+24.+ Meanwhile, when he had seen the main part of his army in position
outside the camp, Philip himself advanced with his peltasts and the
right wing of his phalanx, commencing the ascent of the hills with
great rapidity, and having left instructions with Nicanor, surnamed the
Elephant, to see that the rest of the army followed at once. As soon as
his first files reached the summit, he deployed his men into line by
the left, and occupied the range of high ground: for the Macedonians
who had been sent in advance had forced the Romans a considerable
distance down the other side of the hills, and therefore he found the
ridges unoccupied by the enemy. But while he was still engaged in
getting the right wing of his army into line, his mercenaries came on
the ground, having been decisively repulsed by the enemy. For when the
Roman light infantry found themselves supported by the heavy, as I
said just now, with their assistance, which they regarded as turning
the scale in their favour, they made a furious charge on the enemy,
and killed a large number of them. When the king first came on the
ground, and saw that the fighting between the light armed was going
on near the enemy’s camp, he was delighted: but when, on the other
hand, he saw his own men giving ground and requiring support, he was
compelled to give it, and allow the necessities of the moment to decide
the fortunes of the whole day, in spite of the fact that the greater
part of his phalanx was still on the march and engaged in mounting the
hills. Receiving therefore the men who had been already engaged, he
massed them all upon his right wing, both infantry and cavalry; while
he ordered the peltasts and heavy armed to double their depth and close
up to the right. By the time this was effected the enemy were close
at hand; and, accordingly, the word was given to the phalanx to lower
spears and charge; to the light infantry to cover their flank. At the
same time Flamininus also, having received his advanced party into the
intervals between his maniples, charged the enemy.
[Sidenote: The battle.]
[Sidenote: Philip’s right wing repulse the Roman left.]
[Sidenote: Successful advance of the Roman right.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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