38.2
On
hearing of the revolution in Athamania, Philip started off with a force of
6000 men, and after an extraordinarily rapid march arrived at Gomphi. Here
he left the greater part of his army, who were unable to keep up such long
marches, and went on with 2000 men to Athenaeum, the one place that had
been retained by his troops. From here he tried to secure some of the places
nearest to him, but he soon found that they were all hostile, and accordingly
he returned to Gomphi. Re-entering Athamania with the whole of his force,
he sent Xeno forward with 1000 infantry to seize Ethopia, a good position
for commanding Argithea. When Philip saw that his men were in occupation
of the place, he encamped near the temple of Jupiter Acraeus. Here he was
detained a whole day by a terrible storm; the next day he decided to advance
against Argithea. Whilst his men were on the march they suddenly caught
sight of the Athamanians running up to some high ground which commanded
their line of march. At this sight the leading ranks halted and there was
confusion throughout the column, as the men all asked themselves what
would happen if the column went down into the valley where it was
commanded by those heights. Philip wanted to push rapidly through the
pass, but the confusion that had been caused compelled him to recall the
head of the column and order them to counter-march along the way they had
come. At first the Athamanians followed them quietly at some distance, but
when the Aetolians had joined them, they left it to them to harass the
enemy's rear while they themselves closed in on their flank, and some making
a short cut through country they were familiar with, seized the head of the
pass. The confusion amongst the Macedonians was such that their recrossing
of the river resembled a precipitate flight rather than an orderly march, and
they left many men and arms behind. Here the pursuit stopped and the
Macedonians got back safely to Gomphi and from there withdrew into
Macedonia. The Athamanians and Aetolians mustered from all sides round
Ethopia with the object of expelling Xeno and his 1000 Macedonians.
Feeling their position to be insecure they left Ethopia and took up a position
on higher and more precipitous ground. The Athamanians, however, found
out the approaches, attacked them from several different points and drove
them from the heights. Scattered in flight and unable to find their way
through pathless thickets and over rocky ground with which they were
unfamiliar, they were killed or made prisoners, many in their panic fell down
the cliffs, and only a very few succeeded in making their escape with Xeno
to the king. Subsequently a truce was arranged for the burial of those who
had fallen.
