Battle of Raphia, 217 BC - Biggest battle in Hellenistic history
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- Опубликовано: 26 апр 2024
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📢 Narrated by David McCallion
🎼 Music:
Instinct - Bensound
Impact Allegretto - Kevin MacLeod
Crypto - Kevin MacLeod
Epidemic Sound
Filmstro
📚 Sources:
The Seleukid Empire of Antiochus III, 223-187 BC - John D. Grainger (2015)
The Rise of the Seleukid Empire, 323-223 BC: Seleukos I to Seleukos III -John D. Grainger (2014)
Polybius, Histories book 5
Antiochus the Great - Michael Taylor (2013)
#history #ancient #alexanderthegreat
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🚩 We're heading back to ancient times with the Battle of Raphia, 217 BC. Syria and Palestine were prime real-estate that ancient powers fought over. In the aftermath of Alexander the Great's death, his empire was carved up by his generals and family. By the late 3rd century BC, Seleucid Empire and Ptolemaic Egypt fought for domination over this region, then known as Coele Syria.
Love your content! You're the Best❤❤
I might just
This one is in the original Rome Total War historical battles mode.
Reduce video length please. (15 minutes or less) ...
@@Cba409 That is a great game !
While everybody was busy playing Total War, Theodotus was playing Assassin's Creed
The absolute madman.
I am so happy that now the Diadochi Wars get some atention, they get usually overshadowed by the Punic Wars
Well it's understandable why they are overshadowed by them, the Punic Wars are somewhat the World Wars of antiquity. But i fully agree that the other important conflicts should get more attention, especially since the Diadochi wars also indirectly affected both Carthage and Rome. Neither of them could have become powerful empires if Alexander's empire remained unified.
@@LegioXXIyou're literally proving Marius' point. The Punic wars weren't bigger or greater than the Diadochi wars. It gets more importance due to Rome's later history, especially with Rome eventually conquering the Diadochi kingdoms. It could very well have otherwise, say the Seleucids had managed to conquer Egypt and take Greece/Macedon, they could've been able to crush Rome.
@@daarom3472They weren't bigger if we talk about territories. But they were far greater, both in scale and commitment from the sides that participated in them.
The Diadochi Wars were just a group of ambitious rulers playing Game of Thrones. The Punic Wars were two superpowers in a state of total war giving their everything to destroy each other, and only surrendering when they had no more resources to spend.
The battle depicted in this video was the greatest battle in Hellenistic history, and ended with a mere 12.000 dead.
We could find 7 or 8 battles in the Punic Wars with a far greater toll. And that without counting the storms.
@@rotciv1492 yeah, i'd say the storms are the definitive winners of the punic wars
This isn’t diadochu war it’s 4th Syrian war
The problem with most of the Hellenic monarchs was that they were more concerned with conquering each other than with administering and consolidating themselves. This reminds me of an old and true Chinese proverb: "Conquering the world on horseback is easy; it is dismounting and governing that is hard."
The Mongol Empire also proves this Chinese proverb very well.
@@LegioXXIincluded the Romans by 30 B.C. under Augustus after he had defeated Marc Antony and Cleopatra. Ironically, Ptolemy IV was Egypt's version of Emperor Commodus, and internal civil wars plagued the Egyptian heartland until Julius Caesar rose.
15 monarchs of Egypt would struggle to control the Egyptian empire amid Rome's gradual push east to dominate the critical trading hub of the Mediterranean.
sounds like chinese copium after getting smoked by steppe nomads for thousands of years
If it were easy someone would have done it by now. Another dumb proverb from the capital of dumb proverbs.
Your typical hellenic problem..
Constant civil war...
Because you know... for Greeks?
Peace is a lie, there is only war!
Funny thing is Antiochus would go on to lose at Magnesia in the exact same way
That was my exact tought as well
None so blind as those who refuse to see (not even Antigonus, heh).
