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Cretan War

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For the 17th century Ottoman–Venetian conflict, see retan War !1"#$–1""%&'Cretan War

(hilip V of )acedon, *the darling of +reece*,

the main antagonist of the ar'

Date -.$ /–-.. /

Locationrete, 0hodes, +reece, sia

)inor  and egean 2ea

Result 0hodian victory

Territorial

changes 3astern rete to 0hodes

Belligerents

)acedon,

4ierapytna,

Olous,

etolia,

2partan pirates,

carnania

0hodes,

(ergamum,

/y5antium,

y5icus,

thens,

6nossos

Commanders and leaders

(hilip V,

icaearchus,

 8icanor the 3lephant

ttalus 9,

heophiliscus  †

leonaeus[show]

v ; d ; e

Cretan War

he Cretan War !-.$–-.. /& as fought <y 6ing (hilip V of )acedon, the etolian=eague, several retan cities !of hich Olous and 4ierapytna ere the most important&

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and 2partan pirates against the forces of 0hodes and later  ttalus 9 of (ergamum, 

/y5antium, y5icus, thens and 6nossos'

he )acedonians had >ust concluded the First )acedonian War  and (hilip, seeing hischance to defeat 0hodes, formed an alliance ith etolian and 2partan pirates ho <egan

raiding 0hodian ships' (hilip also formed an alliance ith several important retan cities,such as 4ierapynta and Olous'?1@ With the 0hodian fleet and economy suffering from the

depredations of the pirates, (hilip <elieved his chance to crush 0hodes as at hand' ohelp achieve his goal, he formed an alliance ith the 6ing of the 2eleucid 3mpire,

ntiochus the +reat, against (tolemy V of 3gypt !the 2eleucid 3mpire and 3gypt ere

the other to iadochi states&' (hilip <egan attacking the lands of (tolemy and 0hodesAsallies in hrace and around the 2ea of )armara'

9n -.- /, 0hodes and her allies (ergamum, y5icus, and /y5antium com<ined their

fleets and defeated (hilip at the /attle of hios' Just a fe months later, (hilipAs fleet

defeated the 0hodians at =ade' While (hilip as plundering (ergamese territory and

attacking cities in aria, ttalus 9 of (ergamum ent to thens to try to create adiversion' 4e succeeded in securing an alliance ith the thenians, ho immediately

declared ar on the )acedonians' he 6ing of )acedon could not remain inactiveB heassailed thens ith his navy and ith some infantry' he 0omans arned him,

hoever, to ithdra or face ar ith 0ome' fter suffering a defeat at the hands of the

0hodian and (ergamese fleets, (hilip ithdre, <ut not <efore attacking the city of<ydos on the 4ellespont' <ydos fell after a long siege and most of its inha<itants

committed suicide' (hilip re>ected the 0oman ultimatum to stop attacking +reek states

and the 0omans declared ar on )acedon' his left the retan cities ith no ma>or

allies, and the largest city of rete, 6nossos, >oined the 0hodians' Faced ith thiscom<ination, <oth 4ierapynta and Olous surrendered and ere forced to sign a treaty

favoura<le to 0hodes and 6nossos'

Contents

?hide@

• 1 (relude

• - (iracy and ar

• C sia )inor ampaign

• # 0oman 9ntervention

• $ ftermath

• " 8otes

• 7 0eferences

[edit] Prelude

9n -.$ /, the First )acedonian War  came to an end ith the signing of the reaty of(hoenice, under the terms of hich the )acedonians ere not alloed to eDpand

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estards' 0ome, meanhile, as preoccupied ith arthage, and (hilip hoped to take

advantage of this to sei5e control of the +reek orld' 4e kne that his am<itions ould

 <e aided <y an alliance ith rete'?1@ 4aving crushed (ergamum !the +reek state in sia)inor & and formed an alliance ith etolia, (hilip as no opposed <y no ma>or +reek

 poer other than 0hodes' 0hodes, an island state that dominated the southEeastern

)editerranean economically and militarily, as formally allied to (hilip, <ut as alsoallied to his enemy 0ome'?1@

