took place near the Hermus River, where Antiochus assembled a large army of approximately 70,000 soldiers, including infantry, war elephants, and cavalry. In contrast, the Roman troops, numbering around 30,000 and commanded by Gaius Domitius, strategically positioned themselves to exploit the battlefield's geography.
During the battle, Roman forces successfully attacked Antiochus's central infantry, while their cavalry engaged the Seleucid flanks. This coordinated assault ultimately led to a significant Roman victory, resulting in the defeat of Antiochus's forces, with around 50,000 casualties among the Syrians. The aftermath of the battle marked a turning point in the power dynamics of the region, as it effectively ended Seleucid control in Asia Minor and compelled Antiochus to cede territories to Rome and its allies. The Battle of Magnesia ad Sipylum is thus recognized as a significant event that altered the course of ancient Mediterranean history.
Battle of Magnesia ad Sipylum
Related civilizations: Seleucid Syria, Roman Republic.
Date: 190 b.c.e.
Locale: Magnesia, western Asia Minor northeast of Smyrna
Background
Antiochus the Great, having formed an alliance with the Aetolian League and Sparta, sought to expand his power in the eastern Mediterranean by invading Greece in 192 b.c.e. This action alarmed Rome, whose legions decisively checked the Seleucid king’s expansion at Thermopylae two years later. Antiochus’s defeat was soon followed by a Roman invasion of Asia Minor.
Action
At Magnesia ad Sipylum (mag-NEE-zhuh ad SIH-pih-luhm), Antiochus the Great assembled his army of 70,000 near the Hermus River. He placed the infantry in the center, interspersed with war elephants, and stationed sizable formations of cavalry on both flanks and to the front. The Roman force of 30,000, under the command of Gaius Domitius, was deployed on the left against the river, with contingents of cavalry positioned to the right of this main legionary formation. As the legions attacked Antiochus’s center, Syrian cavalry penetrated the Roman line and momentarily endangered the Roman left flank. Almost simultaneously, an intense charge by Roman cavalry broke the enemy’s left. Under the pressure of this combined Roman assault, Syrian resistance collapsed. In the ensuing rout, 50,000 Syrians were killed or captured.
Consequences
Rome’s victory at Magnesia ad Sipylum ended Seleucid power in Asia Minor and forced Antiochus the Great to relinquish all territories northwest of the Taurus Mountains to Rhodes, Pergamum, and Rome’s Greek allies in Asia Minor.
Bibliography
Green, Peter. Alexander to Actium: The Historical Evolution of the Hellenistic Age. Reprint. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1993.
Liddell Hart, B. H. Scipio Africanus: Greater than Napoleon. Cambridge, Mass.: Da Capo Press, 1994.