During the Second Punic War, Macedon had been an ally of Carthage, without hower being able to give much support to the Carhagenians. in 205 BC a truce was signed, but the Romans had a score to settle.
When war broke out between Macedon and the kingdom of Pergamum , the latter did send envoys to Rome to ask them for help. Rome was happy to start an anti-Macedon coalition.
The war started in 198 bc with as Roman consul Titus Quinctius C. Flamininus The Macedon king was Philip V.
In 197 bc, both armies close to each other in a stand of. The Macedons, short of supplies starting marching their army westward towards the small town of Scotussa for its grain stores. The Romans followed on the other side of the slopes of the Cynoscephalae Hills.
Due to fog, part of the armies stumbled into each other, both sending reinforcements.
Flamininus deployed his entire amry . king Philip, thinking the Romans were in retreat deployed his right wing and moved to attack, but instead of fleeing enemy, found the entire Roman amry deployed, while the Macedon left was trying to take position.
We played the battle on March 16, 2025.
On the Macedon side: from right to left : Dirk, Siegfried, Geoffrey and Alberik.
On the Roman side from left to right : Patrick, Steven, Geert and Jonathan
The left Macedon flank is not yet in position. Only 2 units of phlalaxes deployed, the other 3 still struggling uphill still in column. The Tracians and cavalry also not in position.
The Light troops and cavalry on the Macedon right /Roman left started the fight.
The Roman elephant units were send towards the peltasts in the middle.
This instead of trying to block the upcoming phalaxes. Alberik on the macedo left did thow his Tracian units forward in a suicide charge to gain time. It worked. Jonathan focused on eliminating these units.
With the elephants busy with the medium peltasts, and the Roman light and medium troops delayed. The Macedon left was able to take position on top of the ridge before the Roman forces could attack.
Instead of advacing in one big block, the hastatii and principes of the Roman left attacked in seperate waves. The phalaxes taking hits but remaing in good order, keeping the defensive line.
The Greek allies move forward, once the Tracians were defeated.
But the phalaxes on Macedon left had taken up their positions.
While one of the elephants went stampeding arround, the Roman legion on the Roman left and the Greek allies stormed the Macedon position.
Fearce fighting resulting, but the Macedons stood firm.
Morover, the Roman left was in trouble, the phalanxes of the Macedon right pushing back the legions.
Even the elite triari could not stop the advance.
Philip V of Macedon victorious.
In the real battle, the Roman left with the elephants, was able to prevent the Macedon left to fuly deloy, pushing them back.
One of the victorious Roman officers on this flank turned a number of centuries to hit the Macedon right flank phalaxes in the rear. The phalaxes unable to face this attack disintegrated, and a carnage followed, many of the surrendering phalangistes slain.
