Siege of Eucratideia
| Siege of Eucratideia | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Indo-Greek Kingdom | Greco-Bactrian Kingdom | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Demetrius II | Eucratides I | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| "60,000" | 300 | ||||||
The Siege of Eucratideia was a five-month-long siege of the city that occurred in around 169 BC. Demetrius II, a descendant of Euthydemus, besieged the usurper Eucratides although being repelled various times.
Siege and Aftermath
The year before, Eucratides had usurped the power in Greco-Bactria while one of its rulers, Demetrius II, was conquering parts of northern India. Demetrius then made his way back into Bactria and besieged Eucratides.[1] at the site of Eucratideia. Demetrius had an army supposedly numbering 60,000 troops,[2] although this is unlikely. Eucratides however, against overwhelming odds, managed to repel various times the Indo-Greek forces with a small garrison of 300 men.[3] After the siege had endured five months, he managed to escape into India and subjugated most of the northwestern parts.[4]
References
- ^ Philippic Histories.
when he was besieged by Demetrius king of the Indians
- ^ Philippic Histories.
a force of sixty thousand enemies
- ^ Philippic Histories.
with a garrison of only three hundred soldiers, he repulsed, by continual sallies...
- ^ Philippic Histories.
Having accordingly escaped, after a five months' siege, he reduced India under his power.