[edit] Piracy and war

he reaty of (hoenice prohi<ited (hilip from eDpanding estard into 9llyria or the

driatic 2ea, so the king turned his attentions eastards to the egean 2ea, here hestarted to <uild a large fleet'?-@

(hilip sa to ays of shaking 0hodesA dominance of the sea: piracy and ar' eciding

to use <oth methods, he encouraged his allies to <egin pirate attacks against 0hodian

ships' (hilip convinced the retans, ho had <een involved in piracy for a long time, theetolians, and the 2partans to take part in the piracy' he lure for these nations as the

 promise of vast loot from captured 0hodian vessels'?1@ 4e sent the etolian free<ooter

icaearchus on a large ra55ia through the egean, during the course of hich he plundered the yclades and 0hodian territories'?-@

+reece and the egean circa -.. /'

/y the end of -.$ /, 0hodes had <een significantly eakened <y these raids, and (hilip

sa his chance to go forard ith the second part of his plan, direct militaryconfrontation' 4e convinced the cities of 4ierapytna and Olous and other cities in 3astern

rete to declare ar against 0hodes'?1@

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0hodesA initial response to the declaration of ar as diplomaticB they asked the 0oman

0epu<lic for help against (hilip' he 0omans, hoever, ere ary of another ar, the

2econd (unic War  having >ust ended' he 0oman 2enate attempted to persuade the populace to enter the ar, even after (ergamum, y5icus and /y5antium had >oined the

ar on the 0hodians side, <ut as una<le to say the cityAs arEeary population' ?C@

t this point (hilip further provoked 0hodes <y capturing and ra5ing ius and )yrleia,

+reek cities on the coast of the 2ea of )armara' (hilip then handed these cities over tohis <rotherEinEla, the 6ing of /ithynia, (rusias 9 ho re<uilt and renamed the cities

(rusa after himself and pameia after his ife, respectively' 9n return for these cities

(rusias promised that he ould continue on eDpanding his kingdom at the eDpense of(ergamum !his latest ar ith (ergamum had ended in -.$&' he sei5ure of these cities

also enraged the etolians, as <oth ere mem<ers of the etolian =eague' he alliance

 <eteen etolia and )acedon as held together only <y the etoliansA fear of (hilip, andthis incident orsened the already tenuous relationship'?#@ (hilip neDt attacked and

conuered the cities of =ysimachia and halcedon, hich ere also mem<ers of the

etolian =eague, forcing them to <reak off their alliance ith etolia'

?#@

On the ay home, (hilipAs fleet stopped at the island of hasos off the coast of hrace'(hilipAs general )etrodorus, ent to the islandAs eponymous capital to meet emissaries

from the city' he envoys said they ould surrender the city to the )acedonians on the

conditions that they not receive a garrison, that they not have to pay tri<ute or contri<utesoldiers to the )acedonian army and that they continue to use their on las'?$@ 

)etrodorus replied that the king accepted the terms, and the hasians opened their gates

to the )acedonians' Once ithin the alls, hoever, (hilip ordered his soldiers to

enslave all the citi5ens, ho ere then sold aay, and to loot the city'?$@

(hilip neDt concluded a treaty ith ntiochus 999 the +reat, emperor of the 2eleucid3mpire, hoping to divide up the land held <y (tolemaic 3gypt under the young pharaoh

(tolemy V' (hilip agreed to help ntiochus to sei5e 3gypt and yprus, hile ntiochus promised to help (hilip take control of yrene, the yclades and 9onia'?-@

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/ust of ntiochus 999 in the =ouvre'

