Philip then sent a small force to take the Cynoscephalae Hills (.mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}39°25′N 22°34′E / 39.417°N 22.567°E / 39.417; 22.567Coordinates: 39°25′N 22°34′E / 39.417°N 22.567°E / 39.417; 22.567). was the decisive battle of the First Macedonian War, and was the first of a series of victories won by Roman legions over the Greek phalanx that ended three centuries of Greek dominance on the battlefield. The battle of Cynoscephalae was a turning point in military history. Later, he was sent to Susa as Ambassador to the Persians; in 364 fell in the battle of Cynoscephalae, where he defeated Alexander of Pherae. The Macedonian phalangites were unable to re-position themselves and form up to face this new attack as quickly as the Roman maniples could maneuver to exploit the opportunity. Cynoscephalae was the first battle in the campaign of Roman imperialism against Macedonia and the eastern Mediterranean. Soon, the enemy’s … You take the role of the Roman army as it moves to defeat the Macedonian army of King Philip V of Macedon. He left his right wing in reserve, with his elephants in front, and personally led the left wing against Philip. The Roman chain of command proved independent and capable of making intelligent calls mid-battle, as demonstrated by the unnamed Roman tribune who brought Flamininus his decisive victory. The Roman right pursued, but an unnamed tribune wheeled twenty maniples around and descended the slopes into the Macedonian right’s rear. Flamininus concentrated his attack on Nicanor and the Macedonian left. The Macedonian phalanx was unstoppable in a frontal charge; as Polybius puts it, “That when the phalanx has its characteristic virtue and strength nothing can sustain its frontal attack or withstand the charge can easily be understood for many reasons.” Polybius then points to the phalanx’s characteristics: a tightly packed phalanx offers five lowered pikes every three feet. All the commotion caused by the Roman counterattack caused the enemy chariots to flee the battlefield, followed by the auxiliary troops located behind the chariot force. The mercenaries (except the Thracians) were commanded by Athenagoras and the second infantry corps by Nicanor the Elephant. The Macedonian screening force was still locked in combat against the retreating Romans. During the march there was a heavy rainstorm, and the morning after there was a fog over the hills and fields separating both camps. Unable to quickly change from the march oriented column formation to a line formation, the Macedonian left turned and ran rather than face the approaching slaughter. Despite this, Philip resumed his march, and his troops became confused and disoriented due to heavy fog. Philip, thinking his victory over the screening forces of the Romans more significant than it was, collected his encamped army and marched his phalanx to the summits of the Cynoscephalae. The Roman legions on the left did not break, and fought fiercely. N.G.L. army in position outside the camp, Philip himself advanced with his peltasts and the right wing of his phalanx, commencing the ascent of the hills with great rapidity, and having left instructions with Nicanor, surnamed the Elephant, to see that the rest … The Macedonian scouts slowly overpowered the Romans, who requested aid from Flamininus. Battle of Cynoscephalae, (197 bce ), conclusive engagement of the Second Macedonian War, in which Roman general Titus Quinctius Flamininus checked the territorial ambitions of Philip V of Macedonia and bolstered Roman influence in the Greek world. Philip, though reluctant to send his phalanx into the broken, hilly terrain eventually ordered an assault with half the phalanx, 8,000 men, when he heard of the Roman retreat. For two hundred years the Macedonian Phalanx had been invincible on the battlefield. As the Roman left was slowly being driven back, Flamininus took command of his right and ordered an assault there. Both commanders sent scouts over the hills to find the enemy, and were equally surprised to learn that the enemy lay right over the Cynoscephalae. The alliance commonly known as the Second Triumvirate, renewed for a five-year term in 38 BC, broke down when Octavian saw Caesarion, the son of Julius Caesar[citation needed] and the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra VII, as a major threat to his power. For 300 years cavalry used in concert with the spear phalanx had dominated Western battlefields. The phalanx drove the Romans down the slope. If matters had concluded right there, the result would have been indecisive with the loss of a wing on each side. When I came to study the problem of supply, I reached the conclusion that the … Europe, second smallest of … The Roman legion’s flexibility allowed heavy infantry to combat any enemy on any front, and because of this ability to adapt and overcome, Flamininus destroyed what remained of Philip’s power and finished Roman conquest of Greece. The Macedonians raised their sarissas as a symbol of surrender. Although the peace that followed allowed Philip to keep his kingdom intact, Flamininus proclaimed that other Greek states previously under Macedonian domination … Polybius puts the Roman dead at 700, while of the Macedonians 8000 perished and 5000 were captured. LEUCTRA. Flamininus, still unaware of Philip's location, sent out some cavalry and light infantry to reconnoiter, which engaged Philip's troops on the hills. [citation needed] That occurred when Mark Antony, the other most influential member of the Triumvirate, abandoned his wife, Octavian's sister Octavia Minor, and moved to Egypt to start a long-term romance with Cleopatra, becomin… … The Roman victory was achieved through the initiative of a tribune, whose name is unknown. While this may be a debatable supposition, the battle and the campaign demonstrated the power of Prussian science and military art. Media in category "Battle of Cynoscephalae" The following 10 files are in this category, out of 10 total. Play media. When he was elected, … Philip ordered his right phalanx charge down into the Roman left; the Macedonians held the high ground and initially pushed the Romans back down the Cynoscephalae, albeit at a slow pace. The Battle of Cynoscephalae is a battle that took place in 197 BC. The Battle of Cynoscephalae, fought in 197 B.C., ended the second of Rome’s four Macedonian Wars, securing a place in history for the Roman consul Titus Quinctius Flamininus, checking the power of the Antigonid King Philip V, and imposing a brutal peace that laid the groundwork for the Third Macedonian War against Philip’s son Perseus. Furthermore, the Macedonian phalanxes were unable to retreat from the Roman surround, and upon the surrender of the surrounded Macedonians, both Polybius and Livy claim that the Romans did not recognize the signal as the concession it was, and thus fell into the Macedonians with renewed vigor. Now pressed from behind by this massive force and unable to face their massive pikes to the rear, the Macedonian right broke and fled. The Battle of Cynoscephalae (Greek: Μάχη τῶν Κυνὸς Κεφαλῶν) was an encounter battle fought in Thessaly in 197 BC between the Roman army, led by Titus Quinctius Flamininus, and the Antigonid dynasty of Macedon, led by Philip V. In 201 BC, Rome won the Second Punic War against Carthage. There was complete panic in the Macedonian ranks. Philip responded in kind, and soon the skirmish grew to be a pitched cavalry and light infantry battle on top of the Cynoscephalae. ; 20 KB after a brief pursuit, Flamininus took command of his right in! Had attacked Rome 's client states in the Mediterranean for 20 years a turning point in military.. ( coordinates: 39º25 ' N, 22º34 ' E ) Philip V of.! Behind a very young successor, Ptolemy V Epiphanes of Macedon not understand this signal or. 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