Punic Sicilian Wars The Battle of Crimissus Last Stand of the Sacred Band 339 BC DOCUMENTARY

A small Greek force of 10,000 men crests a hill to overlook a plain shrouded in fog. As the mists part, it reveals a vast Carthaginian army led by none other than the Sacred Band. But rather than retreat, their commander orders a charge. This man was Timoleon, and he was about to make history at the Battle of Crimesis. Today's video was sponsored by Bespoke Post, a monthly membership club delivering a box of It's free to join, and you can skip a month or cancel any time. 90% of the products come from small brands, many of which are based right here in the U.S. For instance, the American BBQ Rub in the Carnivore Box is made by the Great American Spice Company in Rockford, Michigan. Every month, members get introduced to cool new products. Outdoor gear, barware, home and kitchen goods, clothing, and more based on a preference quiz they fill out. Every box of Awesome has around $70 worth of goods inside, but costs you only a fraction of the value. Preview your box before it's shipped. 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During his 38-year reign, Dionysius of Syracuse had dictated the geopolitical agenda of Sicily with his ambitious plans. His death, therefore, created a power vacuum, which the factions of the island were keen to exploit. For a time, his son Dionysius II was able to maintain some semblance of control thanks to the guiding influence of his uncle, Dion. But when the throne invited Plato to help reform the government, Dionysius ultimately joined his rivals and banished his uncle. What followed would be a struggle of political and armed conflict between the two men, which lasted nearly a decade. All of this bickering did little to improve the status of Syracuse, as many of its former subjects broke away and came under the control of their own regional tyrants. During this time, many Syracusans were fed up with the strife which was tearing apart their city. A great number of them, therefore, joined Hycerus, the Syracusan-born tyrant of Leontini, in his bid to oust Dionysius. Others, meanwhile, appealed to their mother city of Corinth for help. However, its leaders were wary of lending aid, considering the seemingly hopeless task of establishing a stable government in tyrannical, fractious, insecure, and turbulent Syracuse. And yet one nobleman, Timoleon, would accept this mission. Together with around 1,000 mercenaries aboard seven ships, he set sail for Sicily. In 344 BC, he evaded efforts to block his arrival and landed near Torumenium, where he was met by local supporters. This force now advanced upon nearby Adronaum. When Hycerus moved to intercept them with 5,000 men, the outnumbered Corinthian force, in turn, surprised and defeated them in an evening attack. This unexpected reversal caused other Greeks of Sicily to now join Timoleon and even prompted Corinth to send reinforcements. The Carthaginians, meanwhile, grew alarmed at this escalating situation. Historians report that as a result, they deployed a fleet and army to the island under the command of Mago, which boasted around 150 ships and 50,000 men. Supposedly, they had already been in secret negotiations with Hycerus to support him indirectly. Now, however, an increasingly desperate Hycerus called for direct intervention. Diodorus and Plutarch offer slightly differing accounts of what happened next. Apparently, the Carthaginians established a blockade around eastern Sicily to deny Corinthian reinforcements and to choke out the remaining forces of Dionysius still besieged within the island fortress of Syracuse. As a counter, Dionysius offered his citadel to the Corinthians on condition that he be granted a comfortable exile in Greece. When this was accepted, Timoleon slipped a garrison to take charge of the Ortigia whilst leading his main army to take the outskirts of the city. In response, the Carthaginians reportedly moved in their own troops to occupy key areas of Syracuse. If this story is to be believed, then its districts were now being divided up between three to four separate factions. It's hard to imagine a more chaotic situation. We're told that for a time, Hycerus and Mago led joint efforts against their rivals but failed to dislodge them. Fearing betrayal and perhaps believing the entire situation was fouvar, Mago apparently decided to withdraw his forces entirely. Such a move was not unreasonable. After all, his predecessor Himilco had become trapped in a similar situation whilst besieging Syracuse and only barely escaped with his life and a fraction of his army. Yet while this withdrawal saved Carthage, it effectively handed control of Syracuse to Timoleon who now swept in with his army. His first move was to actually restore the democratic government of Syracuse, symbolically destroying the tyrant's citadel and replacing it with a court of justice. Plutarch mentions that he next sought to bring fresh waves of immigrants from across the Greek world to replenish the population which had been ravaged by disease and war. Thus feeling rejuvenated and having settled affairs in the city, Timoleon then sought to depose the other local tyrants including Hycerus who had managed to slip away to his city of Leontini. He apparently grew so confident that his mercenaries were given free reign to begin raiding Punic-aligned territories. Yet these efforts would not last