An Illyrian invasion against the Molossians in Epirus occurred in 385 BC. Illyrians, led by king Bardylis,[3] were supported by Dionysius I of Syracuse who was aiming to expand his influence in the eastern Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea, and by Alcetas I of Epirus who was expelled from his land by the Molossian pro-Spartan party and exiled in Syracuse.[4]
| Invasion of Molossia | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Illyrians | Molossians | ||||||
|
Supported by: Syracusans |
Supported by: Thessalians Macedonians Spartans | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Illyrian king Bardylis Dionysius I Alcetas I |
Pro-Spartan Molossian dynast Agesilaus II | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
unknown number of Illyrians 2,000 Syracusan soldiers | unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| unknown | 15,000 Molossians killed | ||||||
History
editIn 385 BC, Alcetas of Epirus was a refugee in Syracuse for unknown reasons. The tyrant of Syracuse, Dionysius, wanted a friendly monarch in Epirus, so he sent 2,000 Greek hoplites and 500 suits of Greek armour to help the Illyrians, who at that time were led by king Bardylis, for their battles with the Molossians in Epirus. Attackers killed about 15,000 Molossians.[5] Alcetas was restored to the throne, but the Illyrians didn't stop there. They continued pillaging throughout Epirus and parts of Greece. Dionysius joined them in an attempt to plunder the temple of Delphi. Then, Sparta, supported by Thessaly and Macedonians, intervened under Agesilaus, and expelled the Illyrians and the Syracusan warriors.[6]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Malkin 1998, p. 247
- ^ Malkin 1998, p. 247; Howe 2017, p. 103
- ^ Tsetskhladze, Gocha (2008). Greek Colonisation An Account of Greek Colonies and Other Settlements Overseas, Volume Two · Volume 2. Brill. p. 501. ISBN 978-90-474-4244-8.
- ^ Malkin 1998, p. 247; Castiglioni 2007, p. 174; Lane Fox 2011, p. 225; King 2017, p. 57 Howe 2017, p. 103.
- ^ Luttenberger, Mark (2019). Philip II of Macedon: A New Age Begins. Page Publishing. p. 41. ISBN 978-1-64584-235-4.
- ^ Diodorus, Siculus. "Fifteenth book".
Bibliography
edit- Castiglioni, Maria Paola (2007). "Genealogical Myth and Political Propaganda in Antiquity: the Re-Use of Greek Myths from Dionysius to Augustus". In Carvalho, Joaquim (ed.). Religion and Power in Europe: Conflict and Convergence. Edizioni Plus. ISBN 978-88-8492-464-3.
- Howe, T. (2017). "Plain tales from the hills: Illyrian influences on Argead military development". In Müller, S.; Howe, Tim; Bowden, H.; Rollinger, R. (eds.). The History of the Argeads: New Perspectives. Wiesbaden. ISBN 978-3447108515.
- King, Carol J. (2017). Ancient Macedonia. Routledge. ISBN 9780415827287.
- Lane Fox, R. (2011). "399–369 BC". In Lane Fox, R. (ed.). Brill's Companion to Ancient Macedon: Studies in the Archaeology and History of Macedon, 650 BC – 300 AD. Leiden: Brill. pp. 209–234. ISBN 978-90-04-20650-2.
- Malkin, Irad (1998). The Returns of Odysseus: Colonization and Ethnicity. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 9780520920262.
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