 | This article includes a list ofgeneral references, butit lacks sufficient correspondinginline citations. Please help toimprove this article byintroducing more precise citations.(November 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Battle of the 25 of Abu | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theBabylonian War | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Seleucids | Antigonids | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Seleukos | Antigonos | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 25,000 | 40,000–50,000 | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Unknown | Unknown but probably heavy | ||||||||
Thebattle of the 25 of Abu (10 of August) of 309 B.C. in an unknown location betweenBabylon andSusa, was the decisive and final clash of theBabylonian war. It ended in aSeleucid victory, and the establishment of theSeleucid kingdom.
Seleucus had retaken Babylon, sometime between 312 and 311 B.C. He had been the province'ssatrap before, but was forced to leave, fearingAntigonus' increasing power and cruelty. TheAntigonids made several attempts to retake the "gateway" to the rich eastern satrapies, but ended in failure. Antigonus made peace with the otherdiadochi (Ptolemy,Cassander andLysimachus) and marched to Babylon with an army of 75,000 according to some sources, Seleucus then decided to wage a guerilla war, but Antigonus responded by pillaging and razing the territory, finally forcing Seleucus to face him on open ground, with a significantly smaller force.
When the two armies met they fought an inconclusive engagement, both retired to their camps for the night; but whereas Antigonus's army disarmed and went to sleep, Seleucus ordered his men to dine and rest in full armor and in their ranks. The next morning, as the sun rose from the backs of the already deployed Seleucid phalanx, they began their advance and caught the enemy by surprise, overwhelming the enemy and routing his army. Antigonus managed to escape and gave up on the idea of reconquering the upper satrapies leaving the east to Seleucus.[1]
 | This article about a battle is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |