Siege of Salona

1) Background-

Salona is a town on the eastern Adriatic sea on the Illyrian mainland. Salona was occupied by disunified Illyrian tribes, which the Brutii would utilize to conquer the region.

2) Prelude

The Battle of Salona was fought between Aulus Brutus, heir to the House of the Brutii, and Captain Sophokles, a captain of a small group of rebels occupying the town of Solona.

Aulus Brutus, following Amulius's victory at Apollonia, sailed to Apollonia with his own host, and gathered several Mercenary Hoplites, Hastatii legionaries, Equite cavalry, and some local Illyrians to assist him, then marched north towards Salona.

Sophokles, hearing of the Brutii campaign swiftly begin to assemble a small army in Salona, consisting of local Illyrian hires, Militia Hoplites, and even a small unit of Cilician Pirates who were hired as mercenaries.

3) Battle-

Upon arrival, Aulus assembled the Hastatii and Hopilites in a front line, and assembled his cavalry on the side of the city, and begin to advance towards the town.

The Cilicians seeing the Brutii Cavalry separated from the main Roman army decided to take action. They charged towards them in an attempt to pin them in melee. Aulus's cavalry commander recognizing that his men would be crushed by the Cilicians slowly begin to retreat towards the tree line. Aulus seeing this, gathered his personal Retinue and bodyguard and charged the Cilicians from the rear and sandwiched them between his 2 units of cavalry, and easily routed the Cicilians between them.

Following this engagement, Aulus ordered his men to take over one of the plazas in Salona. Sophokles marched his troops to meet the assembled Romans, who pelted them with Pella as they approached. Sophokles's Hoplites attempted to fight the Hastatii, but broke, letting the Romans strike at the Peltasts. The Hopilites fled back to the city center, only to find it take by Aulus's cavalry, who proceeded to run them down killing all of the surviving rebels including Sophokles.

4) Aftermath-

With Sophokles dead, resistance against the Brutii in Dalmatia was crushed and after this Aulus finished conquering the region up to bordering the Gauls of Northern Italy. Following this success, Aulus turned his attention toward Illyrian proper and would go onto takeover Segestica