In 305-304 BCE, the Siege of Rhodes was fought between the Antigonids under Demetrius I against the Rhodians under Damoteles and Amyntas during the Wars of the Diadochi.
Why did it happen?
First settled by Greek traders in the eighth century BCE, the island state of Rhodes became a prominent naval and trading power during the fourth century BCE, establishing links with Rome and Egypt. Because of its strategic position in the eastern Mediterranean, “The city of the Rhodians, which was strong in sea power and was the best governed city of the Greeks, was a prize eagerly sought after by the dynasts and kings, each of them striving to add her to his alliance” (Diod. Sic. 20.81.2). Following his conquest of Cyprus in 306 BCE, Antigonus sought to persuade the Rhodians to ally with him against Ptolemy. After initially refusing, the Rhodians sent envoys in 305 BCE, saying they had changed their minds and were willing to join the alliance against Ptolemy. However, Antigonus’ son Demetrius had already assembled a vast army and navy on the Anatolian mainland and coast. When he asked the Rhodians to hand over 100 citizens as hostages, they refused, and Demetrius descended upon the island.
Who was involved?
The Antigonid forces at Rhodes numbered 40,000 infantry and 200 warships. The Antigonids planned to use their superior navy to blockade Rhodes’ harbour while the Antigonid army set up camp and assaulted the city by land. The Antigonids came equipped with numerous siege engines, like catapults, ballista, battering rams, and a siege tower called the Helepolis, which was 135 feet high and needed 3,400 men to man it. The Rhodian force at Rhodes numbered 6,000 infantry, 1,000 archers and 15 warships. Despite being outnumbered, the Rhodians had the support of Cassander, Lysimachus, and Ptolemy, who fought a proxy war by sending grain and 2,150 reinforcements during the siege. Two thousand years later, Bob Bennett and Mike Roberts stated, “The siege of Rhodes was one of the epic contests of this epoch, and in it Demetrius would hit peaks of engineering ingenuity” (Bennett & Roberts, 2009, p.122).
What happened?
After constructing a floating boom across the harbour entrance, the Antigonids captured the mole during a night raid and set up a fort with a 400-strong garrison. Using seaborne engines, the Antigonids made two assaults on the harbour. The first assault saw the Antigonid warships make breaches in the harbour wall before being repulsed by the Rhodians. The second assault saw many Antigonid warships sunk by the Rhodians, who also captured the Antigonid garrison on the mole. The following year, Demetrius ordered the construction of a siege tower called the Helepolis. Supported by ballistas and catapults, the Antigonids moved the Helepolis to the city walls. After heavy fighting on the walls, the Rhodians used fire arrows against the Helepolis, which forced Demetrius to move it out of missile range. At the same time, Antigonid sappers and battering rams made breaches in the city walls, after which 1,500 infantry were ordered to establish a foothold inside the city. Ptolemy’s Egyptian reinforcements subsequently killed all 1,500 men. At that point, Antigonus I intervened and ordered Demetrius to call off the siege and make peace with the Rhodians.
What changed as a result?
The Siege of Rhodes was a Rhodian victory. Despite this affront to his prestige, Demetrius complied with his father’s wishes and switched his attention to fighting Cassander in Greece. The citizens of Rhodes celebrated their victory by honouring their soldiers with prizes and granting their slaves freedom and citizenship. In addition, statues of Cassander and Lysimachus were erected in the city while Ptolemy was given the name of Soter (Saviour). Finally, the wreckage of the Helepolis was used to construct the Colossus of Rhodes, which would become one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World before its collapse in 226 BCE. During the third century BCE, Rhodes would become one of the chief naval powers in the Hellenistic World and was assigned to keep the eastern Mediterranean Sea clear of pirates. However, when its power was wrecked by Roman expansion in the second century BCE, piracy flourished unchecked before it was finally brought under control by Pompey in 67 BCE.
Bibliography
Bennett, Bob. & Roberts, Mike. The Wars of Alexander’s Successors 323-281 BC, Volume II: Battles and Tactics. Barnsley, Pen & Sword Military, 2009.
Montgomery, Bernard. A History of Warfare. London, Collins, 1968.
Siculus, Diodorus. The Library of History: Volume XX. Translated by Russel M. Geer. Cambridge, Loeb Classical Library, 1954.