With this treaty concluded, (hilipAs army attacked (tolemyAs territories in hrace' 8eDt,

the )acedonian fleet headed south and took the island of 2amos from (tolemy V, 

capturing the 3gyptian fleet stationed there'?-@ he fleet then turned north and laid siege tothe island of hios' (hilip as planning to use the northern egean islands as steppingE

stones as he orked his ay don to 0hodes' he siege as not going ell for (hilip, as

the com<ined fleets of (ergamum, 0hodes and their ne allies, y5icus and /y5antium,

had successfully <lockaded his fleet'?"@ (hilip, seeing no other option, decided to risk <attle against the allies'?"@

he )acedonian fleet of around -.. ships outnum<ered the allied fleet around to toone'?-@?"@ he <attle <egan ith ttalus, ho as commanding the allied left ing,

advancing against the )acedonian right ing, hile the allied right flank under thecommand of the 0hodian admiral, heophiliscus attack the )acedonianAs left ing' he

allies gained the upper hand on their left flank and captured (hilipAs flagshipB (hilipAs

admiral, emocrates, as slain in the fighting'?7@ )eanhile, on the allied right flank, the)acedonians ere pushing the 0hodians <ack' heophiliscus, fighting on his flagship,

received three fatal ounds <ut managed to rally his men and defeat the )acedonian

 <oarders'?G@

On the allied left flank, ttalus sa one of his ships <eing sunk <y the enemy and the one

neDt to it in danger'?%@ 4e decided to sail to the rescue ith to uadriremes and hisflagship' (hilip, hoever, hose ship had not <een involved in the fighting to this point,

sa that ttalus had strayed some distance from his fleet and sailed to attack him ithfour uinueremes and three hemioliae'?%@ ttalus, seeing (hilip approaching, fled in

terror and as forced to run his ships aground' Hpon landing he spread coins, purple

ro<es and other splendid articles on the deck of his ship and fled to the city of  3rythrae'When the )acedonians arrived at the shore, they stopped to collect the plunder'?%@ (hilip,

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thinking that ttalus had perished in the chase, started toing aay the (ergamese

flagship'?%@

he situation on the alliesA right flank, meanhile, had reversed and the )acedoniansere forced to disengage and retreat, leaving the 0hodians to to their damaged ships

into the har<or at hios' he allied left and centre had also gained the advantage earlierand forced the )acedonians to retreat <efore sailing <ack to hios unmolested' ?%@

he <attle as a costly one for (hilip, ho lost %- ships destroyed and 7 captured' ?1.@ Onthe allied side, the (ergamese had three ships destroyed and to captured, hile the

0hodians lost three ships sunk and none captured' uring the <attle the )acedonians lost

",... roers and C,... marines killed and had -,... men captured' he casualties for theallies ere significantly loer, ith the (ergamese losing 7. men the 0hodians ". killed,

the allies as a hole losing ".. captured' ?1.@ (eter +reen descri<es this defeat as *a

crippling and costly defeat*'?-@ his defeat effectively crippled the )acedonian fleet and

saved the egean islands from another large invasion'

fter this <attle, the 0hodian admirals decided to leave hios and sail <ack home' On the

ay <ack to 0hodes, the 0hodian admiral heophiliscus died of the ounds he received

at hios, <ut <efore he died he appointed leonaeus as his successor'?11@ s the 0hodian

fleet as sailing in the strait <eteen =ade and )iletus on the shore of sia )inor,(hilipAs fleet attacked them' (hilip defeated the 0hodian fleet and forced it to retreat <ack

to 0hodes' he )ilesians ere impressed <y the victory and sent (hilip and the

4eracleides garlands of victory hen they entered )ilesian territory'?1-@

[edit] Asia Minor Camaign

/efore the 6ing of (ergamum, ttalus, had set out campaigning against (hilipAs navy inthe egean 2ea, he had strengthened the city alls of his capital against assault' /y

taking this and other precautions, he hoped to prevent (hilip from a sei5ing a largeamount of <ooty from his territory' When (hilip, deciding to attack (ergamum, arrived at

the city ith his army, he sa that the city as undermanned and he sent his skirmishers

against it, <ut they ere easily repelled'?1C@ (hilip, seeing that the city alls ere toostrong, retreated after destroying a fe temples, including the temple of phrodite and

the sanctuary of thena  8icephorus'?1C@ fter the )acedonians captured hyatira, they

advanced to plunder the plain of he<e, <ut the <ooty proved less fruitful thananticipated'?1C@ Once he arrived at he<e, he demanded corn from the 2eleucid governor

of the region, IeuDis' IeuDis, hoever, never planned to give (hilip su<stantial supplies'

