LE SYMPOSIUM INTERNATIONAL LE LIVRE. LA ROUMANIE. L ...

424 DAn TUDOR IOnEScU
so sure yet). Alexander’s spies and scouts informed him that Cleitus the
son of Bardylis rebelled against the Macedonian authority and overlordship
(Bardylis was the old Illyrian king that once defeated and killed perdiccas
III, king of Macedon and brother of philip II: it was due to this military crisis
that philip became the regent of Macedon and tutor of the prince Amyntas,
son of perdiccas III; and after that the decisive victory of philip’s army over
the warriors of Bardylis, philip became the king of Macedon). the king of
another population, the taulantians(probably also of Illyrian stock), named
Glaucias, was Cleitus’ ally. A third Illyrian people, the Autariatae, was
also in arms against Macedon. one can easily remark that the two Illyrian
princes and also the prince or king/kinglet of the Agrianians, although most
probably non-Greeks/Barbarians, all were dynasts bearing Greek names:
Cleitus, Glaucias, langarus. the Agrianian king langarus told Alexander
that he should not worry about the less warlike Autariatae, because with his
Agrianians he will attack them. All said was done and the Autariatae were
kept busy and their land was occupied by langarus’ Agrianians (Arrian
An.1.5.1-3); as a reward, langarus had as promised bride Alexander’s own
half sister, Cynane (the daughter of philip II and of the Illyrian princess
Audata that was one of philip’s wives). nevertheless, langarus died of
disease in his own country, before the wedding with Cynane and the return
to pella in Macedon (Arrian An.1.5.4-5); this was the end of the prospected
marriage alliance between the Argead royal house and the royal/princely
house of the Agrianians.
Alexander advanced with his army on the erigon river and settled
his camp before pelion, in front of the river of eordaea. What followed is
rather a succession of military manoeuvres, more than mere siege or pitched
battle. I would not insist here on all the details: however, I will mention the
existence of human and animal sacrifices before battle, in the Illyrian camp
(three boys, three girls, and three black rams, vide Arrian An.1.5.7), the
tactical flexibility of the Macedonian army, and the use of catapults as field
artillery, in order to cover the crossing of a river by Alexander’s own forces
and to block any possible attack of the Illyrians 9 .
the end results of the campaign were a final surprise attack and a
9 Arrian An.1.5.6-12 about the manoeuvres of the Illyrians of Cleitus and Glaucias
and the counter manoeuvres of Alexander’s light crack troops and elite shock troops:
Agrianian javelin men, bowmen, slingers, cavalry, and the royal Guards. Arrian
(An.1.6.1-4) are a fine example of the high level drill and mobility/tactical flexibility of
the Macedonian phalanx. Arrian (An.1.6.8) is most probably the first example of using the
field artillery/catapults, in this case to cover the withdrawal of Alexander’s troops over
a river and thus the catapults and the archers were blocking any would-be assault of the
Illyrians. For all this narrative vide Arrian (An.1.5-6).