Illyrian invasion of Epirus
The Illyrian invasion of Molossians in Epirus occurred in 385 BC. Illyrians, led most likely by king Bardylis, were supported by Dionysius I of Syracuse who was aming to expand his influence in the eastern Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea, and by Alcetas I of Epirus who was expelled from his land by the Molossian pro-Spartan party and exiled in Syracuse.[3]
| Invasion of Molossia | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Illyrians | Molossians | ||||||
|
Supported by: Syracusans |
Supported by: Thessalians Macedonians Spartans | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Illyrian king (most likely Bardylis) Dionysius I Alcetas I |
Pro-Spartan Molossian dynast Agesilaus II | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
unknown number of Illyrians 2,000 Syracuse soldiers | unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| unknown | 15,000 Molossians | ||||||
History
In 385 BC, Alcetas of Epirus was a refugee in Syracuse for unknown reasons. Leader of Syracuse, Dionysius, wanted a friendly monarch in Epirus, so he sent 2,000 Greek hoplites and 500 suits of Greek armor to help the Illyrians, who at that time were led by king Bardyllis, to Molossians in Epirus. Attackers killed about 15,000 Molossian warriors. Alcetas was restored to the throne, but Illyrians didn't stop there. They continued pillaging throughout Epirus and Greece. Dionysius joined them in an attempt to plunder the temple of Delphi. Then, Sparta, supported by Thessaly and Macedonians, intervened under Agesilaus, and expelled the Illyrians and Syracuse warriors.[4]
See also
References
- Malkin 1998, p. 247; Howe 2017, p. 103
- Malkin 1998, p. 247
- Malkin 1998, p. 247; Castiglioni 2007, p. 174; Lane Fox 2011, p. 225; King 2017, p. 57 Howe 2017, p. 103.
- Diodorus, Siculus. "Fifteenth book".
Bibliography
- Castiglioni, Maria Paola (2007). "Genealogical Myth and Political Propaganda in Antiquity: the Re-Use of Greek Myths from Dionysius to Augustus". In Carvalho, Joaquim (ed.). Religion and Power in Europe: Conflict and Convergence. Edizioni Plus. ISBN 978-88-8492-464-3.
- Howe, T. (2017). "Plain tales from the hills: Illyrian influences on Argead military development". In Müller, S.; Howe, Tim; Bowden, H.; Rollinger, R. (eds.). The History of the Argeads: New Perspectives. Wiesbaden. ISBN 978-3447108515.
- King, Carol J. (2017). Ancient Macedonia. Routledge. ISBN 9780415827287.
- Lane Fox, R. (2011). "399–369 BC". In Lane Fox, R. (ed.). Brill's Companion to Ancient Macedon: Studies in the Archaeology and History of Macedon, 650 BC – 300 AD. Leiden: Brill. pp. 209–234. ISBN 978-90-04-20650-2.
- Malkin, Irad (1998). The Returns of Odysseus: Colonization and Ethnicity. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 9780520920262.
