The Battle of Pydna, June 22 168 BC

The Battle of Pydna took place in 168 BC between the Romans and Macedonians in the midst of the Third Macedonian War. The victory of Rome led to its annexation of Macedonia and its further ascendancy in the Hellenistic world.

Prelude

The Battle of Pydna marked the final clash between Macedonians and Romans, concluding a prolonged conflict that began around 215 BCE. Rome sought to expand its influence in the East. However, the Kingdom of Macedon, once a formidable empire under Alexander the Great, still retained ambitions of maintaining its dominance in Greece.

Rome's involvement in Greece originated from its ongoing war with Carthage, as Hannibal forged an alliance with King Philip V of Macedon. Simultaneously, the Roman Republic allied with the Aetolian League and Attalus I of Pergamon against Philip, leading to the First Macedonian War. The conflict ended with an uneasy peace brokered by Rome. However, Philip's renewed ambitions to expand his territories sparked the Second Macedonian War. Still, in 197 BCE the Romans emerged victorious at Cynoscephalae, forcing him to abandon his plans.

Following Philip’s death in 179 BC, his son Perseus rose to power and became the new king of Macedon. Perseus was anti-Roman and stirred anti-Roman feelings around his kingdom, leading to an escalation of tensions between Macedonia and Rome. In 171 BC, Rome declared war on Macedonia, marking the beginning of the Third Macedonian War.

The Battle of Pydna

In 168 BC, the Roman consul Lucius Aemilius Paullus marched his legions into Macedon, aiming to finally put an end to the threat posed by King Perseus. Paullus was an experienced general, having fought in numerous campaigns. He commanded a disciplined army of 25,000 soldiers (together with 34 elephants), while Perseus had 40,000 infantries and 4,000 cavalries. As the Roman forces advanced, they encountered Perseus' army near the city of Pydna in northeastern Greece on June 22.

The battlefield was chosen by Perseus, who sought to exploit the hilly terrain to negate the Roman advantage in heavy infantry. The Macedonian king positioned his phalanx, composed of tightly-packed sarissa-wielding pikemen, on higher ground, creating a defensive position. Paullus recognized the challenge posed by the phalanx but devised a clever plan to overcome it. He ordered his troops to dig trenches and build low walls, creating a series of fortifications that would disrupt the cohesion of the Macedonians.

The battle only lasted about an hour. There was some early Macedonian success, but this soon waned as Perseus's army marched onto the broken ground, which caused their progress to slow and created a vulnerable gap. Paullus then sent his elephants to attack Perseus' left flank, which immediately collapsed, and ordered his legions to enter the gap. The Macedonians were forced to throw down their weapons, leading to hand-to-hand combat.

Realizing that defeat was imminent, Perseus fled first to Pella and then to the island of Samothrace. The Romans slaughtered the remaining Macedonians, resulting in a death toll of over 20,000 and approximately 6,000 taken as prisoners. In contrast, Rome's casualties were minimal, with only 100 soldiers lost and 400 wounded. Perseus was eventually captured and paraded through the streets of Rome, enduring a total humiliation that served as a symbolic triumph for the Romans.

Aftermath

The Roman victory at the Battle of Pydna marked the end of the Third Macedonian War and the final defeat of Macedon. Beyond the battlefield, the ramifications were profound, as it effectively marked the demise of Macedonian independence. The kingdom underwent dissolution, and its governmental structure was replaced by four restricted republics, prohibited from engaging in any form of intercourse or trade with one another. As time passed, even these republics were dissolved, and Macedon became a Roman province.

With the occupation of Greece and Macedon, the Roman Senate extended its grasp over the Adriatic, heralding the commencement of Roman supremacy over the Mediterranean Sea. This epoch-making event would shape the course of history for centuries to come, as Rome solidified its dominion over the maritime expanse, exerting its influence and control over the lands and peoples that bordered its shores.