The Battle of Pydna in 168 BC between Rome and the Antigonid dynasty represents the ascendancy of Rome in the Hellenic/Hellenistic world and the end of the Antigonid line of kings, whose power traced back to Alexander III of Macedon. It is often considered to be the classic example of the Macedonian phalanx against the Roman legion, and generally accepted as proving the superiority of the latter over the former. The Third Macedonian War (171 BC - 168 BC) was a war fought between Rome and King Perseus of Macedon. ... is the 173rd day of the year (174th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Centuries: 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC - 1st century BC Decades: 210s BC 200s BC 190s BC 180s BC 170s BC - 160s BC - 150s BC140s BC 130s BC 120s BC 110s BC Years: 173 BC 172 BC 171 BC 170 BC 169 BC - 168 BC - 167 BC 166 BC 165... Pydna is also an rocket station of the American Army in Germany, see Pydna (rocket station) Pydna (in Greek: Πύδνα, older transliteration: Púdna), also Pidna was a Greek city in Ancient Macedonia, the most important in Pieria. ... This article is about the state which existed from the 6th century BC to the 1st century BC. For the state which existed in the 18th century, see Roman Republic (18th century). ... Ancient Macedons regions and towns Macedon or Macedonia (Greek ) was the name of an ancient kingdom in the northern-most part of ancient Greece, bordered by the kingdom of Epirus to the west and the region of Thrace to the east. ... This article is about the state which existed from the 6th century BC to the 1st century BC. For the state which existed in the 18th century, see Roman Republic (18th century). ... Coin of 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. ... Balian of Ibelin surrendering the city of Jerusalem to Saladin, from Les Passages faits Outremer par les Français contre les Turcs et autres Sarrasins et Maures outremarins, ca. ... Lucius Aemilius Paulus Macedonicus (229 BC-160 BC) was a Roman general and politician. ... In the Illyrian Wars of 229 BC and 219 BC, Rome overran the Illyrian settlements in the Neretva river valley and suppressed the piracy that had made the Adriatic unsafe. ... The Macedonian and Seleucid wars were a series of conflicts fought by Rome during and after the second Punic war, in the eastern Mediterranean, the Adriatic, and the Aegean. ... In the Illyrian Wars of 229 BC and 219 BC, Rome overran the Illyrian settlements in the Neretva river valley and suppressed the piracy that had made the Adriatic unsafe. ... Combatants Roman Republic, Aetolian League, Pergamon Macedon Commanders Marcus Valerius Laevinus, Attalus I Philip V of Macedon The First Macedonian War (214 BC - 205 BC) was fought by Rome, allied (after 211 BC) with the Aetolian League and Attalus I of Pergamon, against Philip V of Macedon, contemporaneously with the... The Second Macedonian War (200–196 BC) was fought between Macedon, led by Philip V of Macedon and Rome, allied with Pergamon and Rhodes. ... The Third Macedonian War (171 BC - 168 BC) was a war fought between Rome and King Perseus of Macedon. ... The Fourth Macedonian War (150 BC - 148 BC) was the final war between Rome and Macedon. ... The Third Macedonian War (171 BC - 168 BC) was a war fought between Rome and King Perseus of Macedon. ... The Battle of Callicinus was fought in 171 BC between Macedon and Rome. ... The Battle of Pydna was fought in 148 BC between Rome and the forces of the Macedonian leader Andriscus. ... Centuries: 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC - 1st century BC Decades: 210s BC 200s BC 190s BC 180s BC 170s BC - 160s BC - 150s BC140s BC 130s BC 120s BC 110s BC Years: 173 BC 172 BC 171 BC 170 BC 169 BC - 168 BC - 167 BC 166 BC 165... This article is about the state which existed from the 6th century BC to the 1st century BC. For the state which existed in the 18th century, see Roman Republic (18th century). ... The Antigonid dynasty was a dynasty of Macedonian kings descended from Alexander the Greats general Antigonus I Monophthalmus (the One-eyed). Antigonus himself ruled mostly over Asia Minor and northern Syria. ... Macedon (also known as Macedonia) was an ancient kingdom in the present-day territory of region Macedonia in northern Greece and a small part of the Republic of Macedonia, inhabited by the Ancient Macedonians. ... For the film of the same name, see Alexander the Great (1956 film). ... Ancient Macedons regions and towns Macedon or Macedonia (Greek ) was the name of an ancient kingdom in the northern-most part of ancient Greece, bordered by the kingdom of Epirus to the west and the region of Thrace to the east. ... The Macedonian phalanx is an infantry formation developed by Philip II and used by his son Alexander the Great to conquer the Persian Empire and other armies. ... Legion redirects here. ...