?1C@

(hilip, disappointed <y the spoils in )ysia, proceeded south and plundered the tons andcities of aria' 4e invested (rinassus, hich held out <ravely at first, <ut hen (hilip set

up his artillery, he sent an envoy into the city offering to let them leave the city unharmed

or they ould all <e killed' he citi5ens decided to a<andon the city'?1#@ t this stage inthe campaign, (hilipAs army as running out of food, so he sei5ed the city of )yus and

gave it to the )agnesians in return for food supplies' 2ince the )agnesians had no corn,

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(hilip settled for enough figs to feed his hole army' ?1$@ (hilip neDt sei5ed and garrisoned

the cities of 9asus, /argylia, 3uromus, (edasa in uick succession' 4e <esieged and

captured the city of (eraea hich as under 0hodian control'

While (hilipAs fleet as intering in /argylia, the com<ined (ergamese and 0hodian

fleet <lockaded the har<our' he situation in the )acedonian camp <ecame so grave thatthe )acedonians ere close to surrendering'?-@ (hilip, hoever, managed to get out <y

trickery' 4e sent an 3gyptian deserter to ttalus and the 0hodians to say that he as preparing to attack the allies the neDt day' Hpon hearing the nes, ttalus and the

0hodians started preparing the fleet for the oncoming attack'?-@ While the allies ere

making their preparations, (hilip slipped past them <y night ith his fleet, leavingnumerous campfires <urning to give the appearance that he remained in his camp'?-@

While (hilip as involved in this campaign, his allies the carnanians <ecame involved

in a ar against thens after the thenians murdered to carnanian athletes'?1"@ he

carnanians complained to (hilip a<out this provocation, and he decided to send a force

under the command of 8icanor the 3lephant to assist them on their attack on ttica'

?-@

 he )acedonians and their allies plundered and looted ttica <efore attacking thens'?1"@ 

he invaders made it as far as the cademy of thens hen the 0oman am<assadors inthe city ordered the )acedonians to retreat or to face ar ith 0ome'?-@

(hilipAs fleet had >ust escaped from the allied <lockade and (hilip ordered that a suadron

head to thens' he )acedonian suadron sailed into (iraeus and captured four thenian

ships' s the )acedonian suadron as retreating, the 0hodian and (ergamese fleet,hich had folloed (hilipAs ships across the egean, appeared from the allied <ase at

egina and attacked the )acedonians' he allies defeated the )acedonian fleet and

recaptured the thenian ships, hich they returned to the thenians' he thenians ere

so pleased <y the rescue that they replaced the recently a<olished proE)acedonian tri<es,the emetrias and ntigonis tri<es, ith the ttalid tri<e in honour of ttalus'?-@ ttalus

and the 0hodians convinced the thenian assem<ly to declare ar on the )acedonians'?17@

he (ergamese fleet sailed <ack to their <ase at egina and the 0hodians set out to

conuer all the )acedonian islands from egina to 0hodes,?1G@ successfully assaulting all

eDcept ndros, (aros and ythnos'?1G@ (hilip ordered his  prefect on the island of 3u<oea, (hiloces, to assault thens once again ith -,... infantry and -.. cavalry'?1%@ (hilocles

as una<le to capture thens, <ut ravaged the surrounding countryside'?1%@

[edit] Roman !nter"ention

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)ap of hersonese'