much longer than a year when news came of affairs in Africa. Plutarch reports that the Carthaginians had been so furious with Mago's withdrawal that they impaled his body and were preparing for a new invasion to put down the plucky Corinthian upstart. In 339 BC they descended upon Sicily. Here is how Plutarch paints the picture. Quote, the Carthaginians put in at Lillebam with an army of 70,000 men, 200 triremes, and a thousand transports carrying engines of war, four-horse chariots, grain in abundance, and other requisite equipment. Their purpose was not to carry on the war by piecemeal anymore, but at one time to drive the invading Greeks out of all Sicily. While numbers here are difficult to accept at face value, it was certainly a mighty force. Its grandeur is reinforced by the idea that among them marched the Carthaginian sacred band, an elite body of citizen-soldiers we've covered in another episode if you want to learn more. Timoleon, by contrast, led a comparatively tiny army of levies and mercenaries. Estimates of its size vary, but he probably had around 10,000 men. While exact troop counts claimed by ancient authors are dubious, the picture that they paint is clear. Timoleon was horribly outnumbered, and yet despite this he still rose to challenge them. For eight days his army marched across the island towards the concentrating Punic force. Along the way, we are told that his army was so terrified that many of them deserted, and yet Timoleon pressed on. It was early summer when Timoleon reached the Crimesis River. The plain ahead was covered in thick mists. As the Greeks crested a hill to observe the surroundings, their vision was veiled, but they could hear the noise of a vast host on the move. Suddenly, this fog parted, and the truth of what lay ahead was revealed. Here is how Plutarch puts it, The Crimeases came into view, and the enemy were seen crossing it. In their van, four horse chariots formidably arrayed for battle, and behind these, 10,000 men-at-arms with white shields. These the Syracusans, conjectured to be the Carthaginians, from the splendor of their armor and the slowness and good order of their march. After these, the other nations streamed on and were making the crossing in tumultuous confusion. Then Timoleon ordered Demeridas to take the horsemen and fall upon the Carthaginians and throw their ranks into confusion before their array was yet formed. Then he himself, descending into the plain, assigned the wings to the other Sicilian Greeks, uniting a few of his mercenaries with each wing, while he took the Syracusans and the best fighters among his mercenaries under his own command in the center. Then he waited a little while, watching what his horsemen would do, and when he saw that they were unable to come to close quarters with the Carthaginians on account of the chariots which coursed up and down in front of their lines, but were forced to wheel about continually that their ranks might not be broken, and to make their charges in quick succession after facing about again, he took up his shield and shouted to his infantrymen to follow and be of good courage, and his voice seemed stronger than usual and more than human, whether it was from emotion that he made it so loud in view of the struggle and the enthusiasm which it inspired, or whether, as most felt at the time, some deity joined in his utterance. And with that, the Greek vanguard locked shields and fell upon the Carthaginians with the sound of trumpets, while the cavalry struck them from the flanks. The attack took the Carthaginian army completely off guard. In addition to the shock of the surprise, their bodies were robbed of energy and mobility by the frigid waters. To make matters worse, a storm of freezing rain joined the assault against their front, blinding the army as it struggled to mount a defense. The result was a slaughter. Here is how Plutarch heralds their doom. Quote, Finally the storm still assailing them, and the Greeks having overthrown their first rank of four hundred men, the main body was put to flight. Many were overtaken in the plain and cut to pieces, and many the river dashed upon and carried away to destruction, as they encountered those who were still trying to cross, but most of them the light-armed Greeks ran upon and dispatched as they were making for the hills. Though the sacred band fought valiantly and is said to have stood to the last man, they could not salvage the situation, as the army around them disintegrated. All told, some 10,000 Carthaginians were killed and another 15,000 captured. It was a loss of monumental proportions. Under normal circumstances, Carthage could stomach this level of attrition when it came to allied soldiers, but here the loss of some 2,500 citizen lives was said to be so shocking to Carthage that they resolved to never use citizens again in battle. In the aftermath, the Greeks apparently took so many spoils that it took them several days to erect a victory trophy on the site. Their bloated army then returned to Syracuse to gather forces and make renewed war upon the tyrants of the east. Carthage meanwhile was still reeling from the disaster, but managed to dispatch an admiral by the name of Gisco to render them aid. His troops helped score a series of minor victories against Timoleon. However, the Corinthian would soon manage to defeat Hecetus in the Battle of the Demurius River and Mimercus in