Antigonus's ambush victory over the Gauls at Lysimachia secured his claim to the Macedonian throne in 277 BC.
Key Facts
- Year
- 277 BC
- Location
- Lysimachia, Thracian Chersonese
- Gallic commander
- Cerethrius
- Greek commander
- Antigonus (Gonatas)
- Antigonus's tactic
- Ambush using abandoned camp and beached ships as bait
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
After the Gallic tribes were driven out of Greece following the Battle of Thermopylae, they settled in Thrace. Antigonus, the Antigonid heir displaced from Macedon, organized an expedition in 277 BC to reclaim the Macedonian throne from Sosthenes, sailing to the Hellespont and landing near Lysimachia—directly in Gallic-held territory.
When a Gallic army under Cerethrius approached, Antigonus laid a trap: he abandoned his camp, beached his ships, and hid his troops. The Gauls looted the camp and then moved to attack the ships, whereupon Antigonus's forces emerged and caught them with the sea at their backs, inflicting a decisive defeat on the Gallic tribes.
The victory gave Antigonus the political and military prestige needed to claim the Macedonian throne, establishing Antigonid rule over Macedon. Around this time his son and eventual successor, Demetrius II Aetolicus, was born, marking the continuation of the Antigonid dynastic line.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Antigonus Gonatas.
Side B
1 belligerent
Cerethrius.