Third Macedonian War
Encyclopedia
The Third Macedonian War (171 BC
- 168 BC
) was a war fought between Rome
and King Perseus of Macedon
. In 179 BC King Philip V
of Macedon
died and his talented and ambitious son, Perseus, took his throne. Perseus married Laodike, daughter of King Seleucus IV Keraunos of Asia, and increased the size of his army. He also made alliance treaties with Epirus and several tribes of Illyria
and Thrace
, as well as enemies of Thracian tribes allied to Rome, such as the Sapaei under Abrupolis
. He renewed former connections with some southern Greek city-states (poleis). The king announced that he could carry out reforms in Greece and restore its previous strength and prosperity.
The Roman leadership began to worry that Perseus would destroy Roman political control in Greece and restore former Macedonian sovereignty over Greek states. King Eumenes II
of Pergamon, who hated Macedonia, accused Perseus of trying to violate laws of other states and conditions of peace between Macedonia and Rome. The Romans were afraid for the balance of power in Greece and declared a new war with Macedonia. Perseus won the first struggle: the Battle of Callicinus
, where he faced the army of Publius Licinius Crassus
. The king offered a peace treaty to the Romans, which was refused. The Romans had problems with discipline in their army, and Roman commanders could not find a way to successfully invade Macedonia.
There was a stalemate near Phalanna involving Perseus and Crassus. In 169 BC
, consul Quintus Marcius Philippus crossed the Olympus Range and entered Macedonia. However, his army ran out of provisions and retired on a narrow strip of coast near Tempe. Perseus tried to win Eumenes of Pergamon and King Antiochus IV of the Seleucid Empire over to his side but failed. He did, however, succeed in buying the support of the Illyrian king Genthius in the autumn of 169 BC
.
Perseus was defeated by the legions of the Roman consul Lucius Aemilius Paullus at the Battle of Pydna
in 168 BC
. This defeat was largely due to the inflexibility of Macedonian phalanx tactics compared to the maniple
-based tactics of the Roman legions.
In the aftermath of this battle, King Perseus surrendered and was taken to Rome along with members of his court and other prisoners from the leading families of Macedon, including the historian Polybius
. In addition, around 300,000 Macedonian citizens were enslaved. A number of Macedonian cities and villages were destroyed and their land distributed to the Roman veterans and their Thracian allies. Macedonia itself was divided into four Roman client republics, each of which was required to pay duty to Rome at half the rate previously due to the Macedonian kings. Economic and political contacts between the four republics were restricted.
The Third Macedonian war marked the effective end of Hellenistic Macedonia and the monarchy of the Antigonid dynasty, and further enhanced Roman domination of Ancient Greece. Rome later returned to symbolically destroy Corinth
in 146 BC
in the Fourth Macedonian War
, in a manner reminiscent of their destruction of the defanged Carthage
in the Third Punic War
.
171 BC
Year 171 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Crassus and Longinus...
- 168 BC
168 BC
Year 168 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Macedonicus and Crassus...
) was a war fought between Rome
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
and King Perseus of Macedon
Perseus of Macedon
Perseus was the last king of the Antigonid dynasty, who ruled the successor state in Macedon created upon the death of Alexander the Great...
. In 179 BC King Philip V
Philip V of Macedon
Philip V was King of Macedon from 221 BC to 179 BC. Philip's reign was principally marked by an unsuccessful struggle with the emerging power of Rome. Philip was attractive and charismatic as a young man...
of Macedon
Macedon
Macedonia or Macedon was an ancient kingdom, centered in the northeastern part of the Greek peninsula, bordered by Epirus to the west, Paeonia to the north, the region of Thrace to the east and Thessaly to the south....
died and his talented and ambitious son, Perseus, took his throne. Perseus married Laodike, daughter of King Seleucus IV Keraunos of Asia, and increased the size of his army. He also made alliance treaties with Epirus and several tribes of Illyria
Illyria
In classical antiquity, Illyria was a region in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula inhabited by the Illyrians....
and Thrace
Thrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
, as well as enemies of Thracian tribes allied to Rome, such as the Sapaei under Abrupolis
Abrupolis
Abrupolis was a king of the Thracian Sapaei, and ally of the Romans. He attacked the dominions of Perseus of Macedon, eldest son of the recently deceased Philip V of Macedon, around 179 BC, and laid them waste as far as Amphipolis, as well as overrunning the gold mines of Mount Pangaeus...