)eanhile, 0hodian, (ergamese and thenian delegations travelled to 0ome to appear

 <efore the 2enate' When they ere given audience they informed the 2enate a<out thetreaty <eteen (hilip and ntiochus and complained of (hilipAs attacks on their

territories' 9n response to these complaints the 0omans sent three am<assadors, )arcusemilius =epidus, +aius laudius 8ero and (u<lius 2empronius uditanus to 3gypt ith

the orders to go to 0hodes after speaking ith (tolemy'?1"@

While this as happening, (hilip attacked and occupied the cities of )aronea, ypsela,

oriscos, 2errheum and emus, hich <elonged to (tolemy'?1%@ he )acedonians thenadvanced on the hracian hersonese here they captured the cities of (erinthus, 2estos,

3laeus, lopeconnesus, allipolis and )adytus'?1%@ (hilip then descended to the city of

<ydos, hich as held <y a com<ined (ergamese and 0hodian garrison' (hilip started

the siege <y <lockading the city <y land and sea to stop attempts to reinforce or supplythe city' he <ydenians, full of confidence, dislodged some of the siege engines ith

their on catapults hile some of (hilipAs other engines ere <urnt <y the defenders'?-.@ With their siege eaponry in tatters, the )acedonians started undermining the cityAs

alls, eventually succeeding in collapsing the outer all'?-.@

he situation as no grave for the defenders and they decided to send to of their most

 prominent citi5ens to (hilip as negotiators' ppearing <efore (hilip, these men offered tosurrender the city to him on the conditions that the 0hodian and the (ergamese garrisons

ere alloed to leave the city under a truce and that all the citi5ens ere permitted to

leave the city ith the clothes they ere earing and go herever they pleased'?-.@ (hilip

replied that they should *surrender at discretion or fight like men'*?-.@

 he am<assadors, poerless to do more, carried this response <ack to the city'

9nformed of this response, the cityAs leaders called an assem<ly to determine their course

of action' hey decided to li<erate all slaves to secure their loyalty, to place all thechildren and their nurses in the gymnasium and to put all the omen in the temple of

rtemis' hey also asked for everyone to <ring forard their gold and silver and any

clothes that ere valua<le so they could put them in the <oats of the 0hodians and the

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y5icenes'?-1@ Fifty elder and trusted men ere elected to carry out these tasks' ll the

citi5ens then sore an oath' s (oly<ius rites:

#... whenever they saw the inner wall being captured by the enemy, they would

kill the children and women, and would burn the above mentioned ships, and,

in accordance with the curses that had been invoked, would throw the silverand gold into the sea.?-1@ $

fter reciting the oath, they <rought forard the priests and everyone sore that they

ould defeat the enemy or die trying'

When the interior all fell, the men, true to their promise, sprang from the ruins andfought ith great courage, forcing (hilip to send his troops forard in relays to the front

line' /y nightfall the )acedonians retreated to camp' hat night the <ydenians resolved

to save the omen and children and at day<reak they sent some priests and priestess ith

a garland across the )acedonians, surrendering the city to (hilip'?-1@

)eanhile, ttalus sailed across the egean to the island of  enedos' he youngest of

the 0oman am<assadors, )arcus emilius =epidus, had heard a<out the siege at <ydos

hile he as in 0hodes and he arrived at <ydos to find (hilip' )eeting the king outside

the city, =epidus informed him of the 2enateAs ishes'?--@ (oly<ius rites:

#The Senate had resolved to order him not to wage war with any Greek state;nor to interfere in the dominions of Ptolemy; and to submit the injuries

inflicted on ttalus and the !hodians to arbitration; and that if he did so he

might have peace, but if he refused to obey he would promptly have war with

 !ome." #pon Philip endeavoring to show that the !hodians had been the first to lay hands on him, $arcus interrupted him by saying% "&ut what about

the thenians' nd what about the (ianians' nd what about the

 bydenians at this moment' )id any one of them also lay hands on you first'" The king, at a loss for a reply, said% "* pardon the offensive

haughtiness of your manners for three reasons% first, because you are a

 young man and ine+perienced in affairs; secondly, because you are thehandsomest man of your time" this was true-; "and thirdly, because you are

a !oman. &ut for my part, my first demand to the !omans is that they should

not break their treaties or go to war with me; but if they do, * shall defendmyself as courageously as * can, appealing to the gods to defend my cause.?--@ $

