Bardyllis - Battle of Erigon Valley

Battle of Erigon Valley

In 359 BC, Macedonia could come back to the field of battle against the Illyrians, after it had overcome the internal state of political chaos and removed the risk of attack from other opponents. When Philip II assumed the Macedonian throne, substantial areas of upper Macedonia remained in control of Bardyllis. In order to concentrate on the internal struggle necessary to secure his crown, Philip reaffirmed the treaty the Dardanians had imposed on Macedonia by force of arms and sealed the alliance by his marriage of Audata, probably a niece or daughter of Bardyllis. This action undoubtedly deterred a full-scale Dardanian invasion of Macedonia at a time when the country was most vulnerable.

By the spring of 358 BC, Philip had at last secured his throne and was now able to address the occupation of northwest Macedonia by Bardyllis. When word of the mobilization of the Macedonian army came to Bardyllis' attention, he proposed to Philip that they sign a treaty to maintain the status quo, provided that both parties maintain the cities that were already in their possession at the time. This was, of course, unacceptable to Philip because he was not prepared to accept any terms other than a full Dardanian withdrawal from northwest Macedonia. Bardyllis, however, was not inclined to give up his winnings without a fight. Philip mobilized every able-bodied soldier in Macedonia for the battle. Bardyllis, as before, was not likely to take any prisoners, so any Macedonian defeat would result in crippling casualties.

Although the two armies were almost equal in numbers - Bardyllis' 500 cavalry and 10,000 infantry against Philp's force of 600 cavalry and 10,000 infantry, the Macedonians were far better trained and equipped. The armies met in battle on a plain in the Erigon Valley near Bitola, just south of the Drdanian State. Bardyllis initially deployed in a linear formation with his strongest troops in the center, similar to the phalanx formation. Philip concentrated his best troops, the hypaspists, on his right flank. As Philip advanced to engage Bardyllis, his cavalry turned one or two of Bardyllis' flanks, forcing him to redeploy into a defensive square formation. The Illyrians for quite some time withstood the assaults of the enemy. At first victory was not swayed by either one or the other party, and so the battle continued for a long time. Eventually Philip's hypaspists succeeded in penetrating the right corner of the Dradanian, which the companions were able to widen. This threw Bardyllis' entire formation into disorder, after which it was quickly broken by the phalanx and routed from the battlefield.

In 358 BC, Phillip of Macedon defeated Bardyllis, Diodorus Siculus (1st century BC) writes this of the event:

And at first for a long while the battle was evenly poised because of the exceeding gallantry displayed on both sides, and as many were slain and still more wounded, the fortune of battle vacillated first one way then the other, being constantly swayed by the valorous deeds of the combatants; but later as the horsemen pressed on from the flank and rear and Philip with the flower of his troops fought with true heroism, the mass of the Illyrians was compelled to take hastily to flight.When the pursuit had been kept up for a considerable distance and many had been slain in their flight, Philip recalled the Macedonians with the trumpet and erecting a trophy of victory buried his own dead, while the Illyrians, having sent ambassadors and withdrawn from all the Macedonian cities, obtained peace. But more than seven thousand Illyrians were slain in this battle.

The battle had cost the Dardanians 7,000 casualties, almost three quarters of their initial army. Bardyllis himself was probably killed in this battle as he rode on horseback at the advanced age of 90. Although the Macedonians finally won the battle, Philip II saw that he was not able to follow the enemy and chase them. The Illyrians later sent representatives and settled terms for peace, releasing all the cities they had conquered from Macedonia. In this battle, the troubling issue of Lynkestia was solved, changing the situation in the western borders in favor of Macedonia. Philip secured Macedonians northwest frontier by annexing Dardanian territory as far as Lake Lynkcesta (Lae Ohrid). This would form a defensive buffer against any future Illyrian raids attempted through the Drilon Valley. The borders between the Illyrian and the Macedonians remained around Lake Ohrid for a long time.