Hey, ... Spoiler!
O.O That's what I thought!!
Antiochus also abjectly failed to use Hannibal to his advantage. Had Hannibal been in command at Magnesia, it would have been a different outcome entirely.
3:10 Fun fact: the three Hellenistic powers that ruled the Eastern Mediterranean were of Upper-Macedonian origin. The Antigonids were from Elimiotis, the Seleucids from Orestis, and the Lagids or Ptolemies from Eordaea. Rather interesting considering they didn't come from the nobility of the Argead Dynasty in Lower Macedonia but from the Highland shepherd peasantry which was the bulk of Macedonian infantry of Philip II and Alexander the Great.
This is also why the heavily decorated Macedonian shields with geometric designs of concentric designs were more popular in the sarissaphoroi infantrymen of the Hellenistic kingdoms as this was a similar shield used by the Illyrians which were the closest neighbours to the Upper-Macedonians
Interesting observation, and one that might help to explain why the Diadochoi armies gradually got more and more infantry-dependent as time went on. If they had few connections among the nobility that formed the elite cavalry regiments (companions, Scouts, etc.), it would have been harder to keep them loyal.
fun fact: physical labour workers are much physically stronger and mentally hardier than the ruling elite. nobility is a different class with different skills.
Antiochus' hubris and overconfidence cost him the victory he could've had at raphia, but he'd be far from over, and some time later would face the ptolemies once again, this time achieving his well earned revenge.
The same overconfidence cost him the battles of Thermopylæ and foremost Magnesia which marked the defeat of the last viable Hellenistic power against the Romans
The victory at Raphia was one of the rarest successes of the Ptolemy Dynasty outside facing foreign invasion.
However, their own genetic inbreeding with physical ailments alongside non-stop internal civil wars were some factors that allow Antiochus to finally get his revenge.
Not to mention Ptolemy IV got too comfortable to luxurious amenities and too lazy with serious matters that resembled how Commodus for Rome behaved during his reign. After his death, the empire experienced decades of Rome's own take of the Third Century Crisis between a lot of claimants of the Egyptian throne.
Thus, he indirectly caused the great decline of one humanity's cultural icons and the earliest empires before the rise of the Romans.
@@SolidAvenger1290 indeed, their rule was also controversial, as they used native egyptian troops in this battle and right after it, those troops rebelled and crowned a new pharaoh in the upper nile region, the ptolemies were outright the worst but also the luckiest of the hellenistic kingdoms
I guess it is more important to win the last battle than the first.
He was only 18 lol.
My Saturday is not complete without a weekly History Marche video.
as it should be
Had a great time working on this battle, and as always, it was a pleasure working with HistoryMarche!
Interestingly, Pharoh Ptolemy IV Philpator's later reign started the significant decline of the Ptomtomeic dynasty until the Romans conquered Egypt under Cleopatra VII Thea Philpator. Something eerily similar to Emperor Commodus and slightly Caligula's reigns, highlighting the worst personal traits of a ruler over a vast & powerful empire.
0:51 😂
_“Our phalanx stronk!”_
_“Our phalanx stronker!!”_
This wouldn't be the last time Antiochus lost in this fashion, learning nothing Roman would exploit his mistake again in Magnesia.
I first heard about this battle be re-enacted on a old Television show called Time commanders all the way back in 2003. That show used an early version of a strategy game which became Rome total war. It was the tv program and the game which influenced my passion for history. Seeing this event being back memories of first learning about the event. Thank you HistoryMarche for covering it.
I remember that BBC wargaming programme too ! 👌👍
It was interesting, I remember when a local Authority team were playing, the battle of Adrianople, Romans against the Goths. The Romans of course didn't foresee the return of Gothic cavalry as they attacked the wagon circle. The most amazing thing was that the leader of the Local Authority playing the Romans tried to surrender. The look on the face of the commentators was comical. Surrender was not really an option.
