Cynoscephalae 197 BC

This Osprey Campaign book by Mark Van der Enden covers the classic legion v phalanx battle of the ancient world.

The Battle of Cynoscephalae (197 BCE) was fought in Thessaly between the Roman Republic, led by Titus Quinctius Flamininus, and the Macedonian army of King Philip V during the Second Macedonian War. The battle is best known for demonstrating the alleged superiority of the Roman legion over the Macedonian phalanx. Fighting began on rough, hilly terrain that disrupted the tight formation of Philip’s left phalanx, making it less effective. While part of the Macedonian line initially repelled the Romans, a flexible Roman unit exploited gaps in the phalanx's uneven formation and attacked from the flank and rear. This manoeuvre caused the Macedonian army to collapse, leading to a decisive Roman victory. The defeat weakened Macedonian power and marked a major step in Rome’s expansion and dominance in the eastern Mediterranean.

The author begins by explaining how Rome expanded its rule into the Balkans, primarily as a consequence of its campaigns against the Illyrians. The Macedonians had also allied with Carthage during the Punic Wars, and although that didn't amount to much, it gave Rome an excuse to invade. This is followed by a chapter on the commanders and their sub-commanders, although there are few sources on some of those on the Macedonian side.

This is a book about the campaign and battle, but both armies are examined. The Roman republican army at Cynoscephalae has been estimated to have ranged from 26,400 to 32,000 men. This was essentially the same army that fought in the Punic Wars, which is handy for wargamers. They also had Greek allies and elephants. The Macedonian army consisted of four major components: the pike phalanx, peltasts, cavalry, mercenaries, and auxiliaries, totalling around 25,000 men. Again, an Alexander the Great army would work fine for wargame purposes.

The core of the book is the campaign and battle. There were skirmishes in the Aegean and in Illyria before the main event in Thessaly. There is a whole range of interesting actions, not just the final clash. As you would expect from this series, there are excellent maps and colour plates. Unusually for this period, the Roman cavalry had the best of the early actions. A key element of the Roman campaign was to detach Greek allies from Macedon.

Does the Roman victory prove the legion was superior to the phalanx? Not necessarily. Philip’s right wing was caught in the rear, and his left wing was unable to deploy effectively or in time to resist the Roman advance, but the phalanx did operate successfully on what is considered to be rough ground. It also succeeded in maintaining its cohesion, advancing down the slope and pushing its Roman adversaries to the brink of collapse. Philip’s defeat resulted from his decision to launch a full-scale engagement before half of his army was ready and deployed for battle. Defeat in this instance has, therefore, more to do with Philip’s generalship and the inability of his inexperienced left wing to deploy quickly enough rather than intrinsic deficiencies of the phalanx. The flexibility of the legion did play a role in victory, as did Phillip's lack of a reserve. 

This is a really useful book that opens up a series of little-known battles, as well as the classic phalanx v. legion battle. Some of my 28mm Republican Romans. Strength and Honour would work well for this battle, and after my Punic War project, I have the figures to do this.