Battle of Raphia
Near Raphia (modern Rafah), on the ancient coast road between Egypt and the Levant
What happened
King Ptolemy IV of Egypt fought King Antiochus III of the Seleucid Empire. Two of the kingdoms that followed Alexander the Great met near Raphia, both using war elephants. Antiochus's larger Indian elephants scared Ptolemy's smaller African elephants, which ran back through their own lines. But Ptolemy's foot soldiers, including a new unit of native Egyptians, pushed back the Seleucid centre and won the day.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It is the only known battle where African and Asian elephants faced each other. The victory gave native Egyptian soldiers new confidence, which according to the historian Polybius helped lead to later revolts in Egypt.
What came next
Egyptian priests met at Memphis to honour the victory, giving Ptolemy full pharaoh's honours. Years later, part of southern Egypt broke away for nearly twenty years, and in 200 BCE Antiochus won back the lands he had lost.
Did you know?
Raphia's name appears in an inscription of the pharaoh Seti I, dated to 1303 BCE.
Timeline
- 22 June 217 BCEPtolemy IV defeats Antiochus III at Raphia.
- November 217 BCEPriests at Memphis issue the Raphia decree in Ptolemy's honour.
- 207-186 BCEUpper Egypt breaks away under its own pharaohs.
- 200 BCEAntiochus wins at Panium and takes back Coele-Syria.