Comparing the magnitude and man power of the ancient battles with the medieval ones, become visible how much human kind was vunerable (and perhaps still is) to plague, hunger and self-destruction.
I still think Christianity and the Abrahamic faiths had a part as well. Making sex and medicine akin to witchery and sin. Banning so much discussion, creating their own taxation and causing so much unrest. It made very hard for most kingdoms to conquer and hold territory.
Before, a conquered people would add a statue or two to their temples and prayers. Now, even amongst the same faith like Christianity, a conquered land could see its temples defaced, its clergy persecuted and so on. It helped to splinter the roman empire and its sucessors.
Ptolemy, upon seeing his left wing routed, disguised himself and escaped towards the center of the field. Antiochus believing Ptolemy fled with his routed troops pursued eagerly to catch him. This little ruse saved the day for the egyptians. Egyptians were known throughout antiquity to be a sophisticated, highly deceptive and ingenious people (Caesar in his book 'Comentarii de Bello Civili' - 'The Civil War'). Excellent video presentation as usual many thanks.
Just a question you might be able to answer, I thought Indian elephants were smaller than African ones?
@@catinthehat906It is widely known Indian elephants are much larger. They live in areas with much more food and water. It’s why Bengal tigers are the biggest as well.
@@catinthehat906 The larger African elephants were from Central Africa and have never been successfully domesticated. The African elephants the Egyptians used were a smaller, now extinct, species.
@@JDC-hk5kf I guess they could have been African rainforest elephants- they are an African elephant that still exist today in the Congo and West Africa and are smallest of the three species that exist today?
@@catinthehat906 Unlikely. They would have to be imported by sea around the eastern Atlantic all the way to the Nile or be transported across the Sahara. The now-extinct North African elephant was simply much more accessible.
I hosted a wargame on this exact campaign, and it was absolutely awesome. Raphia is underrated and it was a pivotal turning point in History.
When it comes to these historical battles I'm always hooked right from the beginning. Thanks for putting this together and sharing it.
I've been asking for this battle for years now!! Thank you!!!
Thanks for another great video - keep moving foreward
Excellent coverage as usual. Keep up with the good work.
You always make My day with yout videos historymarche! Your narration and imagery are second to none! Always love to learn from you❤❤❤❤
With each video you keep getting better and better! You're the Best 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Thank you History Marche for helping us know about the greatest battles in history. Keep up the good work.
Finally, the good quality video about battle of Raphia. I was waiting for that.
A Great video as always ! Thanks HistoryMarche!
Brilliant video thanks Historymarche. I love history
Excellent!! As expected from this fine channel.
Nicely done, as always!
Thanks for more on the old world
Great videos, I probably don't comment enough. I love your graphics, they really help to explain things. What keeps boggling my mind is the number of men available, the number of them who seem to have had some form of training and the logistics.
Great video thanks for the upload
217 B.C. - during the second Punic war, one year before the battle of Cannae. A really bloody time of the old world.... 🤔
Also just a few years after the end of the first great Chinese civil war (which saw Qin briefly established as ruling dynasty) and immediately prior to the second (the collapse of Qin and the rise of Han). Antiochus, Ptolemy and Qin all took power within a few months of each other.
Amazing video as always HM!
Good post, thank you.
Great Work, from my heart thanks.
Another amazing video! Looking forward to watching Antiochas III the Great come of age.
Excellent work here ⭐
Thanks for uploading this video, i think hellenistic era should get more attention.
Antiochus, MVP of the battle for the Ptolemeics. Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. *slow clap*
I love your videos on the lesser known great commanders of the Middle Ages. It’s a misunderstood period and you’ve done great highlighting a pretty diverse array of generals and campaigns so far.
Awesome series please keep going
I got so excited when I saw that you guys posted. I thought it was another Hannibal episode.