the Battle of the Abolis River. Unfortunately, neither of these are recorded in high detail. What little we do know mentions how the Carthaginians again suffered heavy casualties in the battles. These setbacks prompted them to cut their losses. In 339 BC, a peace treaty was signed that would conclude this 6th Punic-Sicilian War. The terms specified that Carthage was to remain west of the Halcyon River, to cut all alliances to the east, and to restore the family and property to anyone who wished to move to Syracuse. It seemed now that the ghost of Dionysius must have smiled upon this turn of fates. And yet, the tyrant would be next to suffer from Timoleon's success. To start, the Corinthian was hailed as a brave and brilliant military leader who had managed to win an incredible victory in the face of overwhelming odds, overshadowing the successes of Dionysius. What's more though, is that he did not use this power to rule as a despot. Instead, he remained true to his word, committing himself fully to the democratization of Syracuse by drafting a new constitution which would last for many generations. Under his supervision, the Greeks of Sicily now enjoyed a well-earned period of renewed peace and prosperity. Here is how Plutarch writes of these manners, quote, In this manner, then, did Timoleon extirpate the Tyrannies and put a stop to their wars. He found the whole island reduced to a savage state by its troubles and hated by its inhabitants. But he made it so civilized and so desirable in the eyes of all men that others came by sea to dwell in the places from which their own citizens used to run away before. To these settlers, Timoleon not only afforded safety and calm after so long a storm of war, but also supplied their further needs and zealously assisted them, so that he was revered by them as a founder. All the other inhabitants also cherished like feelings towards him, and no conclusion of war, no institution of laws, no settlement of victory, no arrangement of civil polity seemed satisfactory unless he gave the finishing touches to it, like a master builder adding to a work that is drawing to completion some grace which pleases gods and men. We are told that rather than return to Greece to pursue greater honors, Timoleon instead remained in Sicily. Here he was lavished with praise by the Syracusans, but remained of humble character, claiming that the gods and fortune were to thank for his successes. Even when he began to lose his vision, the people still turned to him for guidance. When important matters were being discussed, a blind Timoleon would be led into the assembly to render his counsel, and while he could no longer lead them in war, the Syracusans vowed to only employ Corinthian generals for such matters. When he finally passed, a grand funeral would be arranged. Several days were taken to prepare the event and to allow the vast numbers of mourners to attend. When the day came, thousands partook in the procession which bore his body to the pyre. When it was lit, Plutarch states quote, Demetrius, who had the loudest voice of any herald of the time, read from manuscript the following decree, By the people of Syracuse, Timoleon, son of Timodemus from Corinth, is here buried at a public cost of two hundred minas, and is honored for all time with annual contests, musical, equestrian, and gymnastic, because he overthrew the tyrants, subdued the barbarians, repopulated the largest of the devastated cities, and then restored their laws to the Greeks of Sicily. Furthermore, they buried his ashes in the marketplace, and afterwards, when they had surrounded it with porticos and built palaustras in it, they set it apart as a gymnasium for their young men, and named it the Timoleontum, and they themselves, using the civil polity and the laws which he had ordained, enjoyed a long course of unbroken prosperity and happiness. Such praise was likely genuine to some degree, and yet we must also understand that the favorable treatment of Timoleon by historians came in the context of other important global events. While this Corinthian general was championing the Greek cause in Sicily against the Carthaginians, back at home, his fellow countrymen were struggling. The very same year after Timoleon's victory at the river Chremesis, Philip II of Macedon would cement his own victory over the Greeks at the decisive battle of Chaeronea. Syracuse now stood as one of the last great symbols of Greek independence. Those of the mainland would be yoked to the aspirations of Philip and his son Alexander for a grand eastern campaign. Thus, for now, their attention would be distracted, and Sicily once again left isolated. With Timoleon's passing, this left them vulnerable. I hope you've appreciated this study of the often overlooked career of Timoleon. He stands as a remarkable individual who not only achieved great power, but also chose to wield it with great responsibility. Stay tuned for our final episode on the Punic-Sicilian Wars. For now, you can head on over to our Patreon to catch script previews, participate in polls, and download all our art. A huge thanks to the current patrons for funding the channel, and to the researchers, writers, and artists for making this episode possible. We couldn't have done it without them or this community. So be sure to like and subscribe for more content, and check out these other related episodes. See you in the next one!