The battle of Chaeronea took place almost two and a half thousand years ago. However, the memory of her has survived to this day. Moreover, some points still cause controversy between historians and archaeologists. And the interpretation of the battle causes heated debate in Greek and Macedonian society (the Slavic Republic of Macedonia). A powerful new state appeared on the world map, which was to change the course of history.
Also, it was under Heroney that the famous Alexander of Macedon first proved himself .
Causes
In the 350s BC, the Macedonian kingdom was gaining strength. Greek culture still dominates the region. At this time, Hellas herself was very fragmented. There are several completely independent city-states, the so-called policies. Moreover, each such state, even in itself, is a serious force on the peninsula. They had a very effective tax collection system, various social institutions, their own army. Each city could assemble both a regular army and a militia. Moreover, quite often there were conflicts between policies. As soon as there was some civil strife in one, others immediately took advantage of the neighbor’s weakness and strengthened their positions. The Greeks conducted active trade with both the east and the north. However, almost everyone except themselves was considered barbarians and ignorant fools. Hence the slow spread of culture.
The rise of Macedonia
Macedonia was a more centralized power. Power was held in the hands of the oligarchs, over whom stood the king. Bloody skirmishes regularly took place over the throne.
Almost every king of Macedonia was killed. The military played a serious role in the country. The culture can be described as Greek, but local ancient traditions have been preserved. These small differences were immediately noticed by the Greeks. They scorned the Macedonians, considering them to be relatives of the barbarians. At the same time, Macedonia itself was gradually becoming the dominant force in the region. Gradually, she conquered Pangea. There was a huge amount of gold mines in these lands. King Philip II conceived the expansion of power and prepared to conquer the Greek lands.
Moving south
The wars between Macedonia and Hellas were not new and were fought long before that. However, it was under Philippe that the threat of the conquest of Greece arose. Also, due to the small difference in cultures and almost completely identical religion, the threat of assimilation arose. This fact was perceived by some prominent politicians of Hellas as positive. For example, Isocrates believed that the strong centralized power of Macedonia could save a fragmented policy society. But for the most part, the rulers of states did not consider the alliance with Philip something promising, they were ready to give him a decisive rebuff.
In 338, the Macedonians set out on a campaign to conquer the policies of Hellas.
Forces: Macedonians
The Battle of Chaeronea left many questions, the answers to which various historians give differently. One of these is the estimation of the number of troops. In those days, various chroniclers tended to exaggerate the number of soldiers for more dramatic, epic, or for other reasons. The most accurate number of Macedonian troops is the figure of thirty thousand people. The campaign on Boeotia was planned for a long time. About him were close generals, as well as the king’s son, Alexander. From a young age, his father taught him the art of war and dedicated to all his affairs. The basis of the Macedonian army was a regular army recruited from their own and vassal lands. Each detachment was led by the standard bearers of Philip.
They were armed mainly with spears, one and a half swords and shields. Raw armor or chain mail was used as armor. A huge role in the battles of those times was played by cavalry. Riders were a military elite in any land. In addition to thirty thousand foot soldiers, the king took two thousand horsemen with him.
Side forces: Greeks
Regular Greco-Macedonian wars contributed to the development of a special strategy in case of an invasion of the Macedonians. Polis did not have large regular armies. During the offensive, a militia was convened. Each citizen was required to own martial art and, in which case, fight on the battlefield. The most common mix of Greeks was the hoplites. This is heavy infantry. They were armed with a three-meter spear, a heavy shield, and a small sword. Light armor, bracers, a deaf helmet were used as armor. Hoplites attacked by phalanx. There were about 250 people in each squad. They attacked in the ranks, delivering chopping blows and repelling enemies with a shield. In some cases, the hoplites had another throwing spear - a dart. He rushed right before the attack.
Military training took place over two years. The battle of Chaeronea significantly changed the tactics and armament of the hoplites in the future.
Battle preparation
The army of the Macedonians was led personally by King Philip. The battle of Heronaeus was to be the first real test of the new army. The army marched rather slowly to save strength. A day before the main battle, the advance detachments had already scouted the area. The Greeks managed to take a comfortable position. On the one hand, the flank of their troops was covered by a river, and on the other, by a hill. The Greeks brought with them about 30 thousand soldiers. Mostly they were hoplite citizens, as well as mercenaries.
The vast majority of soldiers were heavy infantry, extremely dangerous in close combat, but very slow during maneuvers. People were mainly from Athens and Thebes. Also to protect Hellas came the legendary "Sacred detachment from Thebes."
This is a combination of three hundred selected warriors, the retinue of the ruler and the best units in the polis.
Philip did not have as many heavy infantry as the Greeks. Therefore, he developed special tactics. The Athenians were famous for their fury in battle. Breaking their morale was extremely difficult. However, heavy armor quickly exhausted the soldiers. Therefore, the commander took with him a large number of peltastas. These are ancient Greek light warriors. They were armed with throwing spears and light leather shields. At the same time, they fought without armor. The Peltasts did not strive into the thick of the battle. They bombarded the enemy with darts from a long distance. In addition to them, the Macedonians also had slingers. These soldiers did not require almost any weapons, except for special bags. They laid stones with which the slingers threw the enemy with the help of a special rope - slings.
A. Macedon led the right flank of the troops - the cavalry.
Battle
The battle of Chaeronea began on August 2. Troops lined up within sight. Philip led the phalanx. The commander of the riders and maneuvering right flank A. Macedon, the son of Philip, who at that time was 18 years old. The Greeks rose on a dais, since it is easier to advance from it. The Macedonians lined up on the plain. The Greeks were commanded by Hores, Proxen, Stratocles, Theagen and other famous personalities.
The Greeks were the first to attack. As usual, they hoped for a numerical and qualitative superiority along the line of contact. A few minutes after the first signals of attack, the parties engaged in a fierce battle. The coalition army of the polis held a tight formation and crowded the enemy.
On the front of the battle stubborn fights began. Most often, they were won by those who could keep a single formation and push the enemy with a wall of shields, periodically striking. Due to the nature of the battle, all forces were constrained and lacked the ability to maneuver. To break the outcome of the battle was Alexander the Great. The battle of Chaeronea seemed won by the Greeks. They fought fervently and pressed Macedonians. And then Philip gave the order to retreat. The advance detachments began to retreat and tightly closed the ranks.
Rout
The Greeks, seeing this, became furious. There were screams: "Let us drive them to the heart of Macedonia!" Hoplites rushed after. However, the persecution violated the traditional system. The king knew about these consequences, since he used similar tactics in battles with the Thracians. As soon as the Greeks broke their formation, the peltasts and slingers began to throw spears of the attackers. At this time, Alexander and his cavalry managed to break through the enemy units and put the Athenians to flight. Failure of the flank meant an attack from the side and the environment, which the hoplites could not resist. They began to run, throwing their shields. And losing the shield was a huge shame for the warrior. So the expression "come back with a shield or on a shield" appeared.
Effects
According to the testimony of Diodorus, about a thousand Greeks fell in battle, twice as many were captured. The sacred detachment from Thebes was completely destroyed. He did not retreat, and the Macedonians threw darts at the Greeks. The city of Heronei was occupied by the tsarist troops on the same day. The path to mainland Greece was open. After the defeat of the alliance of cities under Heronea, Macedonia almost doubled on the map of Europe. Policy cities were conquered and pledged to pay tribute. Also, mainland Hellas swore allegiance to the Macedonian king (except for Sparta). In the year of the Battle of Chaeronea, the world first learned about Alexander the Great.