For the algorithm 🍻🍻🍻
Great as usual 👌
I love these videos on this part of history.
didnt expect you to cover the diadochi war
nice surprise👍
HistoryMarche uploaded. Heck yeah
Nicely done video
Great video, as usual. Would it be possible to do a mini-series of all the Hellenic generals after the wars of the Diadochi, in which they battle their own geographical enemies for consolodation of power? I know the stories have been covered in a general sense, but each factions stabilisation efforts would be another worthy addition to the library
great documentary, very well made
Thank you.
The Hellenic period is such a fascinating, and under-explored period.
It was a great video thanks
This video is very enjoyable and informative.
Suggestion for reconquista videos: Jaime the conqueror of Aragon and Ferdinand the saint of castile! Love your content 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Never heard of this before, I learned something new.
Def gonna use this in my next total war rome campaign
Another wonderful historical coverage episode about (217 BC )battle of (Rafia) between the Egyptian Tolimic Empire and the Seleucid empire both sides were from the Hellenic world. Thank you 🙏 (history Marche)channel for sharing.
Just great!
Would love to see you cover the battle of flodden!
HistoryMarche! can you please continue the Hannibal series??? PLZ!!!
War never changes, even at the same location from past to present...
"Settle the Syrian question once and for all". Hey that's what we're trying to do today too!
( I watch all I can find. Great channel
Great episode.
More great battles of history!
Maybe in china and India where the numbers are immense
When my mouse hovered over the video thumbnail, the preview clip was the ad for World of Warships and it was really funny seeing "Battle of Raphia, 217BC" under clips of obviously modern battleships firing at each other.
Awesome! The diadochi wars are underrated
PART TWO BATTLE OF RAPHIA STARTS TODAY BABY!!!!!!!!
Swag 😎! Keep up the great content!
Absolutely loved this episode! The topic was fascinating, and I thoroughly enjoyed the style of the map and the narration. Keep up the great work, HistoryMarche!😃
For the biggest battle in hellenistic history, ipsus in 301 BC was slightly bigger than raphia with 160k men for the former and 140k men for the latter.
It's ironic that despite this battle outcome, Ptolemaios 3 was described as the one who started the decline of the ptolemaic egypt while anthiokos will be viewed as one of the greatest in the late hellenistic period but will ultimately fall in the macedonian wars which shifted the power from the greek/macedonian world to the roman world.
20:19 ahhh the music
I’m thinking the same thing, anyone know where to find it?
@@CaedmonCasswell I don't know either
@@CaedmonCasswell I first Heard It In Hannibal Battle of Cannaes End And then In the middle Of battle of Catalonian plains And then here
@@CaedmonCasswell here is the music: Deskant - Mask of Bayon
@@mikaalaatisamtarar8752 here is the music: Deskant - Mask of Bayon
One year later, after this battle, my man Hannibal taught the entire world how to use cavalry on the flanks to one's advantage and win battles with a heavily outnumbered army against a superior opponent.
Hannibal and diadochais
I like the somber touch with the music near the end. fitting for Antiochus who was in my opinion, just the type of cavalry commander the Greeks needed at just the right time in the right position to repulse the Romans. Yet his flaws and insecurities were what held him back from being another alexander...
name of the music: Deskant - Mask of Bayon
Continue the Hannibal series
Please continue the videos on the selukids or infact any diadochi state theese videos are so great but few so please make more of them
Amazing! As excpected from this awesome channel! Hearth please ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
More Diadochi wars !! These are literally like the world wars of the ancient world.
HistoryMarche ❤
Intressant som vanligt.
I remember reading polybius’s account of this battle seeing it on an actual map makes me so happy
Fighting still going on there right now.
“Stronk.”
The new word I learned from this video.
And that is why as a commander of an army, you stay on the field of battle instead of chasing after a defeated foe. To ensure that your army wins the day and to exploit early success.
A lesson that the defeated commander learns bloodily to his cost during this defeat.