Campaign

The Third Macedonian War started in 171 BC, after a number of acts on the part of King Perseus of Macedon incited Rome to declare war. At first, the Romans won a number of small victories, largely due to Perseus' refusal to consolidate his armies. By the end of the year, the tide changed dramatically and Perseus had regained most of his losses, including the important religious city of Dion. Perseus then established himself in an unassailable position on the river Elpeus, in northeastern Greece. The Third Macedonian War (171 BC - 168 BC) was a war fought between Rome and King Perseus of Macedon. ... Centuries: 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC - 1st century BC Decades: 220s BC 210s BC 200s BC 190s BC 180s BC - 170s BC - 150s BC140s BC 130s BC 120s BC 110s BC Years: 176 BC 175 BC 174 BC 173 BC 172 BC - 171 BC - 170 BC 169 BC 168... Coin of 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. ... Dion (Greek, Modern: Δίο Dio, Ancient/Katharevousa -on) is a place in Pieria Prefecture, Northern Greece. ...

The next year, command of the Roman expeditionary force passed to Lucius Aemilius Paulus, an experienced soldier who was one of the consuls for the year. In order to force Perseus out of his position, Paulus sent a small force (8,200 foot and 120 horse) under the command of Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica to the coast, a feint to convince Perseus that he was attempting a riverborne flanking maneuver. Instead, that night Scipio took his force south and over the mountains to the west of the Roman and Macedonian armies. They moved as far as Pithium, then swung northeast to attack the Macedonians from the rear. Lucius Aemilius Paullus Macedonicus (229 BC-160 BC) was a Roman general and politician. ... This article is about the Roman rank. ... Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica was a consul of ancient Rome in 191 BC. He was a son of Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Calvus. ... Pithium is the outer skin of plants. ...

A Roman deserter, however, made his way to the Macedonian camp and Perseus sent Milo with a force of 12,000 to block the approach road. The encounter that followed sent Milo and his men back in disarray towards the main Macedonian army. After this, Perseus moved his army northwards and took up a position near Katerini, a village south of Pydna. It was a fairly level plain and was very well suited to the phalanx. Milo or Milon of Croton (late 6th century BC) was the most famous of Greek athletes in Antiquity. ... Katerini (Greek: Κατερίνη) is a town in Northern Greece, the capital of Pieria prefecture. ... Pydna is also an rocket station of the American Army in Germany, see Pydna (rocket station) Pydna (in Greek: Πύδνα, older transliteration: Púdna), also Pidna was a Greek city in Ancient Macedonia, the most important in Pieria. ... The phalanx (plural phalanxes or phalanges) is a rectangular mass military formation, usually composed entirely of heavy infantry armed with spears, pikes, or similar weapons. ...

Paulus then had Scipio rejoin the main force, while Perseus deployed his forces for what appeared to be an attack from the south by Scipio. The Roman armies were actually to the west, and when they advanced, they found Perseus fully deployed. Instead of joining battle with troops tired from the march, they encamped to the west in the foothills of Mount Olocrus.

The fighting began the afternoon of the next day, June 22. The exact cause of the start of the battle differs; one story is that Paulus waited until late enough in the day for the sun not to be in the eyes of his troops, and then sent an unbridled horse forward to bring about alarm. More likely it was the result of some Roman foragers getting a little too close and being attacked by some Thracians in Perseus' army. is the 173rd day of the year (174th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak  Thrace (Bulgarian: , Greek: , Attic Greek: ThrāíkÄ“ or ThrēíkÄ“, Latin: , Turkish: ) is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. ...

Battle

The two armies appear quite evenly matched in numbers. The Romans had 38,000 men, of which 33,400 were infantry, including two legions. The Macedonians had 44,000 soldiers, of which 21,000 were phalangites. The cavalry forces were roughly equal, about 4,000 each. The two armies were drawn up in their usual fashion. The Romans had placed the two legions in the middle, with the allied Latin, Italian and Greek infantry flanking them. The cavalry was placed on the wings, with the Roman right being supplemented by 22 elephants. The phalanx took up the center of the Macedonian line, with the elite 3,000-strong Guard formed to the left of the phalanx. Lighter peltasts, mercenaries and Thracian infantry guarded the two flanks of the phalanx, while the Macedonian cavalry were also, rather unevenly, split between the two wings. The stronger contingent was on the Macedonian right, where Perseus commanded the heavy cavalry (including his elite Sacred Squadron), and the Thracian Odrysian cavalry were deployed. The phalanx (plural phalanxes or phalanges) is a rectangular mass military formation, usually composed entirely of heavy infantry armed with spears, pikes, or similar weapons. ... Not to be confused with Golgotha, which was called Calvary. ...