While (hilip as alking through <ydos, he sa people killing themselves and theirfamilies <y sta<<ing, <urning, hanging, and >umping don ells and from rooftops'

(hilip as surprised to see this, and pu<lished a proclamation announcing that *he gave

three daysA grace to those ho ished to hang or sta< themselves'* ?--@ he <ydenians,ho ere <ent on folloing the orders of the original decree, thought that it ould

amount to treason to the people ho had already died, and refused to live under these

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terms' part from those in chains or similar restraints, each family individually hurried to

their deaths'?--@

(hilip then ordered another attack on thensB his army failed to take either thens or3leusis, <ut su<>ected ttica to the orst ravaging the tticans had seen since the (ersian

Wars'?-@

 9n response, the 0omans declared ar on (hilip and invaded his territories in9llyria' (hilip as forced to a<andon his 0hodian and (ergamese campaign in order to

deal ith the 0omans and the situation in +reece' hus <egan the 2econd )acedonianWar '

fter (hilipAs ithdraal from his campaign against 0hodes, the 0hodians ere free to

attack Olous and 4ierapytna and their other retan allies' 0hodesA search for allies inrete <ore fruit hen the retan city of  6nossos sa that the ar as going in 0hodesA

favour and decided to >oin 0hodes in an attempt to gain supremacy over the island'?1@ 

)any other cities in central rete su<seuently >oined 0hodes and 6nossos against

4ierapytna and Olous' 8o under attack on to fronts, 4ierapytna surrendered' ?1@

[edit] A%termath

map of the egean shortly after the ar'

Hnder the treaty signed at the conclusion of the ar, 4ierapytna agreed to <reak off allrelations and alliances ith foreign poers and to place all its har<ors and <ases at

0hodesA disposal' Olous, among the ruins of hich the terms of the treaty have <een

found, had to accept 0hodian domination'?1@ s a result, 0hodes as left ith control of a

significant part of eastern rete after the ar' he conclusion of the ar left the 0hodiansfree to help their allies in the 2econd )acedonian War'

he ar had no particular shortEterm effect on the rest of rete' (irates and mercenaries 

there continued in their old occupations after the arAs end' 9n the /attle ofynoscephalae during the 2econd )acedonian War  three years later, retan mercenary

archers fought for <oth the 0omans and the )acedonians'?-C@?-#@

he ar as costly for (hilip and the )acedonians, losing them a fleet that had taken

three years to <uild as ell as the triggering the defection of their +reek allies, the

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chean =eague and the etolian =eague to the 0omans' 9n the arAs immediate

aftermath the ardani, a <ar<arian tri<e, sarmed across the northern <order of )acedon,

 <ut (hilip as a<le to repel this attack'?C@ 9n 1%7, hoever, (hilip as defeated in the/attle of ynoscephalae <y the 0omans and as forced to surrender'?-$@ his defeat cost

(hilip most of his territory outside )acedon and he had to pay ar 1,... talent of silver

to the 0omans'?-"@

he 0hodians regained control over the yclades and reconfirmed their naval supremacyover the egean' he 0hodiansA possession of 3astern rete alloed them to largely

stamp out piracy in that area, <ut pirate attacks on 0hodian shipping continued and

eventually led to the 2econd retan War '?1@ ttalus died in 1%7 and as succeeded <y hisson, 3umenes 99, ho continued his fatherAs antiE)acedonian policy' he (ergamese,

meanhile, came out of the ar having gained several egean islands hich had <een in

(hilipAs possession and ent on to <ecome the supreme poer in sia )inor, rivaledonly <y ntiochus'