. He renewed former connections with some southern Greek city-states (poleis). The king announced that he could carry out reforms in Greece and restore its previous strength and prosperity.
The Roman leadership began to worry that Perseus would destroy Roman political control in Greece and restore former Macedonian sovereignty over Greek states. King Eumenes II
Eumenes II
Eumenes II of Pergamon was king of Pergamon and a member of the Attalid dynasty. The son of king Attalus I and queen Apollonis, he followed in his father's footsteps and collaborated with the Romans to oppose first Macedonian, then Seleucid expansion towards the Aegean, leading to the defeat of...
of Pergamon, who hated Macedonia, accused Perseus of trying to violate laws of other states and conditions of peace between Macedonia and Rome. The Romans were afraid for the balance of power in Greece and declared a new war with Macedonia. Perseus won the first struggle: the Battle of Callicinus
Battle of Callicinus
The Battle of Callinicus was fought in 171 BC between Macedon and Rome to the city "Kalliniko", near Larissa. The Macedonians were led by their king, Perseus of Macedon, while the Roman force was led by Consul Publius Licinius Crassus. The Macedonians were victorious...
, where he faced the army of Publius Licinius Crassus
Publius Licinius Crassus
Publius Licinius Crassus is the name of several Romans of the Middle and Late Republic, some with the additional cognomen Dives.-3rd century BC:...
. The king offered a peace treaty to the Romans, which was refused. The Romans had problems with discipline in their army, and Roman commanders could not find a way to successfully invade Macedonia.
There was a stalemate near Phalanna involving Perseus and Crassus. In 169 BC
169 BC
Year 169 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Philippus and Caepio...
, consul Quintus Marcius Philippus crossed the Olympus Range and entered Macedonia. However, his army ran out of provisions and retired on a narrow strip of coast near Tempe. Perseus tried to win Eumenes of Pergamon and King Antiochus IV of the Seleucid Empire over to his side but failed. He did, however, succeed in buying the support of the Illyrian king Genthius in the autumn of 169 BC
169 BC
Year 169 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Philippus and Caepio...
.
Perseus was defeated by the legions of the Roman consul Lucius Aemilius Paullus at the Battle of Pydna
Battle of Pydna
The Battle of Pydna in 168 BC between Rome and the Macedonian Antigonid dynasty saw the further ascendancy of Rome in the Hellenic/Hellenistic world and the end of the Antigonid line of kings, whose power traced back to Alexander the Great.Paul K...
in 168 BC
168 BC
Year 168 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Macedonicus and Crassus...
. This defeat was largely due to the inflexibility of Macedonian phalanx tactics compared to the maniple
Maniple (military unit)
Maniple was a tactical unit of the Roman legion adopted from the Samnites during the Samnite Wars . It was also the name of the military insignia carried by such unit....
-based tactics of the Roman legions.
In the aftermath of this battle, King Perseus surrendered and was taken to Rome along with members of his court and other prisoners from the leading families of Macedon, including the historian Polybius
Polybius
Polybius , Greek ) was a Greek historian of the Hellenistic Period noted for his work, The Histories, which covered the period of 220–146 BC in detail. The work describes in part the rise of the Roman Republic and its gradual domination over Greece...
. In addition, around 300,000 Macedonian citizens were enslaved. A number of Macedonian cities and villages were destroyed and their land distributed to the Roman veterans and their Thracian allies. Macedonia itself was divided into four Roman client republics, each of which was required to pay duty to Rome at half the rate previously due to the Macedonian kings. Economic and political contacts between the four republics were restricted.
The Third Macedonian war marked the effective end of Hellenistic Macedonia and the monarchy of the Antigonid dynasty, and further enhanced Roman domination of Ancient Greece. Rome later returned to symbolically destroy Corinth
Corinth
Corinth is a city and former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Corinth, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit...
in 146 BC
146 BC
Year 146 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Lentulus and Achaicus...
in the Fourth Macedonian War
Fourth Macedonian War
The Fourth Macedonian War was the final war between Rome and Macedon. It came about as a result of the pretender Andriscus's usurpation of the Macedonian throne, pretending to be the son of Perseus, the last King of Macedon, deposed by the Romans after the Third Macedonian War in 168 BC...
, in a manner reminiscent of their destruction of the defanged Carthage
Carthage
Carthage , implying it was a 'new Tyre') is a major urban centre that has existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC...
in the Third Punic War
Third Punic War
The Third Punic War was the third and last of the Punic Wars fought between the former Phoenician colony of Carthage, and the Roman Republic...
.