Bato (Dardanian Chieftain)
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Bato (ruled c. 206 – 176 BC) was an Illyrian king of the Dardanian State. Bato was the son of Longarus whom he succeeded and the brother of
Monunius II Monunius (Ancient Greek Μονούνιος; ruled ''c.'' 176 – 167 BC) was an Illyrian king of the Dardanian State who lived in the late 3rd century BC and early 2nd century BC. Monunius attested first in 176 BC was the son of Longarus, a ...
who ruled after him. Bato fought alongside the
Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
against
Macedon Macedonia (; grc-gre, Μακεδονία), also called Macedon (), was an Classical antiquity, ancient monarchy, kingdom on the periphery of Archaic Greece, Archaic and Classical Greece, and later the dominant state of Hellenistic Greece. Th ...
during the
Second Macedonian War The Second Macedonian War (200–197 BC) was fought between Macedon, led by Philip V of Macedon, and Rome, allied with Pergamon and Rhodes. Philip was defeated and was forced to abandon all possessions in southern Greece, Thrace and Asia Min ...
. Bato is known for using advanced war tactics against Athenagoras. Bato became a major threat to the Macedonians but after the war was over Dardanian and Roman relations soon diminished.


Military activities

When the Romans returned to Illyria in 200 BC under the experienced commander P. Sulpicius Galba, they expected support from their former allies. After the Roman victories many kings, enemies of Macedonia came to the Roman camp:
Pleuratus Pleuratus I (Ancient Greek: Πλευρᾶτος; ruled 356335 ) was an Illyrian king of the Illyrian tribe of the Taulantii. Pleuratus was the father of Glaucias. Pleuratus managed to defeat philip II during Macedon's expansion, wounding the M ...
of the Ardiaean Kingdom, Amynander, king of the Athamanians and Bato of the Dardanian State. The Roman commander told them he would call on their help when his army had entered Macedonia. Bato was hoping that with the territorial gains
Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...
had achieved, he would have Paeonia under his control.
Philip V Philip V may refer to: * Philip V of Macedon (221–179 BC) * Philip V of France (1293–1322) * Philip II of Spain, also Philip V, Duke of Burgundy (1526–1598) * Philip V of Spain Philip V ( es, Felipe; 19 December 1683 – 9 July 1746) was ...
anticipated that the Romans line of advance would be in the Erigon valley and he was determined to protect his flanks from raids by Roman allies, the Aetolians in the south and Bato's forces in the north. He ordered his son Perseus to blockade the pass leading into Pelagonia. When the Romans made their move Philip recalled the troops under Perseus, and his cavalry defeat at Ottobolus on the river Erigon, though not a major reverse, was the outcome of a gamble after learning that Pleuratus' and Bato's armies had crossed the passes in strength and were already in Macedonia. In 199 BC Pleuratus and Bato took advantage of Philip's engagement in a war with the Romans on the western borders of kingdom. Though the invasions were concerted, it was the Dardanians who did the most damage. As soon as the Romans left to winter in Apollonia, Philip sent his general Athenagoras against the Dardania army, which was returning home laden with booty. At the beginning, Athenagoras made skirmishes against their rear lines but when Bato's army turned their flags and assumed regular positions in front of the enemy, the battle turned into a full-fledged war. As soon as the Dardanians set out on the road, the king's men attacked them with their cavalry and light infantry. Bato did not have an army of this type and were carrying heavy weapons, but the nature of the terrain helped them.. Few were killed and few more were injured, but none were taken prisoner, because in those few cases the Dardanians come out of their lines and in close formation they fight together or withdraw. The Dardanian army under Bato was a well-organized military force in line with the most advanced tactics of that time, but also distinguished by bravery, discipline and solidarity. News of the Roman victory in 197 BC, drew Bato once again down the
Vardar The Vardar (; mk, , , ) or Axios () is the longest river in North Macedonia and the second longest river in Greece, in which it reaches the Aegean Sea at Thessaloniki. It is long, out of which are in Greece, and drains an area of around . Th ...
valley, but Philip caught and defeated him near the Paeonian capital
Stobi Stobi or Stoboi ( grc, Στόβοι, Stóboi; la, Stobi; mk, Стоби, Stobi), was an ancient town of Paeonia, later conquered by Macedon, and finally turned into the capital of the Roman province of Macedonia Salutaris. It is located near ...
with an army he had hastily conscripted from the cities of his kingdom. The Macedonians continued to hold Bylazora and through that Paeonia, whose return the Dardanians were still demanding thirty years after another major Roman victory. Bato did not receive any land as he had hoped in contrast to the Ardiaean Kingdom which was given lands so that Pleuratus could attack Macedonia from them. This angered the Dardanian State which hoped to annex Macedonian land and to free Paeonia, their allies. Such is the fact that in 190 BC, the Aetolians asked Bato for paid soldiers in their war against Rome. Since it was difficult to defeat Bato militarily, Philip V drew up a plan to set the large Germanic/
Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...
of the
Bastarnae The Bastarnae ( Latin variants: ''Bastarni'', or ''Basternae''; grc, Βαστάρναι or Βαστέρναι) and Peucini ( grc, Πευκῖνοι) were two ancient peoples who between 200 BC and 300 AD inhabited areas north of the Roman front ...
against him. He proposed to them that he would open a way to the Dardanian State so that the Bastarnae could settle there for a while and later continue on their way through Illyria, finally reaching
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
. Philip's purpose was to wipe out the Dardanians and settle the Bastarnae in their lands, and send the Bastarnae to Italy to lay it waste, leaving their women and children in Dardania. It was up to Monunius, the brother of Bato to confront the Bastarnae, as he succeeded Bato in 176 BC.Livy (XL, 574-9)


See also

*
List of rulers of Illyria The Illyrians, ; la, Illyrii}) were a conglomeration of Indo-European peoples and tribes in the Balkan Peninsula, Southeastern Europe. They spoke the Illyrian language and practiced a multitude of common religious and cultural practices. Many o ...


Notes

* Bato was the first known person with this name. He is scarcely known in modern historiography as "Bato of Dardania", and "Bato the Dardanian". In modern history books, he is mostly indexed as "Bato, son of Longarus" (from la, Bato, Longari' filius and "Bato, prince of the Dardani".


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bato Of Dardania Illyrian royalty 3rd-century BC rulers 2nd-century BC rulers in Europe Dardanians