The two centers engaged at about 3pm, with the Macedonians advancing on the Romans a short distance from the Roman camp. Paulus claimed later that the sight of the phalanx filled him with alarm and amazement. The Romans tried to beat down the enemy pikes or hack off their points, but with little success. Unable to get under the thick bristle of spikes, the Romans were beaten back, and some of their allies abandoned the field.

But as the phalanx pushed forward, the ground became more uneven as it moved into the foothills, and the line lost its cohesion. Paulus now ordered the legions into the gaps, attacking the phalangites on their exposed flanks. At close quarters the longer Roman sword and heavier shield easily prevailed over the short sword (little more than a dagger) and lighter armor of the Macedonians. They were soon joined by the Roman right, which had succeeded in routing the Macedonian left.

Seeing the tide of battle turn, Perseus fled with the cavalry on the Macedonian right. According to Plutarch, Perseus' cavalry had yet to engage, and both the king and his cavalry were accused of cowardice by the surviving infantry. These were few, however; the 3,000 strong Guard fought to the death, and the Macedonians suffered about 25,000 dead or captured of their 40,000. The battle lasted less than an hour. Mestrius Plutarchus (Greek: Πλούταρχος; 46 - 127), better known in English as Plutarch, was a Greek historian, biographer, essayist, and Middle Platonist. ...

Perseus later surrendered to Paulus, and was paraded in triumph in Rome. He was then imprisoned. The Macedonian kingdom was dissolved, and replaced with four republics. In time, these were also dissolved, and Macedonia became a Roman province.

The battle is often considered to be a victory of the Roman legion's flexibility over the phalanx's inflexibility. Although some argue that the loss was actually due to a failure of command on the part of Perseus, the Macedonians did not have an answer to the problem of being outflanked by the Romans. Paulus knew before the battle that once the hoplite phalanx had been committed to the battle, turning to meet a threat on either of its flanks would be near-impossible without disrupting the formation's cohesiveness. In addition, at the start of the battle, half of the Macedonian army was still getting into position due to the complex nature of the Macedonian system of warfare.

The centuriae moved into the gaps on the flanks of the phalanx before Perseus could have responded by sending in lighter troops to fill the gaps. Even if this had been possible, as the battle moved to broken ground (which was a disadvantage to both sides but more so for the Macedonians), the Romans were able to get in closer to the hoplites and use their short swords to full effect. Centuria (Latin plural Centuriae) is a Latin substantive rooting in centum a hundred, denoting units consisting of (originally, approximatively) a 100 men. ...

Aftermath

This was not the final conflict between the two rivals, but it broke the back of Macedonian power. The political consequences of the lost battle were severe. The Senate's settlement included the deportation of all the royal officials and the permanent house arrest of Perseus. The kingdom was divided into four republics that were heavily restricted from intercourse or trade with one another and with Greece. There was a ruthless purge, with allegedly anti-Roman citizens being denounced by their compatriots and deported in large numbers. In 167 BC, Paulus received orders to attack Epirus, resulting in the enslavement of 150,000 Epirotes. This took place despite the fact that Epirus had not aided Perseus in the war. The Battle of Pydna and its political aftermath mark the effective end of Macedonian independence, although formal annexation was still some years away. Centuries: 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC - 1st century BC Decades: 210s BC 200s BC 190s BC 180s BC 170s BC - 160s BC - 150s BC140s BC 130s BC 120s BC 110s BC Years: 172 BC 171 BC 170 BC 169 BC 168 BC - 167 BC - 166 BC 165 BC 164... Epirus vetus was a province in the Roman Empire. ...

References

• Angelides, Alekos, A History of Macedonia
• J.F.C. Fuller. A Military History of the Western World: From The Earliest Times To The Battle of Lepanto. Da Capo Press, Inc. A Subsidiary of Plenum Publishing Corporation. 233 Sprint Street, New York, N.Y. 10013. ISBN 0-306-80304-6 (v. 1). pp. 151 to 169.
• Pydna
• Scullard, H.H., A history of the Roman world from 753 to 146 BC Methuen. (London, 1935)
• The Third Macedonian War, The Battle of Pydna

Major-General John Frederick Charles Fuller, CB, CBE, DSO, commonly J.F.C. Fuller, (September 1, 1878–February 10, 1966), was a British major-general, military historian and strategist, notable as an early theorist of modern armoured warfare, including categorising principles of warfare. ... Howard Hayes Scullard (1903-1983) was a British historian specializing in ancient history, notable for editing the Oxford Classical Dictionary and for his many books. ...

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