Page 80 - All About History - Issue 72-18

Greatest Battles

to roughly ten feet for the the Indian elephant. It 214 BCE
engagement at Raphia. The African forest elephant
was utterly unwilling to close with its Indian cousin.
It was a significantly smaller animal, standing
around sevent o eight feet in height as opposed

should be borne in mind also that the African forest Elephants, mercenaries and phalanxes
elephant is not the same creature as the better- of troops armed with sarissas take to
known African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana), the field in the Battle of Raphia
which is larger than the Indian but untameable.
The African forest elephant’s reluctance to fight
the Indian was understandable given the size Battlelines drawn
disparity. Elephants are intelligent creatures and, at 01 The two armies are encamped
root, unwarlike. They have to be extensively trained less than a kilometre apart. After five
to engage in combat. The forest elephants would days of waiting, Ptolemy leads his army
out of the Egyptian camp and Antiochus
readily have understood the edge held by the Indian
follows suit. In the centre of his battleline,
opponents. This meant that in any head-to-head Ptolemy places his infantry phalanx
confrontation, the African forest elephants would be and his elite infantry. The Ptolemaic 02
nearly useless to the Ptolemies. left wing is anchored by a mercenary
cavalry regiment under Polycrates. On
Antiochus reached Gaza while Ptolemy had
the extreme right wing, Ptolemy sets
marched out from Alexandria with his reborn army more cavalry under Echecrates. The
and made his camp at Raphia, the modern Rafah. spaces between these regiments are filled
with soldiers drawn from far and wide
Antiochus next moved his army closer to Raphia,
including Gauls, Thracians, Libyans, Greek
making another camp a little over a mile distant mercenaries as well as native Egyptians.
from that of the Egyptians. A few days afterward, He places his African forest elephants
ahead of his cavalrymen on each wing.
Antiochus again moved, bringing his army to a
Ptolemy himself takes a position on the
new encampment around a half-mile from that Egyptian left wing. 03
of Ptolemy. Five days of skirmishing between the
armies ensued. At last, both kings were willing to
risk a contest of strength and they formed their huge
armies up for battle. 04
The battle initially went in favour of Antiochus. 01
Ptolemy’s African forest elephants would not engage
in combat with the larger Indian elephants and this,
combined with a cavalry charge by the Seleucid
right wing, led to the disintegration of the Egyptian
left wing. Ironically, this collapse ultimately drew
Antiochus too far from the battlefield to have any
more impact on the fighting. While he was away, the
resourceful Echecrates of Thessaly led the Ptolemaic
right wing cavalry in a bold and successful charge
against the Seleucid left wing. Meanwhile, the raw 07
Egyptian phalangites had proved their mettle and
had defeated the Seleucid phalanx in front of them
in the centre of the battlefield. Upon Antiochus’
return, there was nothing he could do retrieve the
situation, and he retreated with his army to Gaza.
Antiochus III had lost a battle that he could and
should have won had he not allowed himself to get
carried away in the rush of success in the opening
phase of the fighting. His losses were very heavy. 02 Troops assemble Pachyderm Cavalry
Some 10,000 infantrymen were killed and 300 On his own right wing Antiochus 03 problems 04 driven back
places 2,000 horsemen under Antipater. Both kings deliver inspirational Antiochus circles around the
horsemen were slain. 4,000 others were made
Another regiment of 2,000 cavalry speeches to their troops, their retreating enemy and strikes
prisoners of the Egyptians. Ptolemy, as was typical troopers is beside them. Directly to their
phalanxes, upon whom they the Ptolemaic cavalry on
for a victor, had lighter losses – 1,500 infantrymen fore are 60 Indian elephants. On the pin much of their hopes for its left wing while his Greek
extreme left wing Antiochus puts another
perished along with 700 cavalrymen and sixteen victory, in particular. The battle mercenary peltasts mount
regiment of 2,000 cavalry with more commences, with the elephants an attack on Ptolemy’s own
elephants. With the notable exception of Seleucia elephants in front of them. The Seleucid of the Ptolemaic left wing and peltasts, who have become
Pieria, Antiochus had to relinquish all of the gains phalanx is in the centre of the line, Seleucid right wing being the first disordered by the retreating
opposite the Egyptian phalanx. The Syrian
he had made in the campaign before the battle. He regiments to engage in combat. elephants. These are driven
battleline is filled out with troops from
would have another chance against Egypt years later many nations, including Cardaces, Cissians, Many of Ptolemy’s African forest back. Antiochus drives off
the Egyptian cavalry and sets
elephants are unwilling to fight
during the Fifth Syrian War of 202-198 BCE. At the Medes, Carmanians, Arabs, as well as the larger Indian elephants of off in headlong pursuit of the
Battle of Panium in 200 BCE, Antiochus crushed the mercenaries from Greece and Crete. the Seleucids and flee. Ptolemy’s fleeing horsemen. He ends
Antiochus is with his right wing because
Egyptian army and gained control of Coele Syria and Royal Guard cavalry is compelled up far distant from the rest
he intends to fight Ptolemy head on. to retreat along with them. of the fighting.
large portions of Asia Minor.

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