This battle had everything. In addition to being massive, it had Elephants, horses, Hoplites, Archers, slingers, javelineers, Pike-men, Gauls, Egyptians, Thracians, Libyans.
There weren't chariots
Also Arabs and (almost certainly, although they aren't separately parsed out as a contingent) Jews.
Greeks too
Armaggedon
Antiochus III the "Great" (he may be remembered this way in a sarcastic way) is perhaps one of the worst generals of antiquity, not only for losing this battle, but for doing so later against the Romans, committing the same mistake, even having the Anibal Barca himself as his military advisor. His foreign and economic policy was dismal, leading his great kingdom to total decline; He may be one of the worst Hellenistic kings that has ever existed, and there have been several since the death of Alexander the Great's last generals in the early years of the Diadochian Wars.
Will there be a video about the Battle of Zama?
I love the great battles of old
The diadochi wars are very interesting
Interesting time to make a video on a battle in Rafah.
And here we are, over 2,200 years later, and nothing has changed in that region. Blood still flows, and the dead still accumulate on that very ground where the armies clashed. The Levant, it seems, as well as humanity in general, will never change. Mayhem and slaughter are our heritage, and our destiny.
YES
Love your work history marche also unlike kings and generals you pronounce diadochi right (fun fact) diadochi means successors in Greek
A Television show called Time commanders all the way back in 2003 did ancient battles. That show used an early version of a strategy game which became Rome total war using an amateur team playing a side it was interesting, I remember when a local Authority team were playing, the battle of Adrianople, Romans against the Goths. The Romans of course didn't foresee the return of Gothic cavalry as they attacked the wagon circle. The most amazing thing was that the leader of the Local Authority playing the Romans tried to surrender. The look on the face of the commentators was comical. Surrender was not really an option.
Great video as always! One small detail that is probably wrong in this video is the size of the elephants. I just randomly came across a video of wildlife biologist Forrest Galante breaking down some scenes from films (recommended) and he mentioned the difference between African and Indian elephants: African elephants are much bigger and heavier (plus other characteristics unrelated to the battle situation) but the Indian ones are much more trainable which I suppose was also the case 2 200 years ago. The smell, sight and sound (even predators like bears can be "scared away" by loud sounds) might have also been a factor, my personal guess of why African elephants run amok is that simply they didn't want to bash with other elephants possibly dying. They're not stupid and they're not naturally aggressive, only defensive, so they simply didn't want to engage in the fight as they see no reason to die for some weird tall apes sitting on their back (which I can imagine they didn't enjoy in the first place) leading them towards this noisy, metal clinging, feet stomping clouds of dust, and as being not as trainable, Ptolemy's soldiers were simply unable to control them. But what a twist this battle had for me personally! As soon as I've heard 10 000 (!!) Silver Shields I thought "Okay this is over, spoiler alerted the result of the battle" as I've seen several videos covering several battles with Silver Shields units being numbered usually around 3000 to 6000 and turning tides, literally winning every battle themselves in similar fashion as Alexander's Companion cavalry, until they betrayed someone in some complicated hostage scenario of their families and belongings being captured in the camp behind the battle they were fighting and then they got executed. Until now I didn't know they lost a battle. To lose one with 10 000 of them, more elephants and initially breaking down the enemie's wing first is achievement on it's own. What a roller coaster! Thank you for your documentaries! Entertaining, high quality content.
On 22 June 217 BC, the armies of Ptolemy IV Philopator, king and pharaoh of Ptolemaic Egypt with capital Alexandria, and Antiochus III the Great of the Seleucid Empire with capital Antioch, met at Raphia (Rafah, near Gaza) to battle for control of Syria. It was the only known battle where war elephants were present in both armies and fought against each other. The result was the Ptolemaic Egyptian victory.
Epic
Nice
Surprisingly, Rapha is now a center of a different war.
But an uneven war.
Please coverage Battle of Carrhae 53 BC