Siege of Oricum
| Siege of Oricum | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Caesar's invasion of Macedonia during Caesar's civil war | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
|
Populares |
Optimates | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Gaius Julius Caesar | Lucius Manlius Torquatus | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 6 legions | Illyrian garrison | ||||||
The siege of Oricum occurred during the
Capture by Caesar
At the beginning of 48 BC, Caesar embarked from
Because it was impossible to bring his entire force to bear upon Oricum by the same route, Caesar divided his troops into several columns, which followed different routes through the mountains that same night.[2][4] Although the individual columns might have been vulnerable to attack, they reached the city without incident, and re-assembled around daybreak.[2] The Pompeian commander, Lucius Manlius Torquatus,[5] was prepared to defend the town with a force of Parthinian soldiers,[4] but was forbidden by the townsfolk to resist the entry of a Roman consul, and so surrendered the town and garrison without a battle.[2][4][6] Caesar pardoned Torquatus, whom he dismissed unharmed, and entered the city.[4]
On the other side of Oricum, two of Pompeius' lieutenants, Lucretius and Minucius,
Pompeian siege
Caesar congratulated his army on their achievements, but was unable to strike a decisive blow in the war, as Pompeius arrived at Dyrrachium first.[10] At Oricum, Marcus Acilius attempted to block the harbour against the Pompeian fleet by sinking a ship loaded with stones at its mouth, and anchoring another ship above it.[11][1][12] However, the defenders were hampered by the lack of provisions, because the Pompeians had control of the sea sufficient to prevent the arrival of supplies.[12]
Gnaeus Pompeius the younger, who had command of his father's Egyptian fleet, moved to retake Oricum.
Aftermath
Having retaken Oricum, Pompeius left
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography, vol. II, pp. 492, 493 ("Oricum").
- ^ a b c d e f g h Appian, Bellum Civile, ii. 54.
- ^ a b Cassius Dio, lxi. 44.
- ^ a b c d Caesar, De Bello Civili, iii. 11.
- ^ Broughton, Magistrates of the Roman Republic, vol. II, p. 277.
- ^ Cassius Dio, lxi. 45.
- ^ a b Broughton, Magistrates of the Roman Republic, vol. II, p. 283.
- ^ Broughton, vol. II, pp. 280, 285 (note 8).
- ^ Caesar, De Bello Civili, iii. 12.
- ^ Appian, Bellum Civile, ii. 55.
- ^ a b c d e f g Caesar, De Bello Civili, iii. 40.
- ^ a b c d e Meijer, History of Seafaring in the Classical World, p. 200.
- ^ a b Appian, Bellum Civile, ii. 56.
- ^ Broughton, vol. II, p. 284.
Bibliography
- Gaius Julius Caesar, Commentarii de Bello Civili (Commentaries on the Civil War).
- Appianus Alexandrinus (Appian), Bellum Civile (The Civil War).
- Lucius Cassius Dio, Roman History.
- Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography, William Smith, ed., Little, Brown and Company, Boston (1854).
- T. Robert S. Broughton, The Magistrates of the Roman Republic, American Philological Association (1952–1986).
- Fik Meijer, A History of Seafaring in the Classical World, Croom Helm, London (1986).