Macedonian and Seleucid wars
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Illyrian and Macedonian Wars |
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| Illyrian - First - Second - Third - Fourth |
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. Along with the Punic wars, they resulted in Roman control or influence over the entire Mediterranean basin.
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[edit] First Macedonian war (215 to 202 BC)
| First Macedonian War |
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| First Lamia - Second Lamia |
During the Second Punic War, Philip V of Macedon allied himself with Hannibal. Fearing possible reinforcement of Hannibal by Macedon, Rome dispatched forces across the Adriatic. Roman legions (aided by allies from the Aetolian League and Pergamon after 211 BC) did little more than skirmish with Macedonian forces and seize minor territory along the Adriatic coastline in order to "combat piracy". Rome's interest was not in conquest, but in keeping Macedon, the Greek city-states, and political leagues carefully divided and non-threatening. The war ended indecisively in 202 BC with the Treaty of Phoenice. While a minor conflict, it opened the way for Roman military intervention in Greece.
[edit] Second Macedonian war (200 to 196 BC)
| Second Macedonian War |
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| Cynoscephalae |
In 201 BC, ambassadors from Pergamon and Rhodes brought evidence before the Roman Senate that Philip V of Macedon and Antiochus III of the Seleucid Empire had signed a non-aggression pact. Although some scholars view this "secret treaty" as a fabrication by Pergamon and Rhodes, it resulted in Rome launching the second Macedonian war, with aid from its Greek allies. It was an indecisive conflict until the Roman victory at the Battle of Cynoscephalae in 197 BC. After Rome imposed the Treaty of Tempea, Philip V was forbidden to interfere with affairs outside his borders, a condition he adhered to for the rest of his life. In 194 BC Rome declared Greece "free", and withdrew completely from the Balkans. It seemed that Rome had no further interest in the region.
[edit] Seleucid War (192 to 188 BC)
| Roman-Syrian War |
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| Thermopylae – Eurymedon – Myonessus – Magnesia |
Following the second Macedonian war, the Aetolian League was unhappy with the amount of territory ceded to them by Rome as "reward" for their aid. In response, they "invited" Antiochus III of Seleucid Syria to assist them in freeing Greece from "Roman oppression". Antiochus sent a small force into Greece in 192 BC, and Rome responded by sending its legions back into Greece, driving out the Seleucids.
Possibly partly because Antiochus had given Hannibal shelter as his military advisor (Hannibal had urged the king not to enter Greece with so few troops and been ignored), Rome sent a force of 30,000 troops under Scipio Africanus into Asia Minor. Roman victories at Thermopylae (191 BC) and the Battle of Magnesia (190 BC), forced Antiochus to sign the Treaty of Apamea (188 BC), ceding Seleucid territory to Rome and Pergamon, and extracting a war indemnity of 15,000 talents of silver.
[edit] Third Macedonian War (172 to 168 BC)
| Third Macedonian War |
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| Callicinus – Pydna |
Upon Philip's death in Macedon (179 BC), his son, Perseus of Macedon, attempted to restore Macedon's international influence, and moved aggressively against his neighbors. When Perseus was implicated in an assassination plot against an ally of Rome, the Senate declared the third Macedonian War. Initially, Rome did not fare well against the Macedonian forces, but in 168 BC, Roman legions smashed the Macedonian phalanx at the Battle of Pydna. Perseus was later captured and the kingdom of Macedon divided into four puppet republics.
[edit] Fourth Macedonian War (150 to 148 BC)
| Fourth Macedonian War |
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| Pydna (148 BC) |
For several years, Greece was peaceful until a popular uprising in Macedon rose up under Andriscus, who claimed to be a son of Perseus. Rome once again dispatched its legions into Greece, and put down the rebellion. This time, Rome did not withdraw from the region, forming the Roman provinces of Achaea, Epirus and Macedonia, establishing a permanent Roman foothold on the Greek peninsula.
In response, the remaining free Greek powers of the Achaean League, rose up against Roman presence in Greece. The League was swiftly defeated, and, as an object lesson, Rome utterly destroyed the ancient city of Corinth in 146 BC, the same year that Carthage was destroyed.
The Macedonian wars had come to an end, along with Greek independence.
- See main article: Roman Republic
